What notes are in a D♯ half-diminished chord?

D♯ half-diminished contains four notes: D♯ (root), F♯ (minor third), A (diminished fifth), and C♯ (minor seventh).

How does D♯m7♭5 resolve?

In C♯ minor: D♯m7♭5 → G♯7 → C♯m. The chord prepares the dominant G♯7, which then resolves to the C♯m tonic.

Is D♯m7♭5 the same as E♭m7♭5?

Enharmonically the same set of pitches, but spelled differently. D♯m7♭5 lives in C♯-minor sharp-key contexts; E♭m7♭5 (E♭-G♭-B♭♭-D♭) is essentially never written because of the double-flat fifth.

Where does D♯m7♭5 appear in music?

In C♯-minor cadences in classical and jazz literature. Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata, Rachmaninoff's C♯-minor Prelude, and any C♯-minor jazz tune use this chord as the standard iiø7 preparation.

D# half-diminished chord — notes, intervals, and practice

D♯ half-diminished (D♯m7♭5 or D♯ø) — D♯, F♯, A, C♯ — is the iiø7 of C♯ minor. The chord lives in sharp-side keys and serves the same minor-key-cadence role as its enharmonic neighbour E♭m7♭5 (which spells the same pitches in flat keys). Bach's C♯-minor fugue (WTC I) uses this chord at its primary cadence.

Intervals

The D# half-diminished chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:

D#→F#minor 3rd3 semitones
F#→Aminor 3rd3 semitones
A→C#major 3rd4 semitones

On the keyboard

Each note of the D# half-diminished chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.

On the guitar

One voicing of the D# half-diminished chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.

Common mistakes

D♯m7♭5 mixes three sharps (D♯, F♯, C♯) with one natural (A). The single natural is the flat-five — the chord's identity. Replacing A with A♯ produces D♯m7 (a regular minor seventh); the flat fifth is what makes the chord half-diminished.

In context

D♯m7♭5 → G♯7 → C♯m is the ii–V–i in C♯ minor. The chord appears in every C♯-minor jazz tune (rare but they exist) and in classical C♯-minor literature including Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata Op. 27 No. 2 and Rachmaninoff's C♯-minor Prelude.

Drill it

The D# half-diminished chord is one of 48 in the Chord Trainer. Open the full trainer to practice it alongside related chords with timing and best-time tracking.

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Frequently asked

What notes are in a D♯ half-diminished chord?: D♯ half-diminished contains four notes: D♯ (root), F♯ (minor third), A (diminished fifth), and C♯ (minor seventh).
How does D♯m7♭5 resolve?: In C♯ minor: D♯m7♭5 → G♯7 → C♯m. The chord prepares the dominant G♯7, which then resolves to the C♯m tonic.
Is D♯m7♭5 the same as E♭m7♭5?: Enharmonically the same set of pitches, but spelled differently. D♯m7♭5 lives in C♯-minor sharp-key contexts; E♭m7♭5 (E♭-G♭-B♭♭-D♭) is essentially never written because of the double-flat fifth.
Where does D♯m7♭5 appear in music?: In C♯-minor cadences in classical and jazz literature. Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata, Rachmaninoff's C♯-minor Prelude, and any C♯-minor jazz tune use this chord as the standard iiø7 preparation.