What are the notes in the D♭ major scale?

D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C.

How many flats does D♭ major have?

Five: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, and G♭.

The Db major scale — notes, intervals, and pattern

The D♭ major scale has five flats — B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, and G♭ — and is famously rich and lush under the hand on piano. It's the enharmonic equivalent of C# major (seven sharps), but D♭ is what nearly all printed music in this pitch uses.

Interval pattern

The Db major scale is built from this fixed pattern of whole steps (W) and half steps (H):

Wwhole
Wwhole
Hhalf
Wwhole
Wwhole
Wwhole
Hhalf

Every major scale uses this same pattern, transposed to start on a different tonic. The half-steps fall between scale degrees 3–4 and 7–8.

Scale degrees and intervals

Each note of the scale, with its scale-degree name and interval from the root:

Degree	Note	Interval from root	Function
1	Db	Root	Tonic
2	Eb	M2	Supertonic
3	F	M3	Mediant
4	Gb	P4	Subdominant
5	Ab	P5	Dominant
6	Bb	M6	Submediant
7	C	M7	Subtonic / Leading tone

In melody and improvisation

Pianists love D♭ for the topography — the hand falls naturally across the black keys with the thumb on whites. Sondheim wrote tenderly in D♭. In jazz, the ii–V–I cadence in D♭ (E♭m7–A♭7–D♭maj7) appears frequently in standards.

Relative key

The Db major scale shares its notes with Bb minor. Same seven pitches, different tonal centre — when a piece moves between them, no accidentals change.

Common mistakes

Five flats means B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, AND G♭. The G♭ on the 4th degree is the trap — beginners often play G natural and end up sounding Lydian. Also: don't confuse D♭ major (5 flats) with D major (2 sharps).

Drill it

The Interval Trainer gives you a root note and an interval, and asks you to name the result. Practising the intervals of the Db major scale is the fastest way to internalise it as a melodic shape rather than a memorised string of notes.

Open the Interval Trainer →Or drill key signatures

Frequently asked

What are the notes in the D♭ major scale?: D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C.
How many flats does D♭ major have?: Five: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, and G♭.
What is the relative minor of D♭ major?: B♭ minor.