D# or E♭ Dominant 7th
6th FretA-shape barre chord rooted on D# or E♭ at fret 6 — the standard D#7 voicing. Barre fret 6 with the index; ring on D fret 8, pinky on B fret 8. Mute the low E.
D# or E♭ Dominant 7th
11th FretE-shape barre chord with the root on the low E string at fret 11. Full six-string voicing — index barres all strings at fret 11, ring on A fret 13, middle on G fret 12.
D# or E♭ Dominant 7th
9th FretDrop 2 voicing on the top four strings — root (D#) on D fret 13, 3rd (G) on G fret 12, 5th (A#) on B fret 11, ♭7th (C#) on high e fret 9. A go-to jazz comping shape.
D# or E♭ Dominant 7th
3rd PositionCompact shell voicing on the inner four strings — 3rd (G) on D fret 5, ♭7th (C#) on G fret 6, root (D#) on B fret 4, 3rd (G) on high e fret 3. No barre — captures the tritone tension of D#7 cleanly.
D# or E♭ Dominant 7th
1st FretD7-shape moveable voicing — the open D7 chord slid up one fret. D string fret 1 (root), G fret 3 (5th), B fret 2 (♭7th), high e fret 3 (3rd). No barre required.
Tips for Playing the D#7 Chord
Start with the A-shape barre
The x-6-8-6-8-6 shape at fret 6 is the standard D#7. It is fully moveable — slide it one fret down for D7 or two frets up for E7.
Spell it as E♭7 in flat keys
In written music this chord almost always appears as E♭7, resolving to A♭ major. The shapes and sound are identical — only the enharmonic spelling changes.
Use the D7-shape at fret 1
The x-x-1-3-2-3 shape is the open D7 moved up one fret — once you know D7 open, you already know this D#7 voicing. No barre required.
Mute the low E cleanly
Most D#7 voicings skip the low E. Let the side of your index finger lightly touch the low E string to mute it as you strum.
E♭7 in jazz
E♭7 → A♭maj7 is one of the most common V→I resolutions in jazz ballads. Practise this move using the barre at fret 6 resolving to A♭maj7 at fret 4.
Dominant cycle practice
D#7 → G#7 → C#7 → F#7 → B7 → E7 → A7 → D7 → G7 → C7 → F7 → B♭7 is the full cycle of dominants. Each chord uses the same moveable A-shape or E-shape fingering.
About the D#7 Chord on Guitar
The D#7 chord is built from four notes: D# (the root), G (the major 3rd), A# (the perfect 5th), and C# (the minor 7th). It is the D# major triad with an added flat 7th, creating the characteristic tritone tension between G and C# that defines dominant 7th chords. Because no standard open-string voicing exists in standard tuning, every D#7 voicing requires fretted notes — but the open D7 shape moved up one fret provides a practical low-position starting point. D#7 is enharmonically identical to E♭7, which is by far the more common spelling in written music: E♭7 resolves to A♭ major, a key that appears constantly in jazz, R&B, and brass arrangements. This page covers five voicings, from the standard A-shape barre at fret 6 to jazz Drop 2 and shell voicings. Every diagram is interactive and playable with real acoustic guitar sound.
- 015 D#7 or E♭7 chord shapes from intermediate to advanced
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Real acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04A-shape barre, E-shape barre, Drop 2, shell voicing, and D7-shape moveable form
- 05Difficulty rating on every shape
- 06Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 4 notes that form the D# or E♭ Dominant 7th chord and their role in the major scale.
Every dominant 7th chord follows this same formula — root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh.