Chords
Db Minor seventh
Db · Fb · Ab · Cb
The minor seventh chord — a minor triad with a minor seventh. The most useful chord in jazz and soul.
Also written Dbmin7 · Dbmi7 · Db-7
Db Minor seventh
Db · Fb · Ab · Cb
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Db3 · Fb3 · Ab3 · Cb3 | |
| Open (drop 2) | Ab2 · Cb3 · Db3 · Fb3 | |
| Shell | Db3 · Fb3 · Cb3 | |
| Rootless | Fb3 · Ab3 · Cb4 · Eb4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Db Minor seventh (Dbm7) contains the notes Db · Fb · Ab · Cb, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords
Inversions
An inversion of Db Minor seventh puts a chord tone other than Db in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales Db Minor seventh belongs to.
In which keys
Db Minor seventh is diatonic to 6 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
Db Minor seventh fits inside these scales, each built on Db.
- Db Minor PentatonicDb · Fb · Gb · Ab · Cb
- Db DorianDb · Eb · Fb · Gb · Ab · Bb · Cb
- Db Dorian #4Db · Eb · Fb · G · Ab · Bb · Cb
- Db Hungarian MajorDb · E · F · G · Ab · Bb · Cb
- Db Bebop MinorDb · Eb · Fb · F · Gb · Ab · Bb · Cb
- Db Kafi RagaDb · Fb · F · Gb · Ab · Bb · Cb · C
Understanding the Db Minor seventh chord
Names and symbols
Dbm7 is the chord symbol for Db Minor seventh; it is also written Dbmin7, Dbmi7, Db-7.
Db Minor seventh and C# Minor seventh are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. C# Minor seventh
How it is built
On Db it is Db · Fb · Ab · Cb, stacking 1P · 3m · 5P · 7m. Both added intervals are minor, which keeps the chord dark but soft — there is no tritone inside it, so it carries no obligation to move.
How it is used
It is the ii of a major key and therefore the opening chord of the ii–V–I, the single most common progression in jazz. It is also the i of a modal minor vamp, where its lack of tension is exactly what lets a groove sit still for eight bars.
Soul, R&B and neo-soul lean on it for the same reason: it is rich enough to be interesting and stable enough to loop.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Dbm7?
- Dbm7 contains Db · Fb · Ab · Cb. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- What is the difference between m7 and m/maj7?
- The seventh. A minor seventh chord uses a minor seventh; a minor-major seventh raises it to a major seventh, which makes the chord far more tense.
- Where is a minor seventh chord used?
- As the ii of a ii–V–I, as the tonic of a modal minor vamp, and throughout soul and R&B where its stability suits looping.
- What notes are in the Db Minor seventh chord?
- The Db Minor seventh chord contains the notes Db · Fb · Ab · Cb: the root Db with the intervals 1P, 3m, 5P, 7m stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally Db, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the Db Minor seventh chord?
- Measured from Db, the Db Minor seventh chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3m, 5P, 7m. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.