Sevenths
D dominant 7th chord
Bluesy tension that pulls strongly toward the chord a 5th below.
D7 is the V7 chord in G major. In minor keys: V7 in G minor.
- Notes
- DF♯AC
- Formula
- 135♭7
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th · minor 7th
How to play D7
About the D dominant 7th chord
D7 is the V7 of G major — the chord that sets up a return to G in countless folk, country and bluegrass tunes.
Playing it
On guitar, D7 has an open-position shape, xx0212, using three fingers alongside the open strings. Don’t strum the low E and A strings.
On piano, D7 has one black key (F♯) and three white keys.
On ukulele the usual D7 shape is 2223, using four fingers.
Related chords
Take away the root and the other three notes form F♯dim (F♯ A C) — so you can think of D7 as F♯dim with D added underneath.
Move a single note and D7 becomes a different chord: drop the C for D, raise C to C♯ for Dmaj7, lower F♯ to F for Dm7 and lower C to B for D6.
Where you’ll hear it
You’ll find D7 in common progressions such as D7–G7–A7 (the 12-bar blues in D major) and Am7–D7–Gmaj7 (the jazz cadence in G major).
