D-flat major facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
D♭ major

Relative key	B♭ minor
Parallel key	D♭ minor enharmonic: C♯ minor
Notes in this scale
D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C, D♭

D♭ major (or D-flat major) is a major scale based on D♭. Its key signature has five flats.

Its relative minor is B♭ minor, and its parallel minor is D♭ minor. This is usually replaced by C♯ minor because D♭ minor's eight flats (including the double-flat) make it generally impractical to use. Therefore, D♭ minor is often used as the parallel key of C♯ minor.

For example, Chopin's Prelude No. 15 in D-flat major ("Raindrop"), modulates from D-flat major to C-sharp minor for the middle section in the parallel minor, and in his Fantaisie-Impromptu, primarily in C-sharp minor, Chopin switches to D-flat major for the middle section for the opposite reason. Claude Debussy also switches from D-flat major to C-sharp minor in the significant section in his famous Clair de lune. Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony likewise switches to C-sharp minor for a while for the significant section in the slow movement.

Diatonic Scales and Keys
	Flats Sharps Major minor Major minor 0 C, a 1 F d G e 2 B♭ g D b 3 E♭ c A f♯ 4 A♭ f E c♯ 5 D♭ b♭ B g♯ 6 G♭ e♭ F♯ d♯ 7 C♭ a♭ C♯ a♯ 8 F♭ d♭ G♯ e♯
The table shows the number of sharps or flats in each scale. Minor scales are written in lower case.

See also

In Spanish: Re bemol mayor para niños