What notes are in a D♭7 chord?

D♭7 contains four notes: D♭ (root), F (major third), A♭ (perfect fifth), and C♭ (minor seventh — same as B).

What is a "tritone substitute"?

A jazz reharmonisation device. D♭7 and G7 share the same tritone (F to B / C♭). Substituting D♭7 for G7 in a cadence to C major creates chromatic bass motion (D♭ → C) and a richer harmonic colour.

Is D♭7 the same as C♯7?

Yes, enharmonically — same four pitches. D♭7 lives in flat-side contexts; C♯7 lives in F♯-major contexts. Both are valid; the choice depends on surrounding key.

When is D♭7 used in jazz?

As a tritone substitute for G7 (resolving to C major), in G♭-major ii–V–I cadences, and in chromatic walking-bass progressions. The chord is one of the most common altered dominants in bebop and post-bop jazz.

Db dominant 7 chord — notes, intervals, and practice

D♭ dominant 7 (D♭7) — D♭, F, A♭, C♭ — is D♭ major with a minor 7th. The C♭ (enharmonic to B) is the spelling tell that you're in flat-side territory. The chord is the V7 of G♭ major and the tritone substitute for G7 in jazz reharms (D♭7 and G7 share the same tritone, F-B / F-C♭).

Intervals

The Db dominant 7 chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:

Db→Fmajor 3rd4 semitones
F→Abminor 3rd3 semitones
Ab→Cbminor 3rd3 semitones

On the keyboard

Each note of the Db dominant 7 chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.

On the guitar

One voicing of the Db dominant 7 chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.

1Db
3F
5Ab
♭7Cb

Common mistakes

D♭7's 7th is C♭ — enharmonic to B natural. In jazz lead-sheet practice the chord is often written D♭7 with B as the 7th letter — strictly incorrect by the seven-letter rule. Inside G♭-major notation, C♭ preserves consistency.

In context

D♭7 is the V7 of G♭ major (D♭7 → G♭maj7) and a famous tritone substitute for G7 in C-major jazz. In ii–V–I cadences in G♭ major, the progression runs A♭m7 → D♭7 → G♭maj7. As a tritone-sub, D♭7 → Cmaj7 replaces the standard G7 → Cmaj7 with chromatic bass motion.

Drill it

The Db dominant 7 chord is one of 48 in the Chord Trainer. Open the full trainer to practice it alongside related chords with timing and best-time tracking.

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Frequently asked

What notes are in a D♭7 chord?: D♭7 contains four notes: D♭ (root), F (major third), A♭ (perfect fifth), and C♭ (minor seventh — same as B).
What is a "tritone substitute"?: A jazz reharmonisation device. D♭7 and G7 share the same tritone (F to B / C♭). Substituting D♭7 for G7 in a cadence to C major creates chromatic bass motion (D♭ → C) and a richer harmonic colour.
Is D♭7 the same as C♯7?: Yes, enharmonically — same four pitches. D♭7 lives in flat-side contexts; C♯7 lives in F♯-major contexts. Both are valid; the choice depends on surrounding key.
When is D♭7 used in jazz?: As a tritone substitute for G7 (resolving to C major), in G♭-major ii–V–I cadences, and in chromatic walking-bass progressions. The chord is one of the most common altered dominants in bebop and post-bop jazz.