Scale degrees · D major
The ♯4 of D is G♯
The ♯4 (sharp four, written #4) of D is G♯ (G sharp): an augmented fourth above the root.
D — the root, 1G♯ — the ♯4
How to find it
Count letters first, the root included: D, E, F, G. A 4th lands on G.
Then the sound: an augmented fourth is 6 semitones above D, and the G that is 6 semitones up is G♯.
That is why it is G♯ and not A♭: A♭ is the same key on the piano, but from D it would be a 5th, not a 4th.
Where you meet it
The ♯4 is the Lydian note, a tritone above the root. On a chord symbol it is usually written ♯11.
In the scale D Lydian:
D · E · F♯ · G♯ · A · B · C♯
The ♯4 in every key
| Key | The ♯4 |
|---|---|
| C | F♯ |
| G | C♯ |
| D | G♯ |
| A | D♯ |
| E | A♯ |
| B | E♯ |
| F♯ | B♯ |
| D♭ | G |
| A♭ | D |
| E♭ | A |
| B♭ | E |
| F | B |
Every degree of D
Free on iPhone and Android
Name it before
you can count it.
Improvy trains every degree in all 12 keys — the 3, the ♭7, the ♯11 — until you see the note without working it out. A few minutes a day. Free to start; Pro is one payment, never a subscription.
Or try the 60-second test in your browser