Piano chord · also written C♯9

D♭ Dominant 9th Piano Chord (D♭9)

The D♭ Dominant 9th chord on piano is made of the notes D♭, F, A♭, C♭ and E♭. Funky and jazzy. A dominant 7th with an added 9th.

D♭ Dominant 9th chord on a piano keyboard: D♭, F, A♭, C♭, E♭ C4C5 D♭ F A♭ C♭ E♭

D♭9 D♭ – F – A♭ – C♭ – E♭

Tap any key to hear it.

Name any chord from its keys in the chord finder →

What notes are in D♭ Dominant 9th?

5 notes, built 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 – 9 up from D♭.

Notes
D♭ – F – A♭ – C♭ – E♭
Formula
1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 – 9
Semitones from the root
0 – 4 – 7 – 10 – 14
Symbol
D♭9
Same keys as
C♯9 (C♯ – E♯ – G♯ – B – D♯)
Chord type
Dominant 9th, 5 notes

How to play D♭ Dominant 9th on piano

D♭ Dominant 9th spans more than an octave, so it is usually split between the hands.

  • Left hand: D♭ and A♭ (fingers 5 and 1).
  • Right hand: F, C♭, E♭ (fingers 1, 3 and 5).
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D♭ Dominant 9th inversions

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: D♭9/F, D♭9/A♭, D♭9/C♭.

D♭ Dominant 9th root position on piano: D♭, F, A♭, C♭, E♭ D♭ F A♭ C♭ E♭
Root position D♭9 D♭ – F – A♭ – C♭ – E♭
D♭ Dominant 9th 1st inversion on piano: F, A♭, C♭, D♭, E♭ F A♭ C♭ D♭ E♭
1st inversion D♭9/F F – A♭ – C♭ – D♭ – E♭
D♭ Dominant 9th 2nd inversion on piano: A♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F A♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F
2nd inversion D♭9/A♭ A♭ – C♭ – D♭ – E♭ – F
D♭ Dominant 9th 3rd inversion on piano: C♭, D♭, E♭, F, A♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F A♭
3rd inversion D♭9/C♭ C♭ – D♭ – E♭ – F – A♭

Progressions with D♭ Dominant 9th

Press play: the chords move across the keyboard as they sound, voiced so your hand barely moves.

ii–V–I

in F♯ major

  1. ii7 G♯m7
  2. V9 D♭9
  3. Imaj7 G♭maj7
ii–V–I in F♯ major: G♯m7, D♭9, G♭maj7 B D♯ F♯ G♯

Minor cadence

in F♯ minor

  1. i F♯m
  2. iv Bm
  3. V9 D♭9
  4. i F♯m
Minor cadence in F♯ minor: F♯m, Bm, D♭9, F♯m C♯ F♯ A

Can you find D♭ Dominant 9th?

Tap the notes on the keyboard, then check. Six chords, starting with this one.

1 / 6 Tap the notes of D♭ Dominant 9th (D♭9)

Score 0

Any octave, any order. Each key you tap plays.

Practice keyboard: tap the notes of the chord

What key is D♭ Dominant 9th in?

The keys whose scale contains every note of D♭9, with the chord’s Roman numeral in each.

Major keys

  • F♯ majorV9

Minor keys

  • F♯ minorV9 (harmonic minor)
  • E♭ minorVII9

D♭ Dominant 9th chord FAQ

What notes are in the D♭ Dominant 9th chord?

D♭ Dominant 9th (D♭9) has 5 notes: D♭, F, A♭, C♭ and E♭. Its formula is 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 – 9, counted up from D♭.

How do you play D♭ Dominant 9th on the piano?

Spread it over two hands: the left hand plays D♭ and A♭ (fingers 5 and 1), the right hand plays F, C♭, E♭ (fingers 1, 3 and 5).

Is D♭ Dominant 9th the same as C♯ Dominant 9th?

On the piano, yes: C♯9 (C♯, E♯, G♯, B, D♯) uses exactly the same keys as D♭9 (D♭, F, A♭, C♭, E♭). Which name is used depends on the key of the piece; D♭9 is the more common spelling.

What are the inversions of D♭ Dominant 9th?

1st inversion: F, A♭, C♭, D♭, E♭ (D♭9/F). 2nd inversion: A♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F (D♭9/A♭). 3rd inversion: C♭, D♭, E♭, F, A♭ (D♭9/C♭).

What key is D♭ Dominant 9th in?

D♭9 belongs to F♯ major (V9) and E♭ minor (VII9).

Other D♭ chords

Dominant 9th chords on every root

Piano chord chart: all 264 chords Open D♭9 in the chord finder Free PDF chord chart Play it on the virtual piano