D flat major scale

The D♭ major scale is D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭ and C, with five flats. From D♭, the steps go whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.

  1. D♭1
  2. whole
  3. E♭2
  4. whole
  5. F3
  6. half
  7. G♭4
  8. whole
  9. A♭5
  10. whole
  11. B♭6
  12. whole
  13. C7
  14. half
  15. D♭8
F1C1D♭2E♭3G♭2A♭3B♭4D♭2

D♭ major on the staff, piano and guitar

On the staff

♭♭♭♭♭D♭E♭FG♭A♭B♭CD♭♭♭♭♭♭D♭E♭FG♭A♭B♭CD♭

On piano

Right hand 2 3, then the thumb passes under to F: 1 2 3 4 1 2.

F1C1D♭3E♭2G♭4A♭3B♭2D♭3

Left hand 3 2 1, then finger 4 crosses over to G♭: 4 3 2 1 3.

Fingers are numbered from the thumb, 1, to the little finger, 5. Coming down, play the same fingers in reverse.

On guitar

89101112EBGDAECD♭E♭FG♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭FG♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭

Every note of D♭ major between the 8th and 12th fret. The root, D♭, has a heavy ring.

How to play the D flat major scale on piano

  1. Find D♭, the first black key of a group of two.
  2. Go up a whole step, skipping one key, to E♭, a black key.
  3. Go up a whole step, skipping one key, to F.
  4. Go up a half step, to the very next key, to G♭, a black key.
  5. Go up a whole step, skipping one key, to A♭, a black key.
  6. Go up a whole step, skipping one key, to B♭, a black key.
  7. Go up a whole step, skipping one key, to C.
  8. Go up a half step, to the very next key, to D♭, an octave above where you started.

Practice the D♭ major scale

Play the D♭ major scale one note a beat, up and back down: D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C D♭ C B♭ A♭ G♭ F E♭ D♭. Hands separately first. Start at 60 beats a minute and move up toward 100 once every note lands on the beat.

D♭
  1. D♭
  2. E♭
  3. F
  4. G♭
  5. A♭
  6. B♭
  7. C
  8. D♭
  9. C
  10. B♭
  11. A♭
  12. G♭
  13. F
  14. E♭
  15. D♭

The key of D♭ major

Follow the major pattern from D♭ and five notes need a flat: D♭, E♭, G♭, A♭ and B♭. Those five flats are the key signature.

Relative minor
B♭ minor
Parallel minor
D♭ minor
Neighbors on the circle of fifths
G♭ major and A♭ major
♭♭♭♭♭CAmGEmDBmAF♯mEC♯mBC♭G♯mA♭mF♯G♭IVD♯mE♭miiD♭C♯IB♭mA♯mviA♭VFmiiiE♭CmB♭GmFDmD♭ major
D♭ major on the circle of fifths, with the chords of its key marked.

The name of each note in the key

  1. 1D♭tonic
  2. 2E♭supertonic
  3. 3Fmediant
  4. 4G♭subdominant
  5. 5A♭dominant
  6. 6B♭submediant
  7. 7Cleading tone

Chords in D♭ major

Build a chord on each note of the scale, using only the scale's notes, and you get the seven chords of the key. The numeral is the chord's place in the key: capitals for major, small letters for minor.

  1. ID♭
  2. iiE♭m
  3. iiiFm
  4. IVG♭
  5. VA♭
  6. viB♭m
  7. vii°Cdim

Modes on the same notes

Start the D♭ major scale on another of its notes and you get a mode, with the same key signature: D♭ ionian, E♭ dorian, F phrygian, G♭ lydian, A♭ mixolydian, B♭ aeolian, C locrian.

Practice notes for the D flat major scale

D♭ major has five flats, B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭: D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C D♭. Only F and C are white, and those are exactly where the thumbs go. The long fingers sit on the black keys and the short thumb on the white ones, so the hand keeps one shape all the way up.

Where it goes wrong. Starting on the thumb. With D♭ under the thumb, every crossing after it lands on a black key. The right hand starts on finger 2: 2 3 for D♭ E♭, thumb under to F, 2 3 4 for G♭ A♭ B♭, thumb under to C, then 2 on D♭. The left hand starts on 3: 3 2 1 for D♭ E♭ F, then 4 crosses over to G♭, 3 2 1 to C, and 3 on D♭.

How to practice it. Find the two white keys first. Put the right thumb on F and C, then let fingers 2 3 4 drop onto the black keys between them. That places the hand faster than counting fingers.

What to listen for. C to D♭ at the top and F to G♭ in the middle, the two half steps, both landing from the thumb. If they sound bumpy, the thumb is moving late.

What to learn next. B♭ minor, the relative minor with the same five flats, and C♯ major, which is the same keys spelled with seven sharps.

Questions

What are the notes of the D♭ major scale?

D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭ and C, then D♭ again an octave up.

What chords are in the key of D♭ major?

D♭, E♭m, Fm, G♭, A♭, B♭m and Cdim: I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi and vii°.

Why does D♭ major have five flats?

Follow the major pattern from D♭ and five notes need a flat: D♭, E♭, G♭, A♭ and B♭. Those five flats are the key signature.

What is the relative minor of D♭ major?

B♭ minor. It uses the same notes and the same key signature, starting on B♭.