So WhatScale

Tap a key to hear it · hold it to make it the root

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Chords of the scale tap one to hear it and see it on the instrument

Formula W whole step · H half step

Degrees and intervals

D♭ major (Db major) scale on bass

D♭ major has 7 notes: D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C. Degrees: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Formula: W W H W W W H.

What notes are in the D♭ major scale?

D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭ and C. It has 7 notes; its formula in whole and half steps is W W H W W W H.

What does D♭ major sound like, and when do you use it?

Bright, stable and resolved: the starting point of Western harmony. Use it over maj7 · the I of a major key (careful with the 4th over the chord: it's the avoid note).

To hear it: Let It Be — The Beatles.

Chords in D♭ major

DegreeTriadSeventh chord
ID♭D♭maj7
iiE♭mE♭m7
iiiFmFm7
IVG♭G♭maj7
VA♭A♭7
viB♭mB♭m7
vii°C°Cm7♭5

Chord progressions to improvise with D♭ major

In Jam mode (the Jam button above) a band of grand piano, upright bass and drums (recorded instruments) plays these progressions as swing, bossa, groove or ballad, and the fretboard lights up the notes of each chord as it plays. It's a backing track made for this scale in D♭:

D♭ major positions on bass

In standard tuning (E A D G), with 3 notes per string, D♭ major is played in 7 positions along the neck:

  1. Position 1: frets 9 to 13 (starts on the root)
  2. Position 2: frets 11 to 15
  3. Position 3: frets 1 to 5
  4. Position 4: frets 2 to 6
  5. Position 5: frets 4 to 8
  6. Position 6: frets 6 to 10
  7. Position 7: frets 8 to 11

Same notes as

Major in other keys

On other instruments