Map it slowly
Find D on string 5 at fret 5. Play string 5, fret 5; string 5, fret 9; string 4, fret 8; string 3, fret 5; string 3, fret 7. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · D7♯5 · Guitar
D7♯5 arpeggio on guitar
The D7♯5 arpeggio is D – F♯ – A♯ – C — chord tones 1 3 ♯5 ♭7. D7♯5 is a dominant that wants extra tension before resolving down a fifth; its sound is floating, whole-tone. Below, every D, F♯, A♯, C on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
D7♯5 on the fretboard.
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
RootChord toneBeing played
Tempo100 bpm
Show
Sound
Play loops the arpeggio up and down one octave (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 5. Tap any marked note to hear it. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Your next 10 minutes
Make D Augmented 7th (7♯5) part of your playing
Make a short phrase
Play D – F♯ – A♯ – C in quarter notes at 60 bpm. Repeat starting from F♯, wrapping back to D. Do not speed up until every attack is even.
Hear it in context
Alternate F♯ and C above a sustained D. These are degree 3 and ♭7. End a four-bar phrase on either one instead of always returning to the root.
Listen for this: D7♯5 has the colour “floating, whole-tone”. Name the degrees as you play, so you can recognize the sound in another key rather than remembering only a shape.
Understand the sound
D7♯5: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives D7♯5 its identity?
The raised fifth changes the dominant’s centre of gravity. Keep the major third and flat seventh clear while you listen to the altered fifth.
Here the third is F♯, and degree ♭7 is C. Play D in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Turn the arpeggio into a melody
Try F♯ – A♯ – C – D as quarter notes, then repeat the first note and omit the last. The second phrase uses the same harmony with a different shape.
Sound the strings separately before playing them together. If a note is muted, adjust the finger angle instead of squeezing harder.
Your guitar checkpoint
Start with D on string 5, fret 5. The next note F♯ is on string 5, fret 9. Name both notes aloud before playing, then find the same two pitches in another octave.
Before moving on, close the diagram and name the notes: D · F♯ · A♯ · C. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
On piano
D7♯5 on the keyboard.
Reference
D7♯5 — chord tones & intervals.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from D |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | unison (0 semitones) |
| 3 | F♯ | major 3rd (4 semitones) |
| ♯5 | A♯ | augmented 5th (8 semitones) |
| ♭7 | C | minor 7th (10 semitones) |
Goes with: D Whole tone (D E G♭ A♭ B♭ C). Voicings: D7♯5 voicings on guitar.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to play the D7♯5 arpeggio over through all twelve keys, with the chord and scale shown live — plus ear-training and call & response modes.
▶ Open Practice RadioCommon questions
D7♯5 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a D7♯5 arpeggio?
D – F♯ – A♯ – C. As chord tones: 1 3 ♯5 ♭7. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
What is a D7♯5 chord used for?
D7♯5 is a dominant that wants extra tension before resolving down a fifth. Its character is floating, whole-tone.
Which scale goes with D7♯5?
D Whole tone (D E G♭ A♭ B♭ C) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
How do I practise the D7♯5 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root D on the A string at fret 5 and play A-string fret 5, A-string fret 9, D-string fret 8, G-string fret 5, G-string fret 7. Then play it descending, then in eighth notes with a metronome, then use it in a short phrase over a suitable chord.
Keep going
Augmented 7th (7♯5) arpeggio in every other key.
Same arpeggio on piano · Augmented 7th (7♯5) hub · chord-scale theory.
Other arpeggios from D