CHORD REFERENCE

E7♯5

E – G♯ – B♯ – D1 3 #5 b7

The E 7♯5 chord and everything around it — the notes and how they are built, the shape on piano and guitar, the sound, and the keys it belongs to.

Notes
E1G♯3B♯#5Db7

E7♯5 is E, G#, B#, D — the 1, 3, #5 and b7 above the root E.

Piano
EB♯DG♯
Guitar

Guitar — every position (frets 0–12)

357912eEG♯B♯DEBB♯DEG♯GG♯B♯DEDDEG♯B♯DAB♯DEG♯EEG♯B♯DE

Root notes are red. There is no standard open shape for this chord — any group of these notes on the neck sounds the chord.

Ukulele (standard G–C–E–A)

357912AB♯DEG♯EEG♯B♯DECB♯DEG♯B♯GG♯B♯DE

Every position of the chord tones on the ukulele neck — any group that sounds only E, G#, B#, D plays the chord.

In which keys

E7♯5 is a colour chord — it is not diatonic to a plain major or minor key, which is what gives it its character. It shows up as a borrowed chord, an altered dominant, or a passing sound.

Other E chords

Triads

EMajorEmMinorE5Power Chord (5)EdimDiminishedEaugAugmentedEsus2Suspended 2ndEsus4Suspended 4th

Sixths & sevenths

E6Major 6thEm6Minor 6thE7Dominant 7thEmaj7Major 7thEm7Minor 7thEm(maj7)Minor–Major 7thEdim7Diminished 7thEm7♭5Half-Diminished (m7♭5)E7sus47sus4

Altered dominants

E7♭57♭5E7♭97♭9E7♯97♯9 (Hendrix Chord)

Extended & added

Eadd9Added 9thE6/96/9E9Dominant 9thEmaj9Major 9thEm9Minor 9thE11Dominant 11thE13Dominant 13th
7♯5 on another root
CD♭DE♭EFG♭GA♭AB♭B
Keep exploring

Work out the chords of a whole key with the Scale & Chord Finder, name a chord from its notes with the Chord Identifier, or browse every chord tool. The theory behind how chords are built is in the free Cloud Atelier music guides.