D minor the chords in the key
- Scale
- D E F G A Bb C
- Key signature
- one flat: Bb
- Relative major
- F major
The seven chords
Seventh chords
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | Dm7 | D F A C | |
| iiø7 | Em7b5 | E G Bb D | |
| IIImaj7 | Fmaj7 | F A C E | |
| iv7 | Gm7 | G Bb D F | |
| v7 | Am7 | A C E G | |
| VImaj7 | Bbmaj7 | Bb D F A | |
| VII7 | C7 | C E G Bb |
V and V7: the raised-seventh V most songs use
From the harmonic minor scale: the seventh note raised a semitone, C to C#.
Common progressions in D minor
- i–iv–v straight from the natural minor scale
- i–VI–III–VII the minor pop loop
- i–iv–V with the raised-seventh V, which pulls harder back to i
On guitar
Capo 5. With a capo on fret 5, play the open shapes Am for Dm, Dm for Gm, E for A: they sound as the i, iv and V (Dm, Gm and A). The VI chord, Bb, does not become an open shape at that fret.
How the chords of D minor work
D minor uses the notes D E F G A Bb C, one flat: Bb: the natural minor scale, the same notes as F major, its relative major. Its chords from the scale are i Dm, ii° Edim, III F, iv Gm, v Am, VI Bb, VII C.
In practice most songs in D minor play A or A7 as the V chord instead of Am: raising C to C# gives a note a semitone below D that pulls back to it. That raised seventh comes from the harmonic minor scale (D E F G A Bb C#). So a song with both C and A in it is still in D minor, and the finder counts A and A7 as belonging to this key.
Have a list of chords and not sure of the key? The key finder scores it against all 24 keys and can transpose it.
What this page cannot do
- Only major and minor keys. Dorian, Mixolydian and the other modes are not covered: a song in D Mixolydian (D, C, G) uses the chords of G major and will look like G major here.
- Finding a key from chord names is a best fit, not a certainty. A chord list cannot tell a key from its relative major, which shares every chord; the melody and where the song comes to rest decide it.
- Songs change key. A bridge or a last chorus a step higher is a new key, with its own page.
- The sound is a simple synthesised tone made in your browser, each chord in root position, not a recorded piano or guitar.