The Dbm7 chord contains D♭, F♭, A♭ and C♭. Also written D♭m7, it combines a minor triad with a minor seventh. F♭ sounds on E and C♭ on B on the piano.
Build the Dbm7 chord by adding C♭ to D♭–F♭–A♭. Its formula is 1–♭3–5–♭7. F♭ preserves the minor third above D♭, and C♭ preserves the minor seventh. The sounding E and B keys do not change those written chord relationships.
This spelling includes F♭, C♭. Preserve the theoretical written spelling even when an enharmonic name shares the same piano key.
Choose a position to keep the four written notes, sounding keys, bass note, playback and print reference synchronized.
Build the Dbm7 chord with D♭, the E pitch class for F♭, A♭ and B for C♭. F natural changes the third and produces Db7. This exercise compares four pitch classes without prescribing their octave placement or measuring live playing.
D♭m7 uses 1–♭3–5–♭7: D♭–F♭–A♭–C♭.
a minor triad plus a minor seventh
Compared with D♭ minor, add the minor seventh above the root.
A seventh chord has four chord tones and therefore four positions: root position plus three inversions. The slash symbol identifies the written bass note.
| Position | Symbol | Notes, low to high | Bass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position, current selection | D♭m7 | D♭4–F♭4–A♭4–C♭5 | D♭4 |
| First inversion | D♭m7/F♭ | F♭4–A♭4–C♭5–D♭5 | F♭4 |
| Second inversion | D♭m7/A♭ | A♭4–C♭5–D♭5–F♭5 | A♭4 |
| Third inversion | D♭m7/C♭ | C♭5–D♭5–F♭5–A♭5 | C♭5 |
The Dbm7 chord diagrams retain F♭ and C♭ while marking their sounding E and B keys. They show notes and registers without finger numbers. The inversion bass notes are F♭, A♭ and C♭; read their octave labels when comparing each position.
Use the written notes, keyboard positions and playback without treating the diagram as a required hand shape.
Read left- and right-hand finger numbersOpen Music Theory
Supports: Minor Seventh chord construction, written spelling and inversion principles
Scope: Supports theory and spelling only; keyboard layouts are PianoGrid examples, and no fingering is assigned.
D♭, F♭, A♭ and C♭: root, minor third, perfect fifth and minor seventh. The written flats belong to the individual notes.
The letters F and C identify the third and seventh above D♭. Their flats produce the minor intervals. E and B are the corresponding sounding piano keys.
The Dbm7 chord uses F♭ and C♭. Db7 uses F and C♭; Dbmaj7 uses F and C. Compare both the third and seventh before selecting the keys.
F♭, A♭ and C♭ begin the first, second and third inversions. Root position begins on D♭. Each displayed position keeps the same four chord tones while changing their order.
Select the four pitch classes that make D♭m7, then check your answer.
This one-octave exercise checks the exact four-note pitch-class set. Order and inversion do not affect the result; missing and extra notes are reported, while fingering and live performance are not assessed.
One octave, C through B. Select a key again to remove it.
Chord tones: D♭–F♭–A♭–C♭ · Formula: 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7
Dots mark the notes to play. C4 is middle C. Numbers identify octaves, not fingers.