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Scale · 7 notes

D♭ Melodic Minor Scale

D♭ Melodic Minor is a 7-note scale with the notes D♭ E♭ F♭ G♭ A♭ B♭ C. It sounds minor with raised 6th and 7th (ascending form), smooth and jazzy.

CF♭D♭E♭G♭A♭B♭

Purple = D♭ (the tonic) · green = other scale notes

On the fretboard

Every D♭ melodic minor note on the neck. Pick a pattern to see the compact fingering shape that fits under one hand.

EADGBe135791215F♭G♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭G♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭G♭A♭B♭CE♭F♭G♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭G♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭G♭A♭B♭CD♭F♭G♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭G♭

Blue = D♭ (the root) · green = other scale notes

Notes in the D♭ Melodic Minor scale

DegreeNoteName
1D♭Tonic
2E♭Supertonic
♭3F♭Mediant
4G♭Subdominant
5A♭Dominant
6B♭Submediant
7CLeading tone

Each note uses a different letter name, so the spelling follows the scale rather than the keyboard: D♭ E♭ F♭ G♭ A♭ B♭ C.

D♭ Melodic Minor scale formula

The pattern of steps from one note to the next is W – H – W – W – W – W – H (W = whole step, H = half step). Compared with the major scale the degrees are 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7.

Chords in the D♭ Melodic Minor scale

Stacking thirds on each note of the scale gives these chords:

DegreeTriad7th chord
iD♭mD♭m(maj7)
iiE♭mE♭m7
III+F♭+F♭7♯5
IVG♭G♭7
VA♭A♭7
vi°B♭°B♭ø7
vii°C°Cø7

Chord names link to guitar chord shapes where we have them.

How to practise the D♭ Melodic Minor scale

Learn it as natural minor with both the 6th and 7th raised. Classical convention uses this form going up and natural minor coming down; jazz players keep the raised form both ways.

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes in the D♭ Melodic Minor scale?

The notes of the D♭ Melodic Minor scale are D♭ E♭ F♭ G♭ A♭ B♭ C.

What is the formula for the D♭ Melodic Minor scale?

The pattern of whole and half steps is W – H – W – W – W – W – H (W = whole step, H = half step). In scale degrees: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7.

What chords are in the D♭ Melodic Minor scale?

Built from the scale in triads: D♭m, E♭m, F♭+, G♭, A♭, B♭°, C°.

More D♭ scales

D♭ Major, D♭ Dorian, D♭ Lydian, D♭ Mixolydian, D♭ Major Pentatonic, D♭ Minor Pentatonic, D♭ Lydian Dominant, D♭ Whole Tone, D♭ Lydian Augmented, D♭ Bebop Dominant

Explore the full scales library, find a scale from notes with the scale finder, or see every chord in every key in the chord chart.