D♭ major seventh chord (D♭maj7)

D♭ major seventh is a 4-note major seventh chord: D♭ – F – A♭ – C. It sounds soft, open and dreamy. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele, with fingering and audio. Also called C♯ major seventh (C♯maj7).

NotesD♭ – F – A♭ – C
Formula1 – 3 – 5 – 7
SymbolD♭maj7 · D♭Δ7 · D♭M7 · D♭7M
EnharmonicC♯ major seventh (C♯maj7)

D♭ major seventh on guitar

Barre at fret 4 (A shape)
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 2 (middle) on fret 5 of the 3rd string (G).
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♭ major 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♭ major 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♭ major seventh

D♭1 · root
F3 · major third
A♭5 · perfect fifth
C7 · major seventh

Widely used in bossa nova, jazz, ballads and pop: it adds color to the tonic or the fourth degree without creating strong tension.

Progressions with D♭maj7

Turnaround: Imaj7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7

A four-chord turnaround widely used in jazz, bossa nova and ballads, in D♭ major.

A colorful fourth degree: Imaj7 – IVmaj7

Two major seventh chords that alternate to create a mellow mood.

Which keys contain D♭ major seventh?

D♭maj7 belongs to 4 keys: in each one it plays a different role depending on the degree (the Roman numeral).

Key	Degree
D♭ major	Imaj7
A♭ major	IVmaj7
F natural minor	VImaj7
B♭ natural minor	IIImaj7

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the D♭ major seventh chord?

D♭ major seventh (D♭maj7) has 4 notes: D♭ (root), F (major third), A♭ (perfect fifth), C (major seventh).

How do you play D♭ major seventh on guitar?

The most common shape uses a barre at fret 4: x 4 6 5 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 2 (middle) at fret 5 on the 3rd string (G). Place finger 4 (pinky) at fret 6 on the 2nd string (B). Do not play the 6th string: strum from the 5th.

Is D♭maj7 the same as C♯maj7?

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

How do you write D♭ major seventh in chord notation?

It is written D♭maj7; you may also see D♭Δ7, D♭M7, or D♭7M. Chord notation uses letters for notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.

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