B7#5 is a 7th sharp 5th chord, and on the piano it is played from the notes B, D#, G, A. On piano it is played from the keys B, D#, G, A, root position first, then in inversions. This page is a complete reference for it: notes and intervals, fingerings, mistakes to avoid, the keys it belongs to and a short practice routine.
What notes are in the B7#5 chord?
The B7#5 chord is a 7th sharp 5th chord, and its notes are fixed: B, D#, G, A. Every voicing on every instrument uses these same notes, in some order and in some octave — change one of them and you are playing a different chord. The table below lists each note with its interval from the root B, so you can see the structure of B7#5 at a glance. On the piano, B7#5 is the keys B, D#, G, A, and the inversions above move the same notes around.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| B | Root |
| D# | 3 |
| G | #5 |
| A | b7 |
The root is B, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in B7#5 are 3, #5, b7. Learn those intervals rather than memorising the shape alone, because the same interval pattern transposed to another root gives you the same quality of chord anywhere. On the piano, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
B7#5 sounds sharp and colourful, a dominant chord that refuses to sound ordinary. The colour is strongest when all the notes ring clearly. A muted chord tone, especially the 3rd or the 7th where the chord has one, flattens the character of B7#5 noticeably. On the piano, B7#5 is the keys B, D#, G, A, and the inversions above move the same notes around.
Comparing B7#5 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, 7#5 against dominant 7th: B7#5 raises the 5th to G where the plain dominant 7th keeps the perfect 5th F#. The raised 5th adds lift and tension at the same time. Play both chords slowly, one after the other, and notice which note moves. Naming that note out loud while you play is the fastest way to learn the difference. On the piano, the root-position keys B, D#, G, A show B7#5 most clearly.
How to play B7#5 on piano
On the piano, B7#5 is played from the keys B, D#, G, A. In root position the lowest note is B, the root, with the other notes stacked above it in the order B, D#, G, A. Play it with the right hand first, then with the left hand an octave lower, so both hands know the shape of B7#5 before you try it in a progression.
First inversion of B7#5 puts D# in the bass, with the notes in the order D#, G, A, B. The chord is still B7#5 — the notes have not changed, only their order — but the bass note changes how it connects to the chord before and after it. Use this inversion when the bass line wants to step to D# rather than jump to B, and practise moving from root position to this inversion without lifting your hand off the keys more than you must.
Second inversion of B7#5 puts G in the bass, with the notes in the order G, A, B, D#. The chord is still B7#5 — the notes have not changed, only their order — but the bass note changes how it connects to the chord before and after it. Use this inversion when the bass line wants to step to G rather than jump to B, and practise moving from root position to this inversion without lifting your hand off the keys more than you must.
Third inversion of B7#5 puts A in the bass, with the notes in the order A, B, D#, G. The chord is still B7#5 — the notes have not changed, only their order — but the bass note changes how it connects to the chord before and after it. Use this inversion when the bass line wants to step to A rather than jump to B, and practise moving from root position to this inversion without lifting your hand off the keys more than you must.
For fingering, a good starting point for B7#5 in root position in the right hand is thumb on B, then one finger per note in order, with the little finger on the top note A. For the left hand, mirror it: little finger on the low B and thumb on the top note. When a note is a black key — D# — let your longer fingers take it, since they reach the black keys more easily. Practise B7#5 in root position and first inversion, hands separately, then together, at a slow tempo, and use the Piano Chord Finder to check the voicing on the keyboard.
Common mistakes
These are the mistakes that most often make B7#5 sound wrong on the piano, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Using it as a tonic. B7#5 is an altered dominant. It wants to resolve to the tonic a fourth above its root. On the piano, B7#5 is the keys B, D#, G, A, and the inversions above move the same notes around.
Voicing it too low. G low down can sound muddy. Keep the sharpened 5th in a higher octave than the root. On the piano, play the keys B, D#, G, A slowly and listen for each note of B7#5 in turn.
Playing every inversion with the same hand shape. Each inversion of B7#5 needs its own hand shape, because the notes sit under different fingers. If you force the root-position fingering onto an inversion, the hand cramps and notes get missed. Learn the fingering for each inversion of B7#5 separately, hands apart, before you join them. On the piano, play the keys B, D#, G, A slowly and listen for each note of B7#5 in turn.
Playing a perfect 5th. If the 5th is F# the chord is a plain dominant 7th. The sharpened 5th G is the note that makes it altered. On the piano, the root-position keys B, D#, G, A show B7#5 most clearly.
Where B7#5 is used
B7#5 is not a diatonic triad in any major or minor key, because it is an extended or altered chord, but its base triad belongs to the key of E major, the key of F# major, the key of B major. an altered dominant in jazz, where the sharpened 5th adds tension before a resolution. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward E major, the key a perfect fourth above B, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where B7#5 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the piano, the root-position keys B, D#, G, A show B7#5 most clearly.
Because B7#5 is an extended or altered chord, it appears in progressions as a colour or a dominant rather than as a diatonic staple. Try it in place of the plain B triad in a progression you already know, and listen to how the extra notes change the feel — that substitution is the usual way extended chords enter real music. The Chord Progression Builder lets you try B7#5 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the piano, B7#5 is the keys B, D#, G, A, and the inversions above move the same notes around.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in B7#5 on guitar, B7#5 on ukulele, B7#5 on bass, and the scales that fit over it are the B major scale and the B minor pentatonic scale. Learning B7#5 on the piano and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — B, D#, G, A — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising B7#5
A short worked example makes B7#5 concrete. Play the four-chord progression E – B – C#m – A in E major, the key B7#5 most often resolves toward: E – B – C#m – A. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how B7#5 sounds in that sequence — whether it feels like home, like a lift, or like a chord on its way somewhere else. Then play the same four chords in a different order, starting on B7#5 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the piano, the root-position keys B, D#, G, A show B7#5 most clearly.
For a second exercise, play B7#5 and then the chord a fourth above B, back and forth, four times each. That move — a chord and the chord a fourth above it — is the most common resolution in Western music, and it is the move B7#5 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing B7#5 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: B, D#, G, A. Naming the notes while you play them is what turns a shape into knowledge you can use in any key. Test yourself with the Practice Chord Quiz and keep time with the Metronome as the tempo rises. On the piano, B7#5 is the keys B, D#, G, A, and the inversions above move the same notes around.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in B7#5?
B7#5 contains B, D#, G, A: root B, major 3rd D#, sharpened 5th G and flattened 7th A. The sharpened 5th is the note that makes it an altered dominant. On the piano, the root-position keys above show where that note sits.
What is the difference between B7#5 and B7?
B7 has the perfect 5th F#; B7#5 raises it to G. B7#5 sounds tenser and more exotic, and it is used as an altered dominant in jazz. On the piano, the root-position keys above show where that note sits.
Where is B7#5 used?
B7#5 is an altered V chord in jazz and minor-key progressions, used before a resolution to the tonic. It adds lift and tension to a dominant chord. On the piano, the root-position keys above show where that note sits.
How do you play B7#5 on the piano?
In root position, play the keys B, D#, G, A, with B as the lowest note. That is the basic shape of B7#5 on the piano. The inversions above put a different note in the bass, and the Chord Inverter shows every inversion of B7#5 on the keyboard.
What is the first inversion of B7#5?
The first inversion of B7#5 puts D# in the bass, with the notes in the order D#, G, A, B. The chord is still B7#5 — only the bass note has changed — and it is the inversion to use when the bass line steps to D#.