Chords in the Key of D♭ (5 flats)
D♭ is a piano and horn key, five flats. Guitars visiting it either barre everything or capo 1 and play C shapes. Stevie Wonder built a career here.
The seven chords
| Degree | Chord | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| I | D♭ | major |
| ii | E♭m | minor |
| iii | Fm | minor |
| IV | G♭ | major |
| V | A♭ | major |
| vi | B♭m | minor |
| vii° | C dim | diminished |
D♭, G♭, and A♭ are the majors, E♭m, Fm, and B♭m the minors, and C diminished gets skipped by most guitar arrangements. Plenty of songs in D♭ never leave D♭, G♭, A♭, and B♭m.
Common progressions
D♭, G♭, A♭. The I, IV, V, and the whole three-chord songbook with it.
D♭, A♭, B♭m, G♭. The four-chord pop axis. Several decades of hits use exactly this.
E♭m7, A♭7, D♭. The ii V I turnaround, jazz and country both.
Scales to solo with
C♯ major pentatonic is the lead scale for the major-key sound. B♭ minor pentatonic is the same five notes from the relative minor side.
Keep exploring
Relative minor
Parallel minor
Neighbor keys, one accidental away
Key of D♭ FAQ
What chords are in the key of D♭?
D♭, E♭m, Fm, G♭, A♭, B♭m, and C diminished. The I, IV, and V are D♭, G♭, and A♭, and the relative minor is B♭m.
What is the relative minor of D♭ major?
B♭ minor. Same key signature, same seven chords, with B♭m treated as home.
How many sharps or flats does the key of D♭ have?
5 flats, .