Db Dominant 7th

Db7

Notes

Db · F · Ab · Cb

Intervals

  • RootDb (1P)
  • Major 3rdF (3M)
  • Perfect 5thAb (5P)
  • Minor 7thCb (7m)

Fretboard

EBGDAE357912FAbBDbBDbFAbBAbBDbFFAbBDbBDbFAbFAbBDb

On the fretboard, B represents Cb.

About

The D♭7 dominant seventh (D♭–F–A♭–C♭) is the primary tension-bearing chord in tonal harmony. Its pull toward resolution comes from the tritone between F and C♭ — these two notes want to resolve inward, landing in the V–I cadence on G♭. The 3rd and ♭7 are essential: they form the tritone, and they distinguish a dominant 7 from a D♭m7. The fifth can be freely omitted without weakening the harmonic function. On guitar, shell voicings (1–3–♭7) are common in jazz; full voicings appear in blues and rhythm playing. Compared to D♭Maj7, dominant 7 is harmonically active and directional — it is a chord that moves.

Open in visualizer →

Adjust labels, frets, and palette in the interactive view.