D♭ major scale on guitar
The D♭ major scale has seven notes: D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭ and C (1 2 3 4 5 6 7). The do-re-mi scale that every other scale is measured against. Bright and settled; it fits major and maj7 chords, and the other six modes are this scale started from a different note.
| Note | D♭ | E♭ | F | G♭ | A♭ | B♭ | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Step to the next | whole | whole | half | whole | whole | whole | half |
5 positions to learn it in
On guitar a seven-note scale is learnt in five shapes, each built round one of the open chord shapes C, A, G, E and D. Together they cover the neck. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
Chords that go with the D♭ major scale
The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; D♭ (D♭) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (D♭) | D♭home | D♭maj7home |
| 2 (E♭) | E♭mrestless | E♭m7restless |
| 3 (F) | Fmhalf-light | Fm7half-light |
| 4 (G♭) | G♭the door | G♭maj7the door |
| 5 (A♭) | A♭the pull | A♭7the pull |
| 6 (B♭) | B♭mthe shadow | B♭m7the shadow |
| 7 (C) | Cdimthe edge | Cm7♭5the edge |
Scales with the same notes
Its relative minor is the B♭ minor scale: the same notes, started from B♭.
The chords of this key, to hear and play: chords in the key of D♭ major.
Questions
What notes are in the D♭ major scale?
D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭ and C. Its intervals from the root are 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, and the steps between its notes are W W H W W W H (W a whole step, H a half step).
What chords go with the D♭ major scale?
The chords made only of its notes: D♭, E♭m, Fm, G♭, A♭, B♭m and Cdim, and as seventh chords D♭maj7, E♭m7, Fm7, G♭maj7, A♭7, B♭m7 and Cm7♭5. D♭ is home: D♭ is the chord it sounds most settled over.
What is the relative minor of the D♭ major scale?
The B♭ minor scale, which has the same notes started from B♭.
The major scale in every key
Other scales in D♭
C♯ minorC♯ minor pentatonicD♭ major pentatonicC♯ bluesC♯ DorianD♭ MixolydianD♭ LydianC♯ PhrygianC♯ harmonic minorC♯ melodic minorD♭ Phrygian dominant
Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: guitar scales. This scale on bass, ukulele, mandolin and banjo.