Db5 Guitar Chord
Db Power Chord · also written C#5 · Db–Ab
Db5 is the Db power chord chord: Db–Ab. Its sound is raw and powerful — no 3rd means no major or minor quality, just root and fifth driven through an amp. It's also written as C#5 — same notes, same shapes, different spelling.
Because a power chord has no 3rd, Db5 is neither major nor minor — it fits over both. Play it with palm muting and distortion and it becomes the engine of punk, hard rock, and metal rhythm playing. The two-finger shape moves anywhere on the neck, so once you know Db5, you know all twelve power chords.
The most common way to play Db5 is the a-string power chord at the 4th fret (x 4 6 6 x x, low E string to high E string). Below you'll find 3 ways to play it across the neck, from open position to barre and shell voicings, with the theory behind the chord and the progressions it lives in.
How to Play Db5: 3 Voicings
Frets are listed from the low E string to the high E string. x = don't play that string, 0 = open string.
Db5 Chord Theory
| Interval | R | 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Note | Db | Ab |
Db5 is built from the Db major scale.
Db5 Chord FAQ
What notes are in the Db5 chord?
Db5 contains 2 notes: Db (R), Ab (5). The interval formula for a power chord chord is R–5.
What is the easiest way to play Db5 on guitar?
Use the a-string power chord at the 4th fret: x 4 6 6 x x (frets listed from the low E string to the high E string, x = don't play that string). Db5 has no open-position shape in standard tuning, so this movable form is the standard starting point.
Is Db5 a major or minor chord?
Neither — Db5 has no 3rd, the note that decides major versus minor. That ambiguity is exactly why it's useful: it fits over both major and minor harmony.
Is Db5 the same as C#5?
Yes. Db and C# are enharmonic equivalents — the same pitch written two ways. Db5 and C#5 use identical shapes and frets; which spelling you see depends on the key of the song.
What keys use the Db5 chord?
Db5 appears diatonically in Db major (as I), Ab major (as IV), and F# major (as V) — plus Bb minor, its relative minor key.
Related Chords
Hear yourself play Db5
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