Piano chord
D♭ Dominant 7th Chord
D♭7 is a dominant 7th chord built on D♭. It contains the notes D♭ – F – A♭ – C♭.
D♭7
Also written: D♭dom7, C♯7
- D♭
- F
- A♭
- C♭
Notes in D♭7
Count up from D♭ using the intervals below. The formula shows each note relative to the D♭ major scale.
| Notes | Intervals | Formula | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| D♭ | Root | 1 | 0 |
| F | Major 3rd | 3 | 4 |
| A♭ | Perfect 5th | 5 | 7 |
| C♭ | Minor 7th | ♭7 | 10 |
How to play D♭7 on piano
- Right hand: fingers 1–2–3–5 (thumb on D♭).
- Left hand: fingers 5–3–2–1, or play just the root in the left hand and the other notes in the right.
- Inversions keep your hand closer to the previous chord — see below.
D♭7 inversions
An inversion puts a different note of D♭7 at the bottom. The notes stay the same, the colour and voice leading change.
Root position
D♭7D♭ – F – A♭ – C♭
1st inversion
D♭7/FF – A♭ – C♭ – D♭
2nd inversion
D♭7/A♭A♭ – C♭ – D♭ – F
3rd inversion
D♭7/C♭C♭ – D♭ – F – A♭
About dominant 7th chords
The dominant 7th wants to move — it creates tension that demands resolution. The sound of blues and rock 'n' roll.
Sound: Tense & bluesy
Songs that use it
- Johnny B. Goode · Chuck BerryRock
- The Thrill Is Gone · B.B. KingBlues
- La Grange · ZZ TopBlues Rock
Keys that contain D♭7
D♭7 is built only from notes of these keys. The Roman numeral shows its role in each key.
Hear D♭7 with different sounds and compare it with other chords in the interactive builder.
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