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D♭ Major 13th

Major 13th · D♭ – F – A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ · intervals P1-M3-P5-M7-M9-P11-M13

The D♭ Major 13th chord (D♭maj13) contains the notes D♭, F, A♭, C, E♭, G♭, and B♭. Its interval formula is R-M3-P5-M7-M9-P11-M13. A major 11th plus the 13th — maximally consonant extended chord, dense and shimmering.

C♯ Major 13th
This is the same chord as C♯ Major 13th — the same keys on the keyboard, spelled with sharps.

At the keyboard

Db · F · Ab · C · Eb · Gb · Bb
Flashcards · Chord
Three questions on D♭ Major 13th
Answer on the keyboard, not with buttons. No login required.
D♭maj13

The D♭ Major 13th chord is a seven-note chord made up of D♭, F, A♭, C, E♭, G♭, and B♭. It is built from a root, major third, perfect fifth, major seventh, major ninth, perfect eleventh, and major thirteenth.

Construction

D♭ Major 13th = Root + Major 3rd + Perfect 5th + Major 7th + Major 2nd + Perfect 4th + Major 6th = D♭ · F · A♭ · C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭
NoteIntervalDegree
D♭Root1
FMajor 3rd3
A♭Perfect 5th5
CMajor 7th7
E♭Major 2nd9
G♭Perfect 4th11
B♭Major 6th13

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the D♭ Major 13th is the tonic (I) chord of Db Major, whose key signature has 5 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭).

B♭E♭A♭D♭G♭

Order of flats

Flats are added in a fixed order — the reverse of the sharp order. Each new flat key adds the next flat on the list.

BEADGCF

Mnemonic: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father

Chords in the Key of D♭ Major

These are the triads built on each degree of the D♭ major scale:

C1C2C3C4FC5C6C7C8C#G#
ID♭ Major (major)
DegreeNumeralChordQuality
1ID♭ MajorMajor
2iiE♭ MinorMinor
3iiiF MinorMinor
4IVG♭ MajorMajor
5VA♭ MajorMajor
6viB♭ MinorMinor
7vii°C DiminishedDiminished

Same Notes, Other Names

The notes D♭ – F – A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ aren’t exclusive to this chord. Depending on which note is the bass and how the chord functions, the same pitches also spell the following:

D♭ Major 13th — Frequently Asked Questions

What is the D♭ Major 13th chord on piano?
The D♭ Major 13th chord contains the notes D♭ – F – A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭. On piano, play these notes together to sound the chord.
What notes are in the Db Major 13th chord?
Practical voicing: Db–F–C–Eb–Bb (root, third, seventh, ninth, thirteenth). Drop fifth and eleventh.
How does Dbmaj13 differ from Db13?
Dbmaj13 has major seventh (C). Db13 has minor seventh (Cb).
How is Dbmaj13 used in music?
Richest tonic in Db Major. Jazz ballads, R&B, neo-soul. Db is a favourite vocal key.
How does Dbmaj13 differ from Dbmaj9?
Adds the thirteenth (Bb) for a sweet, warm top note.
What songs use Major 13th chords?
Jazz ballads, bossa nova, neo-soul.
Do I need to play all seven notes?
No — Db–F–C–Eb–Bb is the practical voicing.

Related Tools

Chord FinderLook up any chord — see the notes, hear it, and play along.Chord DrillTimed drills to build speed and recognition across all chord types.Practice RoomPlug in a MIDI keyboard and get real-time feedback on every chord and scale.Circle of FifthsVisualize key relationships, relative minors, and key signatures.MIDI MonitorLive MIDI message stream with note names, velocity, and a scrolling staff.

References & Further Reading

The note names, intervals, fingering, and harmony on this chord page are grounded in the following sources. Public domain treatises and scores are linked to their full text; primary data is piano.org's own interval-derived reference dataset — continuously maintained and human-verified, with no fixed publication date.

  1. 1

    Riemann, Hugo(1896)

    Harmony Simplified (English translation)

    Public domain treatise
  2. 2

    George Grove (ed.)(1900)

    A Dictionary of Music and Musicians

    Public domain treatise
  3. 3

    Beethoven, Ludwig van(1802)

    Piano Sonata No. 14 in C♯ minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ("Moonlight"), i

    Public domain score
  4. 4

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