Some of the best songs are written in the key of Db (aka, C#). Artists like Donovan, Coldplay, Stevie Wonder, Nirvana, Lenny Kravitz -- and basically everyone -- they all use this key to compose classics. So what are the notes in this key? And what chords do they form for use in songwriting?
To answer these questions, here's a look at the 7 relative modes of Db/C# -- including their chord patterns.
Scales / Modes
To begin, let's start with the 7 notes of the Db major scale -- Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, Db. This pattern sounds nice. And when you play the sequence starting on each respective note, you can create 7 different permutations (or "modes") of Db:
Each pattern has a distinct sound because each mode begins and ends on a different note (or "tonic"). In this example, the tonic of Db Ionian is Db ... while the tonic of Eb Dorian is Eb ... and so on. Going down the line you can hear the differences between each mode.
Chords
Of course, each sequence of notes sounds nice. But when you play these same patterns as chords, they sound especially good -- like these chords of Db Ionian (aka, Db major), for example:
These chords basically sound like the Db Ionian mode, but fleshed out as full harmonies. And what's cool is that, just like the individual modes, these same 7 chords can also be arranged into 7 permutations, each with its own unique sound.
To hear what I mean, play though each mode again -- only this time, using the chords in each pattern:
The result is a visually complex system of blotches and squiggles that’s confusing and even counterintuitive.
