D♭ Minor

How to play D♭ minor on the piano

Playing the D♭ minor chord starts with finding the root of the chord: D♭. Look for the black keys in pairs of two and place your finger on the left one of these two. From there, you can build the chord.

D♭ minor contains notes with double flats and is difficult to read, so you won’t often see it. It’s easier to read and write these pitches in the key of C♯ minor, since C♯ is the same key as D♭ on the piano.

Different names for the same pitch are known as enharmonic equivalents — C♯ is the enharmonic equivalent of D♭. It's still useful to understand how chords work in theory, so keep reading to learn more about D♭ minor!

To play the D♭ minor chord, you'll use the notes D♭, F♭ and A♭. With your right hand, use the following fingers:

A♭ - Fifth finger (5)
F♭ - Third finger (3)
D♭ - First finger (1)

Read more: Our guide to major and minor chords.

To play the chord with your left hand, use the following fingers:

A♭ - First finger (1)
F♭ - Third finger (3)
D♭ - Fifth finger (5)

Depending on the piece of music that you're playing, you might find it easier to use different fingers. To see how the chord is built, watch our video above.

What are the inversions of D♭ minor?

We've already learned the root position of D♭ minor, but the chord has two inversions. To play the first and second inversions of the chord, follow the steps below.

How to play the first inversion of D♭ minor

For the first inversion of D♭ minor, place F♭ as the lowest note. Play the chord by using the following fingers of your right hand:

D♭ - Fifth finger (5)
A♭ - Second finger (2)
F♭ - First finger (1)

Read more: Our guide to chord inversions.

How to play the second inversion of D♭ minor

The second inversion of D♭ minor can be played by placing A♭ as the lowest note in the chord. Use the following fingers to play the inversion with your right hand:

F♭ - Fifth finger (5)
D♭ - Third finger (3)
A♭ - First finger (1)