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Db 7alt (Db7alt)

Also written as C# 7alt (C# and Db are the same key).

Download MIDI
1+3+b7+b9+#9+b13
E#BDEAC#
4 4

Notes in Db 7alt

C# (root)E#BDEA

Inversions

Same notes as Db 7alt, 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

E#BDEAC#

1st inversion

E# in the bass (Db7alt/E#)

E#BDEAC#

2nd inversion

B in the bass (Db7alt/B)

BDEAE#C#

3rd inversion

D in the bass (Db7alt/D)

DEAE#BC#

4th inversion

E in the bass (Db7alt/E)

EAE#BDC#

5th inversion

A in the bass (Db7alt/A)

AE#BDEC#

Open voicings

A close-position chord like Db 7alt 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

EE#BDAC#

Drop 3

C# on the bottom

DE#BEAC#

Db 7alt is built from C#, E#, B, D, E and A.

Short for altered dominant. It bundles the most common alterations, flat nine, sharp nine and flat thirteen, into one tense dominant with no natural fifth. Jazz soloists treat it as the sound of the altered scale, built to resolve as strongly as possible.

Related chords

Db7b9Db7#9Db7b13

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.