D♯ major

A key with nine sharps

D♯ major is a key that exists only on paper. Because the key signature grows in the order of the fifths, it would need nine sharps: the seven sharps from F♯ to B♯, of which F and C are double sharps. In the notation of this glossary every accidental stands in front of the note, so that you can see the notes individually. A key signature with nine sharps practically never appears in printed music.

The cadence

The cadence in the audio example connects tonic, subdominant, dominant and tonic. The dominant contains the leading tone, which pulls upward to the tonic, see leading tone. Here it is the A♯ major chord with the leading tone C𝄪.

Enharmony and rarity

E♭ major, with only three flats, is enharmonically the same. Anyone writing a piece in this region chooses E♭ major, because the key signature stays manageable there and no double sharp is needed. On the piano both spellings use the same keys. This is the enharmonic equivalent. In practice D♯ major turns up at most as a way station in a modulation, for instance as the dominant of G♯ minor, and in theory when you follow the circle of fifths of sharp keys beyond G♯ major with eight sharps.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting the double sharps: The third and seventh notes are F𝄪 and C𝄪.
• Confusing B♯ and C: Both sound the same, but B♯ is the correct spelling of the sixth degree.
• Spelling the mode word with a capital: Write the note letter as a capital and the mode word in lowercase: “D♯ major”.