D♭m(maj7) Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The D♭m(maj7) chord is a minor major seventh chord built on the root note D♭. Its notes are D♭, F♭, A♭ and C. It's enharmonically the same chord as C♯m(maj7).
Minor major seventh chords are unsettling in a beautiful way. A major seventh over a minor triad creates a sharp, unresolved edge best known from spy themes, Hitchcock scores and the darker corners of jazz.
- Notes
- D♭ · F♭ · A♭ · C
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · 7
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 7 · 11
- Note
- D♭
- Quality
- Minor Major 7
- Symbol
- D♭m(maj7)
D♭m(maj7) on piano
4 notes
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play D♭m(maj7) on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on D♭, index finger on F♭, middle finger on A♭ and little finger on C. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard D♭ and A♭ are black keys and F♭ and C are white. F♭ is the key you'd normally call E. 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
- F♭♭3
- A♭5
- C7
D♭m(maj7) on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, D♭m(maj7) is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. String 1 rings open. Don't play string 6.
D♭ · F♭ · A♭ · C
Try D♭m(maj7) on the virtual piano
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D♭m(maj7) chord notes
Also known as C♯m(maj7)
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | D♭(Db) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | F♭(Fb) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | A♭(Ab) | |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | C |
How to use the D♭m(maj7) chord
The D♭m(maj7) chord is built from a root, a minor third, a perfect fifth and a major seventh. Start at the root D♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: D♭, F♭, A♭ and C. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Minor major seventh chords appear in line cliches, where the top voice of a minor chord walks down from the root through the major seventh. James Bond themes, bossa nova and minor-key jazz ballads are where you meet them.
How D♭m(maj7) differs from similar chords
D♭m(maj7) combines the minor third of D♭m with the major seventh of D♭maj7. Its seventh sits a half step higher than in D♭m7, right under the root, and that is where its tense, cinematic edge comes from. It usually passes by in a line cliché between D♭m and D♭m7.
Where D♭m(maj7) is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key D♭m(maj7) would have a function in has a tonic that needs a double accidental, which is not a key this library teaches. The enharmonic spelling carries the same chord in a key that exists.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the D♭m(maj7) chord?
- The D♭m(maj7) chord contains D♭, F♭, A♭ and C (Db, Fb, Ab and C in plain text).
- Is the D♭m(maj7) chord major or minor?
- D♭m(maj7) is a minor major seventh chord. Minor major seventh chords are unsettling in a beautiful way. A major seventh over a minor triad creates a sharp, unresolved edge best known from spy themes, Hitchcock scores and the darker corners of jazz.
- How do you play D♭m(maj7) on piano?
- Place your fingers on D♭, F♭, A♭ and C 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♭ and A♭ are black keys and F♭ and C are white. F♭ is the key you'd normally call E. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play D♭m(maj7) on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. String 1 rings open. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the D♭m(maj7) chord?
- D♭m(maj7) is enharmonically equivalent to C♯m(maj7). Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.