Emaj7(#5) Guitar Chord | How To Create and Play the E Major Seventh Sharp Fifth chord
What is in Emaj7#5, the E major seventh sharp five chord? The notes are E, G#, B# and D#.
Compared with a plain major seventh chord, only the fifth changes: it is raised by a semitone. Emaj7#5 fits inside the E Lydian augmented scale: each of its notes is a member of that scale. The B# here is a theoretical spelling: it keeps one letter name for each chord tone, although it sounds like an easier note.
Try the chord in progressions in jazz to hear how it connects to its neighbours. The major seventh and the raised fifth, D# and B#, are a minor third apart.
E major 7th with sharp 5th guitar chord is also written as Emaj7(#5), Emaj7#5, EM7(#5) or EΔ7(#5).
E maj7(#5) chord Notes:
Chord Structure:
Formula: 1 3 #5 7
E Maj7(#5) Chord Interactive Fretboard
Want a structured chord roadmap instead of jumping between pages?
Go to the full guitar chords tutorial.
Download
the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf
Play This Chord With Other Roots
C maj7(#5) | D maj7(#5) | E maj7(#5) | F maj7(#5) | G maj7(#5) | A maj7(#5) | B maj7(#5) | C#maj7(#5) | D#maj7(#5) | F#maj7(#5) | G#maj7(#5) | A#maj7(#5) | Abmaj7(#5) | Bbmaj7(#5) | Dbmaj7(#5) | Ebmaj7(#5) | Gbmaj7(#5)
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
FAQ
What notes are in Emaj7#5?
Emaj7#5 is spelled E, G#, B# and D#. That makes a root, a major third, a raised fifth and a major seventh. The B# sounds like C.
Why does E major seventh sharp five contain B#?
The perfect fifth of E is B, and the sharp five raises it to B#. The letter B is kept even though the pitch sounds like C.
Which scale works over Emaj7#5?
The E Lydian Augmented Scale (E, F#, G#, A#, B#, C#, D#) contains all four chord notes. They are its 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th degrees.
How does Emaj7#5 compare with Emaj7?
Emaj7 contains the perfect fifth B. Emaj7#5 raises that note to B#, and E, G# and D# stay as they are.
