Chords in the Key of Db
The key of Db major contains seven chords: Db, Ebm, Fm, Gb, Ab, Bbm and Cdim. Only F and C are played natural, the other five notes are flattened, and most songs in Db lean on Db, Gb, Ab and Bbm.
The seven chords on guitar
Each chord below opens its own page, with more shapes up the neck, audio for every voicing and a printable chart. Tap the play button on any card to hear it.
The seven chords on piano
The same seven chords on a keyboard, in root position. Each one opens its own page, with every inversion and the finger numbers for both hands.
IDbC♯ F G♯ 
the home chord, filed as C#
iiEbmE♭ G♭ B♭ 
the gentle step up from home
iiiFmF A♭ C 
the darkest of the three minors
IVGbF♯ A♯ C♯ 
the lift away from home, filed as F#
VAbA♭ C E♭ 
the chord that pulls back home
viBbmB♭ D♭ F 
the relative minor
vii°CdimC E♭ G♭ 
the tense one, used sparingly
The seventh chords in Db major
Add one more note to each chord and the key gains its seventh chords, which is where most jazz and a good deal of soul begins.
Common progressions in Db major
- I - IV - V
Db Gb Ab
Straightforward on a keyboard, three barres on a guitar.
- I - V - vi - IV
Db Ab Bbm Gb
With a capo at the first fret these are C, G, Am and F shapes.
- ii - V - I
Ebm Ab Db
A very common cadence in jazz piano, where the black key layout makes it fall under the hand.
Why these seven chords
On a stave, Db major is written with five flats, which is how a reader knows the key before playing a note.
Db is five steps anticlockwise from C on the circle of fifths, so it collects five flats. The same pitches spelled the other way round are C# major, which needs seven sharps, so Db is nearly always the spelling used.
The majors are Db, Gb and Ab. This site files those chords under C#, F# and Ab, since a chord is the same shape whichever way it is written.
On guitar
Db is a barre key from top to bottom. Guitarists almost never write in it, and when a song lands here it is usually because a singer needed that pitch.
A capo at the first fret with C major shapes is the common solution, and it is exactly why capos exist: the hand keeps the shapes it knows while the pitch moves to suit the voice.
On piano
Db major is a favourite among pianists. Five black keys give the fingers a clear track, and the thumb falls naturally on the two white notes, C and F.
Many jazz and film piano parts sit here for the touch as much as the sound.
Questions about the key of Db
What are the 7 chords in the key of Db?
Db, Ebm, Fm, Gb, Ab, Bbm and Cdim. Db, Gb and Ab are major, Ebm, Fm and Bbm are minor, and Cdim is diminished.
Is Db major the same as C# major?
The same pitches. Db major uses five flats and C# major uses seven sharps, so Db is the spelling almost everyone writes.
How do guitarists play in Db?
Usually with a capo at the first fret using C major shapes, which sounds in Db while the hand plays open chords.
What do the numbers next to each chord mean?
They are each chord's place in the key, written as Roman numerals. In Db major the I is Db, the IV is Gb and the V is Ab. The numbering holds in every key, so the V of C is G. That is why progressions get written as numerals like I, V, vi, IV: learn one and you have it in all twelve keys.
Why are some numerals capitals and some lowercase?
The case tells you the chord quality. Capitals are major, which in Db major means Db, Gb and Ab. Lowercase are minor: Ebm, Fm and Bbm. The small circle on vii° means diminished, and here that is Cdim.