Key guide
D♭ major: scale, key signature and chords
D♭ major has five flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭). Its scale is D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C — play the scale and every chord below.
- Key signature
- B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ — five flats
- Scale notes
- D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C
- Relative minor
- B♭ minor
- Parallel minor
- C♯ minor (enharmonic spelling of D♭ minor)
- Dominant key
- A♭ major
- Subdominant key
- F♯ major (spelled G♭ major from here; covered as F♯ major)
- On the piano
- 5 black keys and 2 white in the scale
The D♭ major scale
The D♭ major scale uses the notes D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C, the major-scale pattern of whole and half steps (W–W–H–W–W–W–H) starting on D♭. Each letter name appears once, which is why the accidentals are written as B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭ rather than as their enharmonic equivalents.
| Degree | Note | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D♭ | tonic |
| 2 | E♭ | supertonic |
| 3 | F | mediant |
| 4 | G♭ | subdominant |
| 5 | A♭ | dominant |
| 6 | B♭ | submediant |
| 7 | C | leading tone |
C♯ major (seven sharps) is its enharmonic twin; D♭ major, with five flats, is the form almost everyone writes.
Chords in D♭ major
Stacking thirds on each note of the scale gives seven diatonic triads and seven seventh chords. The Roman numeral gives each chord’s position; the role column says what it usually does in a phrase.
| Chord | Triad | Seventh | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | D♭ F A♭ | D♭ F A♭ C | tonic |
| ii | E♭ G♭ B♭ | E♭ G♭ B♭ D♭ | predominant |
| iii | F A♭ C | F A♭ C E♭ | tonic substitute |
| IV | G♭ B♭ D♭ | G♭ B♭ D♭ F | predominant |
| V | A♭ C E♭ | A♭ C E♭ G♭ | dominant |
| vi | B♭ D♭ F | B♭ D♭ F A♭ | tonic substitute |
| vii° | C E♭ G♭ | C E♭ G♭ B♭ | dominant |
Chord progressions in D♭ major
Four progressions worked out in D♭ major, each one playable:
- I – V – vi – IV D♭ – A♭ – B♭m – G♭The four-chord loop under a large share of pop songs.
- ii – V – I E♭m – A♭ – D♭The standard jazz cadence: predominant, dominant, tonic.
- I – IV – V – I D♭ – G♭ – A♭ – D♭The plain three-chord cadence at the root of tonal harmony.
- I – vi – IV – V D♭ – B♭m – G♭ – A♭The 1950s progression: tonic, relative minor, subdominant, dominant.
Keys related to D♭ major
- Relative minor: B♭ minor — same key signature, different home note.
- Dominant: A♭ major — one step clockwise on the circle of fifths; the key most pieces in D♭ major modulate to.
- Subdominant: F♯ major — one step counter-clockwise, adding one flat (or removing one sharp).
- Parallel minor: C♯ minor (the enharmonic spelling of D♭ minor) — same tonic, opposite mode.
Questions
What are the notes in D♭ major?
The D♭ major scale is D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C.
How many sharps or flats are in D♭ major?
D♭ major has five flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭.
What is the relative minor of D♭ major?
The relative minor of D♭ major is B♭ minor. The two keys share a key signature and the same seven notes, but B♭ is the home note of the minor key.
What chords are in D♭ major?
The seven diatonic triads in D♭ major are D♭, E♭m, Fm, G♭, A♭, B♭m, C°.