Arpeggio · D♭6 · Guitar
The D♭6 arpeggio is D♭ – F – A♭ – B♭ — chord tones 1 3 5 6. D♭6 is a tonic alternative to maj7, especially on the last chord of a tune; its sound is open, classic, swing-era. Below, every D♭, F, A♭, B♭ on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
Play loops the arpeggio up and down one octave (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 4. Tap any marked note to hear it. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Reference
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from D♭ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D♭ | unison (0 semitones) |
| 3 | F | major 3rd (4 semitones) |
| 5 | A♭ | perfect 5th (7 semitones) |
| 6 | B♭ | major 6th (9 semitones) |
Goes with: D♭ Major (Ionian) (D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C). Voicings: D♭6 voicings on guitar.
Common questions
D♭ – F – A♭ – B♭. As chord tones: 1 3 5 6. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
D♭6 is a tonic alternative to maj7, especially on the last chord of a tune. Its character is open, classic, swing-era.
D♭ Major (D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
Start on the root D♭ on the A string at fret 4 and play A-string fret 4, A-string fret 8, D-string fret 6, D-string fret 8, G-string fret 6. Then play it descending, then in eighth notes with a metronome, then over the a tonic alternative to maj7.
Keep going
Same arpeggio on piano · Major 6th hub · chord-scale theory.
Other arpeggios from D♭