D♭ major scale

D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C D♭

• Key signature5 flats
• Relative minorB♭ minor
• Parallel minorD♭ minor
• StepsW W H W W W H

D♭ major scale on the staff

Here is one octave of the D♭ major scale going up, written with the key signature (five flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭ and G♭). Every note on those lines and spaces is played sharp or flat, so the notes themselves need no extra signs.

D♭ major scale on the piano

Scale degrees

D♭ major key signature

The key signature sits right after the clef at the start of every line. D♭ major has five flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭ and G♭. They are written in the standard order, which is the same in every key with flats.

Chords in the key of D♭ major

Build a chord on each note of the scale using only notes from the scale and you get the chords of the key. The Roman numeral says which scale degree the chord sits on; capitals are major chords, lowercase are minor, and ° means diminished.

About the key of D♭ major

D♭ major has five flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭ and G♭. It is the usual way to write the key that sounds like C♯ major, since five flats are easier to read than seven sharps. It is a favorite key for pianists, because the scale falls neatly on the black keys. Its relative minor is B♭ minor.

Well-known music in D♭ major:

• Clair de lune (Debussy)
• Prelude in D♭ major, Op. 28 No. 15, Raindrop (Chopin)

Nearby keys

• Relative: B♭ minor
• One sharp more: A♭ major
• One flat more: G♭ major

Check yourself

All major scales

• C major
• G major
• D major
• A major
• E major
• B major
• F♯ major
• C♯ major
• F major
• B♭ major
• E♭ major
• A♭ major
• D♭ major
• G♭ major

See also: the circle of fifths, key signatures, all major scales explained.