Db Major Guitar Chord (Db)
The Db Major chord (Db) is built from the notes Db, F, and Ab: the R, 3, 5 of Db. Below are the five ways to play Db on guitar, laid out in order from the lowest position on the neck to the highest.
A major chord is bright and resolved, the backbone of most songs. The lowest shape starts around fret 1, and Db appears in four more positions higher up the neck.
Notes in Db
How to play Db: five positions
Strings run low E to high e, left to right. Dots are finger positions, a ringed dot is the root (Db), an × means don't play that string, and the label on the right (like "11fr") is the starting fret. Under each shape are the notes it sounds and their role in the chord.
Hear it and explore other chords →
The free interactive Chord Library lets you switch roots and flavors instantly and see every voicing update live.
Other Db chords
The major chord in other keys
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the Db Major chord?
- The Db Major chord (Db) contains the notes Db, F, and Ab. Those are the R, 3, 5 of Db, so the chord is Db (the root), F (the third), and Ab (the fifth).
- How do you play Db on guitar?
- There are five ways to play Db, one for each CAGED shape. The lowest shape starts around fret 1, and Db appears in four more positions higher up the neck. A nearby voicing often makes an awkward chord change much easier, so if one shape fights you, try the next one up or down the neck.
- What does a Db chord sound like?
- A major chord is bright and resolved, the backbone of most songs. You can hear Db and any progression built from it in the free interactive tools on this site.
- Is Db a hard chord to play?
- Db has no open shape in standard tuning, so it is usually played as a barre chord. That takes a little hand strength, but the shape is movable: learn it once and you can slide it to other roots.