D♭ major 7 (D♭maj7) — D♭, F, A♭, C — is D♭ major with a major 7th on top. The five-flat spelling makes it the standard notation for this lush, romantic chord. Chopin's "Raindrop" Prelude uses D♭ harmony constantly; the maj7 extension gives the chord its full late-Romantic / impressionist colour.
Intervals
The Db major 7 chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:
- Db→Fmajor 3rd4 semitones
- F→Abminor 3rd3 semitones
- Ab→Cmajor 3rd4 semitones
On the keyboard
Each note of the Db major 7 chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.
On the guitar
One voicing of the Db major 7 chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.
- 1Db
- 3F
- 5Ab
- 7C
Common mistakes
The 7th is C natural — a half-step higher than D♭dom7 (which has C♭ as its 7th). The most common error among beginners is reading the maj7 as dom7 or vice versa; the half-step makes all the difference in chord function. On guitar, D♭maj7 is most often played as a 4th-fret C-shape or as a closed-position three-string voicing.
In context
D♭maj7 is the I chord in D♭ major. The ii–V–I cadence runs E♭m7 → A♭7 → D♭maj7. Coltrane's "Naima" is anchored in A♭ but builds tension on D♭maj7 throughout. In jazz, D♭maj7 also functions as the bVI in F minor and the IV in A♭ major.
Drill it
The Db major 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♭maj7 chord?
- D♭maj7 contains four notes: D♭ (root), F (major third), A♭ (perfect fifth), and C (major seventh).
- How is D♭maj7 different from D♭7?
- Only the seventh changes. D♭maj7 has C natural (a major 7th from D♭); D♭7 has C♭ (a minor 7th). The maj7 sounds stable and dreamy; the dom7 wants to resolve to G♭.
- What jazz standards use D♭maj7?
- Coltrane's "Naima" features prominent D♭maj7 voicings. "There Will Never Be Another You" passes through D♭maj7 in its bridge. Many ballads modulate to D♭ for the second half precisely because D♭maj7 has such a rich, romantic colour.
- Is D♭maj7 the same as C♯maj7?
- Enharmonically yes — same four pitches. D♭maj7 (five flats) is the standard spelling; C♯maj7 (seven sharps) appears only in deep sharp-key contexts.