Chords

Db maj7#9#11

Db · F · Ab · C · E · G

Db maj7#9#11 (Dbmaj7#9#11) is a major chord of 6 notes: Db · F · Ab · C · E · G.

Db maj7#9#11

Db · F · Ab · C · E · G

Play it on your instrument
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Voicings on the piano
VoicingNotesPlay it on your instrument
Closed, root positionDb3 · F3 · Ab3 · C4 · E4 · G4
Open (drop 2)Db3 · E3 · F3 · Ab3 · C4 · G4
ShellDb3 · F3 · C4
RootlessF3 · C4 · E4 · G4

Tap a key or a fret to hear it.

Anatomy

Db maj7#9#11 (Dbmaj7#9#11) contains the notes Db · F · Ab · C · E · G, 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 maj7#9#11 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 maj7#9#11 belongs to.

In which keys

Db maj7#9#11 is diatonic to 1 key; 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 maj7#9#11 fits inside these scales, each built on Db.

Understanding the Db maj7#9#11 chord

Names and symbols

Dbmaj7#9#11 is the chord symbol for Db maj7#9#11.

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.

Common questions

What notes are in the Db maj7#9#11 chord?
The Db maj7#9#11 chord contains the notes Db · F · Ab · C · E · G: the root Db with the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 7M, 9A, 11A 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 maj7#9#11 chord?
Measured from Db, the Db maj7#9#11 chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 7M, 9A, 11A. 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.
How do I play the Db maj7#9#11 chord?
On guitar the most common Db maj7#9#11 shape is x43010, read from the lowest string to the highest; the instrument panel above shows several more with their fingerings. On piano play Db3 · F3 · Ab3 · C4 · E4 · G4 with the right hand, or move the root down into the left hand and keep the rest above it. Every shape on this page plays when you press it.

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