Db Quartal (So What) (Db quartal)

Also written as C# Quartal (So What) (C# and Db are the same key).

Download MIDI
1+4+b7+9+12
BC#F#D#G#
4 4

Notes in Db Quartal (So What)

C# (root)F#BD#G#

Inversions

Same notes as Db Quartal (So What), with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.

Root position

C# in the bass

BC#F#D#G#

1st inversion

F# in the bass (Db quartal/F#)

BF#D#G#C#

2nd inversion

B in the bass (Db quartal/B)

BD#G#C#F#

3rd inversion

D# in the bass (Db quartal/D#)

BD#G#C#F#

4th inversion

G# in the bass (Db quartal/G#)

BG#C#F#D#

Open voicings

A close-position chord like Db Quartal (So What) can sound cluttered in the middle of the keyboard. Jazz players open it up by dropping one note down an octave, spreading the same notes wider without changing the chord.

Drop 2

C# on the bottom

BC#D#F#G#

Drop 3

B on the bottom

BC#F#D#G#

Db Quartal (So What) consists of C#, F#, B, D# and G#, played at the same time.

Built in fourths instead of thirds, the voicing Miles Davis made famous on So What. It sounds open and modal rather than major or minor, which is why modal jazz and modern comping use it for vamps that stay on one chord a long time.

Difficulty: Advanced. Category: Extended chords. Click any highlighted key on the diagram above, or tab to it and press Enter, to hear that single note. Inversions mark the bass note with a contrasting outline.