Construction
| Note | Interval | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| D♭ | Root | 1 |
| F♭ | Minor 3rd | ♭3 |
| A♭ | Perfect 5th | 5 |
| B♭ | Major 6th | 6 |
Fingering
| Note | Key color | Right hand | Left hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| D♭ | black | index finger (2) | little finger (5) |
| F♭ | white | middle finger (3) | ring finger (4) |
| A♭ | black | ring finger (4) | middle finger (3) |
| B♭ | black | little finger (5) | index finger (2) |
Right hand: index finger (2) on D♭, middle finger (3) on F♭, ring finger (4) on A♭, little finger (5) on B♭.
Left hand: little finger (5) on D♭, ring finger (4) on F♭, middle finger (3) on A♭, index finger (2) on B♭.
D♭ Minor 6th Inversions
- Root positionD♭ – F♭ – A♭ – B♭
- 1st inversion (D♭m6/F♭)F♭ – A♭ – B♭ – D♭
- 2nd inversion (D♭m6/A♭)A♭ – B♭ – D♭ – F♭
- 3rd inversion (D♭m6/B♭)B♭ – D♭ – F♭ – A♭
Key Signature
A chord has no key signature of its own, but the D♭ Minor 6th is the tonic (i) chord of D♭ Minor, which shares the signature of its relative major, E Major: 4 sharps (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.
Mnemonic: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle
Chords in the Key of D♭ Minor
These are the triads built on each degree of D♭ Minor:
| Degree | Numeral | Chord | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | i | D♭ Minor | Minor |
| 2 | ii° | E♭ Diminished | Diminished |
| 3 | III | F♭ Major | Major |
| 4 | iv | G♭ Minor | Minor |
| 5 | v | A♭ Minor | Minor |
| 6 | VI | B♭♭ Major | Major |
| 7 | VII | C♭ Major | Major |
Scales That Include the D♭ Minor 6th
- B Major (ii)
- G# Minor (iv)
- C# Dorian (i)
- D# Phrygian (vii)
- E Lydian (vi)
- F# Mixolydian (v)
- G# Aeolian (iv)
- A# Locrian (iii)
Same Notes, Other Names
The notes D♭ – F♭ – A♭ – B♭ aren’t exclusive to this chord. Depending on which note is the bass and how the chord functions, the same pitches also spell:
D♭ Minor 6th : Frequently Asked Questions
What notes are in D♭m6?
How do you play D♭m6 on piano?
What are the inversions of D♭m6?
What is the difference between D♭m6 and D♭m?
What is an easy D♭m6 for small hands?
What are the frequencies of D♭m6?
What is the set class of D♭m6?
How do I transpose D♭m6 to another key?
Is C♯m6 the same as D♭m6?
D♭ Minor 6th in detail
Exact
Every pitch class is present and nothing outside the chord is added.
| Type | Notes | Semitones | Span | Omissions and additions | Set relation | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close, root position | D♭3 F♭3 A♭3 B♭3 | 9 | 124 mm | none | identical | |
| Close, first inversion | F♭3 A♭3 B♭3 D♭4 | 9 | 124 mm | none | identical | |
| Close, second inversion | A♭3 B♭3 D♭4 F♭4 | 8 | 110 mm | none | identical | |
| Close, third inversion | B♭3 D♭4 F♭4 A♭4 | 10 | 138 mm | none | identical | |
| Drop 2 | A♭2 D♭3 F♭3 B♭3 | 14 | 193 mm | none | identical | |
| Drop 3 | F♭2 D♭3 A♭3 B♭3 | 18 | 248 mm | none | identical | |
| Drop 2 and 4 | D♭2 A♭2 F♭3 B♭3 | 21 | 289 mm | none | identical |
Reduced
A subset of the pitch classes: the identity is incomplete rather than altered.
| Type | Notes | Semitones | Span | Omissions and additions | Set relation | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shell, root 6 ♭3 | D♭2 B♭2 F♭3 | 15 | 206 mm | omits A♭ | subset | |
| Guide tones, ♭3 and 6 | F♭3 B♭3 | 6 | 83 mm | omits D♭ and A♭ | subset | |
| Rootless close | F♭3 A♭3 B♭3 | 6 | 83 mm | omits D♭ | subset |
Spans are measured centre to centre at a 165 mm octave (standard keyboard geometry).
| Position | Bass note | Notes in order | Figured bass | Semitones | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | D♭ | D♭3, F♭3, A♭3, B♭3 | 7 | 9 | 124 mm |
| First inversion: D♭m6/F♭ | F♭ | F♭3, A♭3, B♭3, D♭4 | 6/5 | 9 | 124 mm |
| Second inversion: D♭m6/A♭ | A♭ | A♭3, B♭3, D♭4, F♭4 | 4/3 | 8 | 110 mm |
| Third inversion: D♭m6/B♭ | B♭ | B♭3, D♭4, F♭4, A♭4 | 4/2 | 10 | 138 mm |
One position per chord tone in the bass. Spans are for close position: voiced inversions appear under Voicings.
| Progression | Key | Role | Sequence | Voice leading |
|---|
Root motion, common tones and voice displacement are computed from pitch class sets. Roman numerals follow common practice functional harmony.
Change one note
Chords a single note away, and what moving that note does.
| Chord | Change | Formula | Common tones |
|---|---|---|---|
| D♭m | drops B♭ | 1 ♭3 5 | 3 |
| D♭m7 | B♭ becomes C♭ | 1 ♭3 5 ♭7 | 3 |
| D♭mMaj7 | B♭ becomes C | 1 ♭3 5 7 | 3 |
| D♭dim7 | A♭ becomes A♭♭ | 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭♭7 | 3 |
| D♭6 | F♭ becomes F | 1 3 5 6 | 3 |
| D♭m9 | B♭ becomes C♭, E♭ | 1 ♭3 5 ♭7 9 | 3 |
| D♭ | F♭, B♭ becomes F | 1 3 5 | 2 |
| D♭dim | A♭, B♭ becomes A♭♭ | 1 ♭3 ♭5 | 2 |
| D♭sus2 | F♭, B♭ becomes E♭ | 1 2 5 | 2 |
| D♭sus4 | F♭, B♭ becomes G♭ | 1 4 5 | 2 |
| D♭maj7 | F♭, B♭ becomes F, C | 1 3 5 7 | 2 |
| D♭7 | F♭, B♭ becomes F, C♭ | 1 3 5 ♭7 | 2 |
Frequencies
| Note | MIDI | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| D♭3 | 49 | 138.59 Hz |
| F♭3 | 52 | 164.81 Hz |
| A♭3 | 56 | 207.65 Hz |
| B♭3 | 58 | 233.08 Hz |
Reference pitch A440, 12-TET, close root position.
Set theory: prime form, Forte number, interval vector
- Absolute pitch class set
- {1, 4, 8, 10}
- Normal order
- [8, 10, 1, 4]
- Prime form
- (0258)
- Forte number
- 4-27
- Interval vector
- <012111>
| Pair | Interval | Semitones | Interval class |
|---|---|---|---|
| D♭ to F♭ | Minor third | 3 | 3 |
| D♭ to A♭ | Perfect fifth | 7 | 5 |
| D♭ to B♭ | Major sixth | 9 | 3 |
| F♭ to A♭ | Major third | 4 | 4 |
| F♭ to B♭ | Tritone | 6 | 6 |
| A♭ to B♭ | Major second | 2 | 2 |
Where these facts come from
Every value on this page is derived from the note formula for a minor 6th applied to the root D♭, using standard music theory. Nothing here is hand-entered per chord, so the notes, intervals, inversions and frequencies cannot drift out of agreement with each other. Pitches assume 12-TET at A440.