As the tonic (I)D♭ major
Home. The loop leaves D♭ Major and keeps coming back to it.
D♭ Major Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The D♭ Major chord is built on the root note D♭. Its notes are D♭, F and A♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as C♯ Major.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Major chords feel bright, stable and resolved. A root, a major third and a perfect fifth give them a happy, confident sound. Most popular music is built on them.
- Notes
- D♭ · F · A♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7
- Note
- D♭
- Quality
- Major
- Symbol
- D♭
D♭ Major 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♭ Major 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♭ and A♭ are black keys and F is 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♭ Major on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, D♭ Major 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. If the full barre won't ring yet, play strings 4 to 1 only: they already hold all three notes.
D♭ · F · A♭
Play D♭ Major on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
D♭ Major chord notes
Also known as C♯ Major
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | D♭(Db) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | F | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | A♭(Ab) |
How to use the D♭ Major chord
The D♭ Major chord is built from a root, a major third and a perfect 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.
You'll find major chords in almost every style of popular music: rock anthems, country ballads, pop hits and hymns. They commonly appear as the I, IV and V chords in a major key.
In major keys D♭ is the IV in A♭ major, the I in D♭ major and the V in G♭ major; in minor keys it's the VI in F minor, the III in B♭ minor and the VII in E♭ minor.
How D♭ Major differs from similar chords
D♭ and D♭m share the root and the fifth, and the only difference is the third: a major third in D♭, a minor third in D♭m. Add a major seventh and it becomes D♭maj7, add a minor seventh and it becomes D♭7. Of all the chords on this root, the plain major triad is the one that sounds finished.
Where D♭ Major is used
A major chord is at home as a tonic, and just as useful as the IV or the V of a neighbouring key. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
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 Phrygian
C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭
C Locrian
C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭
C Phrygian Dominant
C · D♭ · E · F · G · A♭ · B♭
C Gypsy Major
C · D♭ · E · F · G · A♭ · B
C Neapolitan Minor
C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B
C Persian
C · D♭ · E · F · G♭ · A♭ · B
E♭ Natural Minor
E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭
E♭ Dorian
E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C · D♭
E♭ Mixolydian
E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭ · C · D♭
E♭ Aeolian
E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭
E♭ Hindu
E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭
E♭ Arabian
E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B𝄫 · C♭ · D♭
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the D♭ Major chord?
- The D♭ Major chord contains D♭, F and A♭ (Db, F and Ab in plain text).
- Is the D♭ Major chord major or minor?
- D♭ Major is a major chord. Major chords feel bright, stable and resolved. A root, a major third and a perfect fifth give them a happy, confident sound. Most popular music is built on them.
- What key is the D♭ Major chord in?
- In major keys D♭ is the IV in A♭ major, the I in D♭ major and the V in G♭ major; in minor keys it's the VI in F minor, the III in B♭ minor and the VII in E♭ minor.
- How do you play D♭ Major 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♭ and A♭ are black keys and F is 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♭ Major 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. If the full barre won't ring yet, play strings 4 to 1 only: they already hold all three notes.
- What is another name for the D♭ Major chord?
- D♭ Major is enharmonically equivalent to C♯ Major. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.