Chords
Db Major thirteenth
Db · F · Ab · C · Eb · Bb
The major thirteenth — a maj9 extended to the thirteenth. Wide, warm and completely at rest.
Also written DbMaj13 · Db^13
Db Major thirteenth
Db · F · Ab · C · Eb · Bb
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Db3 · F3 · Ab3 · C4 · Eb4 · Bb4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | Db3 · Eb3 · F3 · Ab3 · C4 · Bb4 | |
| Shell | Db3 · F3 · C4 | |
| Rootless | F3 · C4 · Eb4 · Bb4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Db Major thirteenth (Dbmaj13) contains the notes Db · F · Ab · C · Eb · Bb, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords · extensions
Inversions
An inversion of Db Major thirteenth 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 Major thirteenth belongs to.
In which keys
Db Major thirteenth is diatonic to 4 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Extensions beyond the seventh count when every note sits in the key.
Scales that contain it
Db Major thirteenth fits inside these scales, each built on Db.
- Db MajorDb · Eb · F · Gb · Ab · Bb · C
- Db LydianDb · Eb · F · G · Ab · Bb · C
- Db BebopDb · Eb · F · Gb · Ab · Bb · Cb · C
- Db Bebop MajorDb · Eb · F · Gb · Ab · A · Bb · C
Understanding the Db Major thirteenth chord
Names and symbols
Dbmaj13 is the chord symbol for Db Major thirteenth; it is also written DbMaj13, Db^13.
maj7, M7, Δ7, ma7 and ^7 all mean the major seventh. A lowercase m7 is a different chord, the minor seventh, so the capital letter and the triangle are the only things keeping the two apart on a chart.
Db Major thirteenth and C# Major thirteenth are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. C# Major thirteenth
How it is built
On Db it is Db · F · Ab · C · Eb · Bb, stacking 1P · 3M · 5P · 7M · 9M · 13M. As with all thirteenth chords the eleventh is omitted, since it would clash with the major third.
How it is used
It is the most expansive tonic chord in common use — the last chord of a lush arrangement, where every added note is consonant and nothing wants to move.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Dbmaj13?
- Dbmaj13 contains Db · F · Ab · C · Eb · Bb. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- Why is the eleventh left out?
- A natural eleventh sits a semitone above the major third and clashes. Either omit it or raise it to a sharp eleventh.
- Is maj13 a resting chord?
- Yes. It has no tritone, so despite its size it is completely stable.
- What notes are in the Db Major thirteenth chord?
- The Db Major thirteenth chord contains the notes Db · F · Ab · C · Eb · Bb: the root Db with the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 7M, 9M, 13M 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 Major thirteenth chord?
- Measured from Db, the Db Major thirteenth chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 7M, 9M, 13M. 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.