Db major piano chord, notes and fingering.

The Db major piano chord is made of three notes: Db, F and Ab. Press them together and you are playing Db major. It is a root (Db), a major third (F, four semitones above the root) and a perfect fifth (Ab, seven semitones above). On a chord chart it is written simply as Db, with no letters after it.

How to play Db major on piano

1. Find Db on the keyboard. Db is the first black key of the pair, right after C. It is the same key as C#.
2. With your right hand, put finger 1 on Db, finger 3 on F and finger 5 on Ab. Finger 1 is the thumb.
3. Press all three keys together. In root position they run from Db4 to Ab4, a reach of 7 semitones. Play chord sounds them together and Arpeggio sounds them one by one, from the bottom up.
4. Click Left hand to see the left hand. It plays Db3 to Ab3, one octave lower: Db with finger 5, F with finger 3, Ab with finger 1.
5. The cards under the keyboard hold the three positions, with Db, F and Ab at the bottom in turn. Play and Arpeggio on a card play that position.
6. Open Note names. As written the keys read Db, F and Ab. Sharps shows C#, F and G#, and Flats shows Db, F and Ab. This chord is written with flats, so As written and Flats match.

How Db major is built

Counted from the root, the formula is 0, 4, 7. Stacked on each other the gaps are 4 + 3: a major third (Db to F) with a minor third (F to Ab) on top. Lower the middle note by one semitone, F to Fb, and the chord turns into Db minor.

Worked example: the pitch of Db4. On a piano tuned to A4 = 440 Hz, a note 8 semitones below A4 has the frequency 440 × 2^(-8/12), which is about 277.18 Hz. F4 is 4 semitones below A4, so 440 × 2^(-4/12) gives about 349.23 Hz.

Db major and C# major are the same chord on the keyboard: the same three keys sound for both. Written as C# major it reads C#, E# and G#. The key of Db major has 5 flats and the key of C# major has 7 sharps.

What the keys look like under your hand

The white keys beside Db are C on the left and D on the right, a semitone each way. Two of the three notes are black keys (Db and Ab) and one is a white key (F). Your thumb lands on Db, a black key with C and D beside it. Keep the thumb relaxed and slightly curved, and let the wrist stay level instead of twisting to reach. Your little finger plays Ab, a black key with G and A beside it. The little finger is short, so let the hand lean a little toward its edge and aim for the middle of the key.

Db major inversions and fingering

Db major has three positions. In root position Db is at the bottom. In the first inversion, F is at the bottom and the chord is written Db/F. In the second inversion, Ab is at the bottom and the chord is written Db/Ab. The tightest reach, 7 semitones from the lowest key to the highest, is the root position. The widest, at 9, is the second inversion.

The keys that hold Db major

Db major fits six of the major and natural minor keys that have a standard key signature, which means every note of it comes from that key's scale. The simplest is Ab major, with 4 flats, where it is chord IV.

Progressions that use Db major, with the chord numbers and the chords in that key:

• Ab major: I-IV-V-I, which is Ab, Db, Eb, Ab, the three-chord cadence of folk, rock and blues.
• F minor: i-VI-III-VII, which is Fm, Db, Ab, Eb, a common minor-key loop.
• Db major: I-V-vi-IV, which is Db, Ab, Bbm, Gb, the four-chord loop heard in a great deal of pop.

Here is a worked example in Ab major. The chord before Db major in the first progression above is Ab (Ab, C and Eb). From Ab in root position, the closest way to reach Db major is its second inversion (Ab, Db and F, lowest note first): one note stays where it is, and the others move 3 semitones in total, counting each note against the note in the same place from the bottom.

What Db major sounds like

Major chords sound bright and settled, which is why songs so often end on one. In a major key the major chords are I, IV and V, and those three alone can carry a great many songs. A major triad is also the first chord most pianists learn.

You will meet Db major as the IV chord in Ab major, the VI chord in F minor and the I chord in Db major.

A common mistake with Db major

A common mistake is pressing Fb instead of F, one semitone lower than the third of Db major. That turns the chord into Dbm (Db, Fb and Ab). If your Db chord sounds sad, check the middle finger first.

Chords to learn next

Chords close to Db major: Db minor, listed as C# minor (same root, with a minor third; shares Db and Ab); Db7 (adds a flat seventh; contains all its notes); Dbmaj7 (adds a major seventh; contains all its notes); Bb minor (its relative minor; shares Db and F).

Once Db major feels easy, play it and then Dbm to hear what one note changes. For chords beyond these six types, and for guitar and ukulele shapes, use the chord finder. To play along with your computer keys, open the virtual piano. The piano chords page lists all 72 chords.