D seventh, flat fifth
How to play D7♭5 — Seventh, flat fifth
D7♭5 (Seventh, flat fifth)D · F♯ · A♭ · C
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
D seventh, flat fifth — notes and structure
The D7♭5 chord is a dominant seventh with a lowered fifth — tense and altered.
The D7♭5 seventh, flat fifth consists of the notes D, F♯, A♭, C. Its interval structure is R–3–5–7 — the root, then each chord tone stacked above it. This is the same chord you see in the interactive finder above, drawn on the guitar fretboard with the root circled and every chord tone labelled.
D7♭5 stacks a major third (F♯), a diminished fifth (A♭) and a minor seventh (C) above the root D.
The finder shows 2 ways to play D7♭5 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 5th fret. 1 of them use a barre.
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the D seventh, flat fifth chord?
- The D7♭5 chord contains the notes D, F♯, A♭, C. It is a dominant seventh with a lowered fifth — tense and altered.
- How many ways can you play D7♭5 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is D7♭5 a hard chord to play?
- Some voicings use a barre, which takes practice, but the chord is very playable once that shape is comfortable.