Introduction

D♭ Minor Major 7th on the piano — Notes: D♭ – E – A♭ – C — D♭ Minor Major 7th chord on the piano

The D♭ Minor Major 7th chord is a four-note chord made up of D♭, E, A♭, and C. It is built from a root, minor third, perfect fifth, and major seventh.

The Db Minor Major 7th piano chord (DbmMaj7) consists of the notes Db, E, Ab, C. It is a minor triad with an added major 7th, giving it a dark and complex character with strong tension, often used in jazz and minor key progressions. Formula: R-m3-P5-M7 | Scale degrees: 1-b3-5-7.

Notes

Notes:D♭ – E – A♭ – C

D♭ Minor Major 7th Inversions

Position	Notes
Root Position	Db – E – Ab – C
1st Inversion	E – Ab – C – Db
2nd Inversion	Ab – C – Db – E
3rd Inversion	Db – E – Ab – C

Key Signature

The key of Db Minor Major 7th (enharmonically equivalent to C# Minor Major 7th) has 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.

F♯C♯G♯D♯A♯E♯B♯

Mnemonic: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

Chords in the Key of Db Minor

These are the diatonic triads built on each degree of the Db minor scale:

C

D

E

F

G

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

A

B

i — D♭ Minor (minor)

Degree	Numeral	Chord	Quality
1	i	Db Minor	Minor
2	ii°	Eb Diminished	Diminished
3	III	E Major	Major
4	iv	Gb Minor	Minor
5	v	Ab Minor	Minor
6	VI	A Major	Major
7	VII	B Major	Major

Related Chords

Parallel Major:Db Major

Relative Major:E Major

Dominant (V):Ab Major

Subdominant (IV):Gb Major

Theory: Intervals

Formula: R-m3-P5-M7

Intervals: P1-m3-P5-M7

The D♭ Minor Major 7th is built by stacking intervals from the root note. The formula R-m3-P5-M7 describes the scale degrees used. The intervals P1-m3-P5-M7 show the distance between each note in the chord.

D♭ Minor Major 7th — Frequently Asked Questions

What notes are in the Db Minor Major 7th chord?

DbmMaj7 contains: Db (root), Fb (minor third), Ab (perfect fifth), C (major seventh). Minor triad with major seventh.

How does DbmMaj7 differ from Dbm7?

DbmMaj7 has C (major seventh), Dbm7 has Cb (minor seventh). One semitone — dramatic vs smooth.

How is DbmMaj7 used in music?

Harmonic minor i chord. Film noir, jazz minor ballads. Descending chromatic line.

What songs use Minor Major 7th?

James Bond theme, My Funny Valentine, Stairway to Heaven chromatic descent.

Why does it sound tense?

Minor third and major seventh create close dissonance — dark yet piercing.

How does DbmMaj7 differ from Dbmaj7?

DbmMaj7 has minor third (Fb). Dbmaj7 has major third (F). Both have major seventh.

Practice Tips

Play Dbm then add C — hear the dramatic tension.
Descending line: Dbm → DbmMaj7 → Dbm7 → Dbm6.
Compare with Dbm7 — one semitone changes everything.
Film noir and spy theme sound.
Harmonic minor i chord.
The Fb–C interval creates the tension.

Explore More

Minor Major 7th Chord in Other Keys

C C#D D#Eb E F F#Gb G G#Ab A A#Bb B Cb

Parent Scale

Db Major Scale Db Minor Scale

Browse all Minor Major 7th Chords →All Db Chords →Learn about seventh chords →

Related Lessons

Keep going with the Minor Major 7th chord — these pages cover the underlying theory, the connected reference material, and the practice tools that work with this chord.

D♭ Minor Major 7th