In a descending line clichéD♭ major
The descending line cliché: the fifth of the tonic rises a semitone, then falls into the third of the vi.
D♭ Augmented Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The D♭ Augmented chord is built on the root note D♭. Its notes are D♭, F and A. It's enharmonically the same chord as C♯ Augmented.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Augmented chords feel floaty and uncertain. Raising the fifth of a major triad creates a symmetrical chord with no clear home, which suits transitions and dreamy film score moments.
- Notes
- D♭ · F · A
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 8
- Note
- D♭
- Quality
- Augmented
- Symbol
- D♭+
D♭ Augmented on piano
3 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play D♭ Augmented on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on D♭, middle finger on F and little finger on A. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard D♭ is a black key and F and A are white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- D♭1
- F3
- A♯5
D♭ Augmented on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, D♭ Augmented is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 9: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
D♭ · F · A
Play D♭ Augmented on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
D♭ Augmented chord notes
Also known as C♯ Augmented
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | D♭(Db) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | F | |
| ♯5 | Augmented fifth | 8 | A |
How to use the D♭ Augmented chord
The D♭ Augmented chord is built from a root, a major third and an augmented fifth. Start at the root D♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: D♭, F and A. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Augmented chords show up in jazz, bossa nova, film scores and psychedelic rock. They're often used as a brief transition chord, for example between I and vi in a major key.
How D♭ Augmented differs from similar chords
D♭+ raises the fifth of D♭ by a half step, so it stacks two major thirds and has no perfect fifth at all. That makes it the mirror image of D♭°, which stacks two minor thirds. Because three major thirds split the octave evenly, the same three notes form an augmented chord on each of them.
Where D♭ Augmented is used
An augmented chord is unstable by construction: it turns up as a passing tonic inside a descending line, and as a dominant sharpened to pull harder.
As an altered dominantG♭ major
- V+D♭+
- IG♭
Raising the fifth of the dominant sharpens its pull into G♭.
Scales that contain D♭+
These scales include D♭+ as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.
C Neapolitan Major
C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G · A · B
E♭ Lydian Dominant
E♭ · F · G · A · B♭ · C · D♭
F Harmonic Major
F · G · A · B♭ · C · D♭ · E
F Phrygian Dominant
F · G♭ · A · B♭ · C · D♭ · E♭
F Gypsy Major
F · G♭ · A · B♭ · C · D♭ · E
F Persian
F · G♭ · A · B♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E
F Hindu
F · G · A · B♭ · C · D♭ · E♭
F Arabian
F · G · A · B♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E♭
G Arabian
G · A · B · C · D♭ · E♭ · F
A Altered
A · B♭ · C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G
B♭ Harmonic Minor
B♭ · C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G♭ · A
B♭ Melodic Minor
B♭ · C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G · A
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the D♭ Augmented chord?
- The D♭ Augmented chord contains D♭, F and A (Db, F and A in plain text).
- Is the D♭ Augmented chord major or minor?
- D♭ Augmented is a augmented chord. Augmented chords feel floaty and uncertain. Raising the fifth of a major triad creates a symmetrical chord with no clear home, which suits transitions and dreamy film score moments.
- How do you play D♭ Augmented on piano?
- Place your fingers on D♭, F and A and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard D♭ is a black key and F and A are white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play D♭ Augmented on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 9: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
- What is another name for the D♭ Augmented chord?
- D♭ Augmented is enharmonically equivalent to C♯ Augmented. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.