Dominant 7th chord · D root
D7 chord
- D1
- F#3
- A5
- C♭7
The D dominant 7th chord is built from the notes D, F#, A, C. It turns up 44 times in the 80 songs on this site, including All of Me and Auld Lang Syne.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the D7 chord?
The D7 chord (D dominant 7th) is a dominant 7th chord built from four notes: D, F#, A, C — the 1–3–5–♭7 of the D scale, 4 semitones and 7 semitones and 10 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played in open position (x-x-0-2-1-2) with 3 fingers while 1 string rings open and the low E string stays silent. It is rated beginner — most players learn it in their first weeks. A tense, bluesy chord that wants to resolve down a fifth. It is one of the most-used chords in this site's library: across the 80 song sheets charted here, D7 appears 44 times in 12 songs, most often in the keys of G and Bb, and the chord it most often moves to is G. Below you will find step-by-step fingering, 3 positions up the neck, audio of every shape, and the real progressions this chord lives inside.
How do you play the D7 chord on guitar?
Open position — the easiest version of D7 on the guitar.
- Press the G string at fret 2 with your middle finger.
- Press the B string at fret 1 with your index finger.
- Press the high E string at fret 2 with your ring finger.
- Start your strum on the D string and leave the low E and A strings out.
The x marks are part of the shape, not an accident: the chord only sounds right when low E and A stay silent. Instead of aiming your pick around those strings, let a spare finger rest on it and damp it. x-x-0-2-1-2
How do you make D7 sound clean?
The backwards-D triangle (fingers 1 and 2 swapped versus D) fumbles under speed. Think of it as a mirror of D, not a new shape.
G → D7 → G is V7–I inside out. Alternate one bar each, no gaps.
In real songs
What songs use the D7 chord?
- chord changes
- 44
- songs
- 12
- common keys
- G · Bb
Across the 80 chord sheets on this site, D7 appears 44 times in 12 songs — most often in the keys of G and Bb.
All 12 songs that use D7— key, capo and a link to every sheet
| Song | Artist | Key | Capo |
|---|---|---|---|
| All of Me | Jazz Standard | C | — |
| Auld Lang Syne | Traditional | G | — |
| Autumn Leaves | Jazz Standard | Gm | — |
| Happy Birthday | Traditional | G | — |
| I'm Yours | Jason Mraz | C | — |
| Lyin' Eyes | Eagles | G | — |
| Margaritaville | Jimmy Buffett | D | — |
| Me and Bobby McGee | Janis Joplin | Bb | 3 |
| Oh! Susanna | Traditional | G | — |
| Something | The Beatles | C | — |
| Swing Low, Sweet Chariot | Traditional | G | — |
| When the Saints Go Marching In | Traditional | G | — |
Chord flow
What chord comes after D7?
Those figures are counted from the 80 chord sheets on this site, so they describe what songwriters actually played rather than what theory says should come next.
Three-chord moves
Three-chord moves are where a chord really shows its character. These are the ones that actually happen in this library, counted from the sheets:
What other ways can you play D7 up the neck?
2 more positions below. Learn one of these well and the rest become optional. The value of a second position is practical: it keeps your fretting hand near where the song is already heading.
Position 2 · Fret 5 barre
Every note here is fretted, which means the shape transposes anywhere on the neck without changing your fingers.
The barre is the only hard part of this shape. Keep the bar finger straight and use the weight of your arm rather than the grip of your thumb.
Position 3 · Fret 10 barre
No open strings, so this is a movable shape: slide it up or down and the same fingering gives you a different chord name.
One bar does most of the work. Roll that finger onto its bony edge and pull the elbow slightly in — a barre that buzzes is almost always a position problem, not a strength problem.
Watch the D7 chord
Video: JustinGuitar on YouTube — embedded with the official player; credit and views belong to the creator.
The theory behind D7
D7 is spelled D – F# – A – C — the 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 of the D scale, which is the root plus 4 semitones, 7 semitones, 10 semitones. A tense, bluesy chord that wants to resolve down a fifth.
The flat seventh is a whole tone below the octave, and it is the note that creates the pull toward the chord a fifth below D7. Mute that note by accident and the chord turns into a plain major triad.
What key is the D7 chord in?
D7 is the V7 in the key of G — in both G major and G minor — which is exactly why it resolves to G.
the dominant — the flat seventh is what pulls it home
the same dominant job in the minor key
D7 on other instruments
2 2 2 3
The same chord on four strings in standard tuning. Because the uke is tuned higher, this shape sits at a different place on the neck than its guitar equivalent — useful when arranging for both instruments.
D – F# – A – C — the highlighted black keys are the sharps or flats; play each note once, then move them into one hand position.
Take it to the practice room
