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Chord · Reference entry

D♭ Minor 13th

Minor 13th · D♭ – F♭ – A♭ – C♭ – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ · intervals P1-m3-P5-m7-M9-P11-M13

chord·/chords/minor-13th/d-flat/

The D♭ Minor 13th chord contains the notes D♭, F♭, A♭, C♭, E♭, G♭, and B♭.

Notes: D♭, F♭, A♭, C♭, E♭, G♭, B♭ · Piano keys: D♭ F♭ A♭ C♭ E♭ G♭ B♭

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

At the keyboard

Db · Fb · Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb · Bb
Flashcards · Chord
Three questions on D♭ Minor 13th
Answer on the keyboard, not with buttons. No login required.
D♭m13

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

Construction

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

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the D♭ Minor 13th is the tonic (i) chord of Db Minor, which shares the signature of its relative major, E Major4 sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯).

F♯C♯G♯D♯

Order of sharps

Sharps are added to a key signature in a fixed order. Each new sharp key adds the next sharp on the list.

FCGDAEB

Mnemonic: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

Chords in the Key of D♭ Minor

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

C1C2C3C4EC5C6C7C8C#G#
iD♭ Minor (minor)
DegreeNumeralChordQuality
1iD♭ MinorMinor
2ii°E♭ DiminishedDiminished
3IIIE MajorMajor
4ivG♭ MinorMinor
5vA♭ MinorMinor
6VIA MajorMajor
7VIIB MajorMajor

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♭ Minor 13th — Frequently Asked Questions

What is the D♭ Minor 13th chord on piano?
The D♭ Minor 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 Minor 13th chord?
Practical voicing: Db–Fb–Cb–Eb–Bb. Enharmonic equivalent of C#m13.
How does Dbm13 differ from Db13?
Dbm13 has minor third (Fb). Db13 has major third (F).
How is Dbm13 used in music?
Richest minor chord on Db. Musicians often use C#m13.
How does Dbm13 differ from Dbm11?
Adds the thirteenth (Bb) for a bright top note.
What songs use Minor 13th chords?
Modal jazz, neo-soul, film scoring.
Do I need to play all seven notes?
No — Db–Fb–Cb–Eb–Bb.

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

    Prout, Ebenezer(1889)

    Harmony: Its Theory and Practice

    Public domain treatise
  2. 2

    Goetschius, Percy(1889)

    The Material Used in Musical Composition

    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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