b2b3b4b5b6b71
Fig. 1 · Db altered on the keyboard

piano scale

D♭ altered

D♭1E♭♭♭2F♭♭3G♭♭♭4A♭♭♭5B♭♭♭6C♭♭7

The seventh mode of melodic minor. Every degree above the tonic that can be altered, is.

The same sounds spelled from the other side are C♯ altered.

on guitaron ukulele

Written out

Fig. 2 · Db altered, ascending

Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.

The step pattern

D♭HE♭♭WF♭HG♭♭WA♭♭WB♭♭WC♭WD♭

What is true of it

D♭ altered is D♭, E♭♭, F♭, G♭♭, A♭♭, B♭♭ and C♭, and back to D♭.

Its steps are H – W – H – W – W – W – W, where W is a whole step and H a half.

Written correctly it needs 11 alterations, E♭♭, G♭♭, A♭♭ and B♭♭ among them. That is what the letters force, and it is also why nobody writes music in this key: the same notes spelled from the other side are easier to read.

On the same tonic, D♭ Locrian differs from it by exactly one note.

Chords made only of these notes

D♭dimdiminishedD♭augaugmentedD♭m7♭5half-diminished seventh

Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 7 sounds, not chosen.

Other scales on D♭

D♭ Phrygian dominantexoticD♭ Lydian dominantexoticD♭ double harmonicexoticD♭ majormajorD♭ natural minorminorD♭ harmonic minorminor

C altD altD♯ altE♭ altE altF altF♯ altG♭ altall 374