PorchtoneQuick answer: the seven chords in D♭ major are D♭, E♭m, Fm, G♭, A♭, B♭m, C°. The strongest are D♭, G♭ and A♭ (the I, IV and V); most songs in D♭ lean on those.
The chords
| D♭ID♭ F A♭ | E♭miiE♭ G♭ B♭ | FmiiiF A♭ C | G♭IVG♭ B♭ D♭ | A♭VA♭ C E♭ | B♭mviB♭ D♭ F | C°vii°C E♭ G♭ |
Progressions that sound good in D♭
- Pop anthemD♭ – A♭ – B♭m – G♭ (I V vi IV)
Big, hopeful, singable. One of the most used progressions in pop.
- SensitiveB♭m – G♭ – D♭ – A♭ (vi IV I V)
The same four chords starting on the minor: wistful, then lifting.
- FiftiesD♭ – B♭m – G♭ – A♭ (I vi IV V)
Doo-wop and slow-dance warmth.
- LiftG♭ – D♭ – A♭ – B♭m (IV I V vi)
Starts away from home, so it feels like it is always reaching.
- Slow burnD♭ – Fm – G♭ – A♭ (I iii IV V)
Tender, with a gentle ache on the iii chord.
- HymnD♭ – G♭ – D♭ – A♭ (I IV I V)
Plain and honest; leaves room for the words.
- Three chordsD♭ – G♭ – A♭ (I IV V)
The backbone of folk, country and rock and roll.
- HighwayD♭ – B – G♭ – D♭ (I bVII IV I)
Open-road rock: the borrowed ♭VII gives it swagger.
- HeartlandD♭ – B – G♭ – G♭ (I bVII IV IV)
Jangly, wide-open guitar rock.
- 12-bar bluesD♭7 – D♭7 – D♭7 – D♭7 – G♭7 – G♭7 – D♭7 – D♭7 – A♭7 – G♭7 – D♭7 – A♭7 (I7 I7 I7 I7 IV7 IV7 I7 I7 V7 IV7 I7 V7)
Twelve bars that most of rock and roll grew out of.
- Two-five-oneE♭m7 – A♭7 – D♭maj7 (ii7 V7 Imaj7)
The basic cadence of jazz standards.
Playing in D♭ with a capo
If the barre chords in D♭ are a stretch, put a capo on and play easier open shapes. The song still sounds in D♭.
| Capo | Play these shapes |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am (shapes from C) |
| Fret 4 | A, Bm, D♭m, D, E, G♭m (shapes from A) |
| Fret 6 | G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em (shapes from G) |
Related keys
D♭ major shares all its chords with its relative minor, B♭ minor. Its closest neighbours are A♭ major and G♭ major, which share six of its seven notes and make easy key changes.