D-sharp minor

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**D♯ minor**
Relative key	F♯ major

Parallel key	D-sharp major enharmonic: E-flat major
Enharmonic	E-flat minor
Component pitches
D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯, A♯, B, C♯, D♯

D-sharp minor or D♯ minor is a minor scale based on D-sharp, consisting of the pitches D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯, A♯, B, and C♯. For the harmonic minor, the C♯ is raised to C. Its key signature has six sharps (see below: Scales and keys).

E-flat minor is its direct enharmonic equivalent. Its relative major is F-sharp major, and its parallel major is D-sharp major, usually replaced by E-flat major, since D-sharp major, which would contain nine sharps, is not normally used.

Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary.

Since D-sharp minor and its enharmonic equivalent both have key signatures of six accidentals, other considerations dictate the choice of key. For example, using the ascending and descending melodic minor versions of D-sharp minor on the harp is not practical. The B-pedal can be set to the sharp position easily enough, but there is no double-sharp position to which to set the C-pedal. In both books of The Well-Tempered Clavier, Bach chose to write the eighth prelude in E-flat minor but the following fugue in D-sharp minor.

Music written in this key is considered exceedingly difficult to read, leading to infrequent use of D-sharp minor as the principal key center of pieces in the Classical era. More common is notation in E-flat minor, which is a relatively manageable key for many brass instruments and woodwinds.