D♭ seventh chord (D♭7)

D♭ seventh is a 4-note dominant seventh chord: D♭ – F – A♭ – C♭. It sounds tense: it wants to resolve to another chord. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele, with fingering and audio. Also called C♯ seventh (C♯7).

NotesD♭ – F – A♭ – C♭
Formula1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7
SymbolD♭7 · D♭dom7
EnharmonicC♯ seventh (C♯7)

D♭ seventh on guitar

Barre at fret 4 (A shape)
Barre at fret 9 (E shape)

How to place your fingers (barre at fret 4)

Barre fret 4 with your index finger, from the 5th to the 1st string.
Finger 3 (ring) on fret 6 of the 4th string (D).
Finger 4 (pinky) on fret 6 of the 2nd string (B).
Do not play the 6th string: strum from the 5th.

The numbers inside the dots are the fingers of your left hand: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring and 4 pinky. The colored dots mark the root (D♭). The other positions let you change chords without jumping along the neck, or give you a higher-pitched sound.

D♭ seventh on piano

In root position, play D♭ – F – A♭ – C♭ from bottom to top with fingers 1, 2, 3 and 5 of your right hand. With your left hand you usually play just the root (D♭) or the root and the fifth.

Inversions

First inversion: F – A♭ – C♭ – D♭
Second inversion: A♭ – C♭ – D♭ – F
Third inversion: C♭ – D♭ – F – A♭

D♭ seventh on ukulele

From fret 1
From fret 4

Standard tuning G – C – E – A (the G string is the high one). Is your ukulele in tune? Use the ukulele tuner.

Notes and intervals of D♭ seventh

D♭1 · root
F3 · major third
A♭5 · perfect fifth
C♭♭7 · minor seventh

It's the dominant chord (V7): it sets up the arrival at the tonic and is the foundation of blues, son and many song endings.

C♭ sounds the same as B, but in theory it is spelled this way because each note of the chord takes its own letter (C, E, G…). On guitar and piano you play exactly the same key or fret.

Progressions with D♭7

A dominant that resolves: V7 – I

D♭7 is the fifth degree of F♯ major: its tension wants to resolve to F♯.

The ii–V–I: ii7 – V7 – Imaj7

The most common cadence in jazz and bossa nova.

Which keys contain D♭ seventh?

D♭7 belongs to 2 keys: in each one it plays a different role depending on the degree (the Roman numeral).

Key	Degree
F♯ major	V7
D♯ natural minor	VII7

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the D♭ seventh chord?

D♭ seventh (D♭7) has 4 notes: D♭ (root), F (major third), A♭ (perfect fifth), C♭ (minor seventh). C♭ sounds the same as B, but it's spelled this way because it functions as the minor seventh.

How do you play D♭ seventh on guitar?

The most common shape uses a barre at fret 4: x 4 6 4 6 4 (from the 6th to the 1st string). Barre strings 5 through 1 at fret 4 with your index finger. Place finger 3 (ring) at fret 6 on the 4th string (D). Place finger 4 (pinky) at fret 6 on the 2nd string (B). Do not play the 6th string: strum from the 5th.

Is D♭7 the same as C♯7?

Yes: D♭ seventh and C♯ seventh sound the same and are played the same way (they're enharmonic). The spelling depends on the key of the song; you'll see both names in scores and songbooks.

How do you write D-flat seventh in chord notation?

It is written D♭7; you may also see D♭dom7. Chord notation uses letters for the notes: C, D, E, F, G, A and B.

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