D7 D dominant seventh chord
- Notes
- D F# A C
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 above the root
- Other symbols
- Ddom7
D to F# is a major third (4 semitones), F# to A is a minor third (3 semitones), A to C is a minor third (3 semitones). A dominant seventh is a major triad plus a minor seventh (C, 10 semitones above D). It is the V chord that leads back home, and the basic chord of the blues.
D7 on the piano
Root position from D4: D4, F#4, A4, C5. Middle C is C4.
D7 on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has D as its lowest note.
x x 0 2 1 2 (low E to high e)
Sounds D3 A3 C4 F#4
x 5 7 5 7 5 (low E to high e)
Sounds D3 A3 C4 F#4 A4
10 12 10 11 10 10 (low E to high e)
Sounds D3 A3 C4 F#4 A4 D5
The barre shapes are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play dominant seventh chords on other roots.
Inversions of D7
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | D F# A C | D7 | |
| 1st inversion | F# A C D | D7/F# | |
| 2nd inversion | A C D F# | D7/A | |
| 3rd inversion | C D F# A | D7/C |
Where D7 fits
D7 is V7 in G major, V7 in G minor. Its F# and C are a tritone apart (6 semitones). In G major the F# usually rises a half step to G and the C falls a half step, which is why D7 pulls so strongly towards G.