Seventh Chords

Let’s look at how to play a D flat 7 chord on the piano. We’ll also learn the pattern for building any other seventh chord.

What Are Seventh Chords?

Seventh chords are major chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale, lowered 1/2 step.

So to build a seventh chord, we’ll start by building a major chord. We can build a major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale (learn how to build a major scale here). Then to convert the major chord into a seventh chord, we’ll add the seventh note of the matching major scale, lowered 1/2 step.

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 35-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note and type.

Get the Printable

How to Play a D Flat 7 Chord on the Piano

So to build a D flat 7 chord, we’ll start by building a D flat major chord. We can build a D flat major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the D flat major scale: D♭ – F – A♭

Then to convert the D flat major chord into a D flat major 7 chord, we’ll find the seventh note of the D flat major scale, C, and lower it 1/2 step before adding it to the chord: C♭

You may be wondering why we would label the last note as “C♭” instead of “B”. The reason is because when we build this chord, we’re taking the seventh note of the D flat major scale and lowering it 1/2 step. Since the seventh note of the D flat major scale is “C”, when we lower it 1/2 step, we label it as “C♭”.

So to play a D flat major 7 chord, we’ll play:

D♭ – F – A♭ – C♭

We can use this pattern to build any other seventh chord. We’ll first build a major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale. Then we’ll find the seventh note of the matching major scale, lower it 1/2 step, and add it to the chord.

Chord Fingering

When playing this chord with the right hand, we can use fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 (thumbs are 1’s). When playing this chord with the left hand, we can use fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1.

Other Seventh Chords

Since there are different types of seventh chords, it can help to compare their differences:

Seventh chords are major chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale, lowered 1/2 step.

So a D flat 7 chord is: D♭ – F – A♭ – C♭

Minor seventh chords are minor chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale, lowered 1/2 step.

So a D flat minor 7 chord is: D♭ – F♭ – A♭ – C♭

Major seventh chords are major chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale.

So a D flat major 7 chord is: D♭ – F – A♭ – C

Other Chord Types

Some of the other chord types we can learn are:

Major
Minor
Augmented
Diminished
Second
Minor Second
Suspended
Fifth
Sixth
Minor Sixth
Minor Seventh
Major Seventh
Ninth
Minor Ninth
Major Ninth

Conclusion

Now you know how to play a D flat 7 chord on the piano, and you can use this knowledge to build any other seventh chord.

Seventh chords are pretty common on chord charts, so it’s good to know how to build them for when you come across them. And chords are a wonderful way to learn and enjoy music at the piano!