Starry Night polychord: how to play it on guitar

Starry Night polychord (D♭(1 ♯9 3 ♯11 5 7)): guitar chord

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Star Wars, 1977 · John Williams · nearest shape for the hand

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D♭(1 ♯9 3 ♯11 5 7)

D♭maj7(♯9,♯11) Standard

5th in bass · 6 strings

FamousStar Wars1977 · John Williams

Two chords at once: C major over D♭ major

The transition out of the Main Title as the camera tilts down from the crawl to the stars (about 0:01:45; bars 33-35 of 'Main Title/Rebel Blockade Runner')

A C major chord rippling in fast arpeggios above a D♭ major chord a half step lower. It is the shimmering music as the camera tilts down from the Star Wars opening crawl to the starfield. Each note of one triad sits a half step from a note of the other, so the sound glitters and never settles.

Also called Starry Night, Starry Night Arpeggios (Lehman's catalogue name)

Sources: Frank Lehman, Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (updated 19 June 2023), Incidental Motifs no. 1 'Starry Night Arpeggios' · Pearson Edexcel GCSE Music set work guide: John Williams, 'Main Title/Rebel Blockade Runner' (2016) · Passmores Academy GCSE revision sheet: 'Main Title/Rebel Blockade Runner'

Chord clock

What’s in it

R D♭♯9 E3 F♯11 G5 A♭7 C

About this shape

Lowest note: A♭2, the 5th
Highest note: E4, the ♯9th
Stretch: 3 frets
Fingers: 4 fingers

Where it sits on the neck

Fingering not checked by a guitarist yet.

Starry Night polychord (D♭(1 ♯9 3 ♯11 5 7)): guitar chord

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Starry Night polychord (D♭(1 ♯9 3 ♯11 5 7)): guitar chord

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