Play D-sharp minor on the Piano - Scales, Chords & Exercises
by Elke Galvin • October 18, 2023 • 4 minute read
Learn everything about the D-sharp minor scale for piano - notes and fingerings for both hands included! Exercise the D-sharp minor scale and chords to improve your playing skills and music theory knowledge.
Jump to section
Very rarely do composers think of choosing D-sharp minor for their works. Most of them prefer its enharmonic twin E-flat minor. Johann Sebastian Bach, of course, has written music in every conceivable scale, including D# minor. Composers who attempted to categorize the mood of each scale wrote very unfavorable things about D# minor - like "Every fear, every hesitation of the shuddering heart, breathes out of horrible D#-minor". It is not quite so horrific on the piano, so we recommend you give it a go.
✨ Unlock Your Piano Power!
Subscribe to 'All Things Piano' by OKTAV.
You get a fascinating chord poster + exclusive content!
You get a fascinating chord poster + exclusive content!
The Notes of the D-sharp minor Scale
The D-sharp minor scale starts on D#. It uses the notes D#-E#-F#-G#-A#-B-C#-D#. On the piano, you need to play all the black keys and two white ones: B and E# (which is found on the F-key).
How to Play the D-sharp minor Scale With the Right Hand (Treble Clef)
On the piano, you can play the D-sharp minor scale going up (toward the higher notes), or coming down. In the treble clef, do this:
- Play the following notes going up: D#-E#-F#-G#-A#-B-C#-D#. Start playing with your second finger on the D#, tucked over your thumb, then play the E# with the thumb, and the F# with the second finger, G# with the third, and A# with the fourth, finger. Then tuck your thumb under, to reach the B. As you continue playing, you will play the D# with your third finger.
- Play the following notes going down: D#-C#-B-A#-G#-F#-E#-D#. Now reverse the way you've "climbed" the scale. Start with your third finger, play down to the thumb, then tuck the fourth finger over to play the A#. Play down to the thumb once more, then tuck your second finger to play the D#.
How to Play the D-sharp minor Scale With the Left Hand (Bass Clef)
Piano beginners may find it difficult to read and play the left hand. It is worth investing some time to really familiarize yourself with the notes of the d-sharp minor scale in the bass clef, and learn how to read them in music scores.
The notes are the same as in the right hand (D#-E#-F#-G#-A#-B-C#-D#), but they look different:
How to play d-sharp minor with the left hand
- Going up: Starting with your second finger on D# you next play the thumb on E#, then tuck your fourth finger, to reach the F#. Play up to the thumb on B, then use the third finger to play the C# and the second finger to play the D#.
- Coming down: Reverse what you've just done. Start with your second and third finger, then tuck your thumb to play the B. Play down to your fourth finger, then tuck again to play the E# with the first finger, and the final D# with your second finger.
The D-sharp minor Key Signature
The key signature, located at the beginning of each line of a piece, lets you see which notes will be raised (#) or lowered (b) consistently throughout that piece.
If you spot this key signature below, the piece is likely in D# minor (or in its parallel Major scale F-sharp Major, you'll be able to determine that from the mood of the piece):
6 Exercises to Practice the D-sharp minor Scale
Play one exercise after the other and only move on after having correctly played the previous exercise 5 times on your piano:
- Play the left hand up and down using a metronome and slowly increasing speed
- Play the right hand up and down using a metronome and slowly increasing speed
- Play both hands up and down using a metronome and slowly increasing speed
- Play the left hand up starting from the lowest E to the highest, and down starting from the highest E to the lowest
- Play the right hand up starting from the lowest D# to the highest, and down starting from the highest D# to the lowest
- Play both hands up starting with the left hand on the lowest D# and stopping when the right hand reaches the highest D#, then play down to the starting position
Why you should exercise scales in general:
- To memorize a scale
- To practice dexterity and intonation (play all keys with even loudness. Beginners often play the notes they work with their stronger fingers much harder. Aim for an even tone)
- To be able to play the scale in time without hesitating to find your fingerings
- To be able to build chords and improvise
D# minor Chords on the Piano
A minor chord is constructed of three or more notes: The root note - the minor third - the perfect fifth.
In short, this tells us for D# minor:
- The basic D# minor chord consists of D#-F#-A#.
- The first inversion is F#-A#-D#.
- The second inversion is A#-D#-F#.
To practice the D# minor chord and inversions, switch from the chord starting with the root note to the first, and the second inversion, starting slowly using a metronome, then increasing your tempo.
AUTHOR
Elke Galvin
Elke Galvin is a British-Austrian singer, multi-instrumentalist, and writer. She has worked both as a musician and journalist for over 25 years. Not only is she an acclaimed songwriter, she loves to write about music, too! Making music theory easy to understand is her passion, as is writing about music styles, music and the brain, and how to have fun learning and playing music.
