About the A sharp minor major seven flat five chord
A sharp minor major seven flat five sits outside the plain diatonic set, so it is borrowed to add color and tension. Think of it as an A♯ minor-major seventh flat five chord.
Its notes are A♯, C♯, E, and A. The intervals are a minor third, a diminished fifth, and a major seventh.
Also called diminished major seventh and dim(maj7). B flat minor major seven flat five spells the same notes enharmonically. In shorthand it is commonly written A#mMaj7b5.
Positions
Notes and intervals
| 1 | A#A♯ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | C#C♯ | Minor 3rd |
| 3 | EE | Diminished 5th |
| 4 | AA | Major 7th |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Other A sharp chords
Simpler triads
Suspended
Sixths and sevenths
Extensions
Altered
Functional relationships
These chords are where this one most naturally comes from and resolves to inside a key.
Relative major
The relative major uses the same notes and key signature, so it works as a brighter home base.
Parallel major
The parallel major keeps the same root note but raises the third, giving the same key a brighter, happier sound.
Dominant
The dominant is a fifth above the root, and it builds tension that pulls strongly back to this chord.
Subdominant
The subdominant is a fourth above the root (a fifth below), and it usually leads on to the dominant or back home.
Tritone substitution
The tritone substitution stands in for this chord's dominant with a dominant seventh a half step above the root, which slides down by a half step to resolve here.