Guitar chord · Barre shape · Standard tuning
D♭ major guitar chord (Db)
4 fingers, 5 strings, chart notation x46664. Tap the chord chart to hear it strummed, then arpeggio it to check every note is ringing cleanly.
All the strings in one sweep, low to high — how the chord sounds in a song.
- Strings, low to high
- D♭ · A♭ · D♭ · F · A♭
- Chord tones
- D♭ R · F 3 · A♭ 5
How to play Db
Finger numbers run 1 for the index to 4 for the little finger. String names are given as players say them — the low E is the thickest string (the 6th) and the high E is the thinnest (the 1st).
- 1st finger (index) — lies flat across the 4th fret, covering 5 strings, from the A string up to the high E string
- 2nd finger (middle) — 6th fret, D string
- 3rd finger (ring) — 6th fret, G string
- 4th finger (little) — 6th fret, B string
- Leave out: low E (6th) — start the strum below it, or damp it with the side of the thumb.
- Barre: 4th fret, strings 5 down to 1. Place the other fingers first and add the barre last.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note it sounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th — low E | Not played | — | × |
| 5th — A | 4th fret | 1 (index) | D♭ |
| 4th — D | 6th fret | 2 (middle) | A♭ |
| 3rd — G | 6th fret | 3 (ring) | D♭ |
| 2nd — B | 6th fret | 4 (little) | F |
| 1st — high E | 4th fret | 1 (index) | A♭ |
Notes and intervals in Db
Db is built from 3 notes: D♭, F and A♭.
- D♭ — the root (R)
- F — the major 3rd (3)
- A♭ — the perfect 5th (5)
Across the six strings the shape sounds D♭ · A♭ · D♭ · F · A♭ from low to high, so some notes are doubled in different octaves — that is what gives an open guitar chord its width compared with the same chord on a keyboard.
What Db is used for
D♭ (also spelled C♯) is the IV in A♭ and the V in G♭, and turns up in band and piano music far more than in open-string guitar songs. Barre the A-major shape at the 4th fret; with a capo on 1, an open C shape gives the same chord.
Common mistakes with Db
- Strumming the low E string. The root is on the 5th string, so start the strum on the A string or rest the tip of the index finger against the 6th to mute it.
- Three fingers fighting for one fret. If 2-3-4 will not fit, flatten the ring finger across the D, G and B strings instead — and lift its tip slightly so the high E still rings.
- A barre that only holds two strings. The index has to press the A string and the high E; the strings in between are covered by the other fingers, so aim the pressure at the ends.
Guitar chord data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.