Chords
Db Major ninth
Db · F · Ab · C · Eb
The major ninth chord — a maj7 with a ninth on top. The most luxuriant of the stable chords.
Also written DbΔ9 · Db^9
Db Major ninth
Db · F · Ab · C · Eb
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Db3 · F3 · Ab3 · C4 · Eb4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | C3 · Db3 · F3 · Ab3 · Eb4 | |
| Shell | Db3 · F3 · C4 | |
| Rootless | F3 · C4 · Eb4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Db Major ninth (Dbmaj9) contains the notes Db · F · Ab · C · Eb, 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 ninth 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 ninth belongs to.
In which keys
Db Major ninth 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 ninth 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 ninth chord
Names and symbols
Dbmaj9 is the chord symbol for Db Major ninth; it is also written DbΔ9, Db^9.
add9, 9 and maj9 are three different chords. add9 adds a ninth to a plain triad with no seventh; 9 is a dominant seventh with a ninth; maj9 is a major seventh with a ninth.
Db Major ninth and C# Major ninth are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. C# Major ninth
How it is built
On Db it is Db · F · Ab · C · Eb, stacking 1P · 3M · 5P · 7M · 9M. It is the maj7 with one more third added above.
How it is used
Neo-soul, bossa nova and modern gospel use it as the tonic. It carries the same stability as a maj7 with more air, and because it contains no tritone it never insists on going anywhere.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Dbmaj9?
- Dbmaj9 contains Db · F · Ab · C · Eb. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- What is the difference between maj9 and add9?
- The seventh. maj9 includes the major seventh; add9 adds the ninth to a plain triad and leaves the seventh out.
- Which voicing is usual?
- Pianists commonly drop the fifth and often the root, voicing third, seventh and ninth — enough to state the chord without crowding it.
- What notes are in the Db Major ninth chord?
- The Db Major ninth chord contains the notes Db · F · Ab · C · Eb: the root Db with the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 7M, 9M 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 ninth chord?
- Measured from Db, the Db Major ninth chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 7M, 9M. 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.