D7 Chord on Guitar
Notes D F♯ A C. Start with open D7 (x x 0 2 1 2): index on string 2 fret 1, middle on string 3 fret 2, ring on string 1 fret 2.
Chord · D7 dominant 7th
Open D7 · x x 0 2 1 2
open strings
A7-shape barre (fret 5) · x 5 7 5 7 5
barre, movable
E7-shape barre (fret 10) · 10 12 10 11 10 10
barre, movable
1 D3 F♯5 A♭7 C
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): muted, do not play
- String 4 (D): open
- String 3 (G): middle (2), fret 2
- String 2 (B): index (1), fret 1
- String 1 (high e): ring (3), fret 2
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 5 to 1 at fret 5
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): index (1), fret 5
- String 4 (D): ring (3), fret 7
- String 3 (G): index (1), fret 5
- String 2 (B): pinky (4), fret 7
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 5
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 6 to 1 at fret 10
- String 6 (low E): index (1), fret 10
- String 5 (A): ring (3), fret 12
- String 4 (D): index (1), fret 10
- String 3 (G): middle (2), fret 11
- String 2 (B): index (1), fret 10
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 10
Notes and formula
| Degree | Note | Interval from D |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | root |
| 3 | F♯ | major 3rd |
| 5 | A | perfect 5th |
| ♭7 | C | minor 7th |
Formula 1 3 5 ♭7 (dominant 7th).
Also written D 7th, D dominant 7th.
More on this chord type: Dominant 7th chords · 7th chords explained
Capo shapes that sound as D7
Open shapes you may already know, moved up with a capo.
C7 shape + capo 2
B7 shape + capo 3
A7 shape + capo 5
G7 shape + capo 7
Need the capo fret for a whole song? Capo calculator: any song key, any shapes. New to the capo? How to use a capo.
Where D7 leads
As a dominant 7th, D7 is the V7 of G major and pulls to G: D7 → G.
| 12-bar blues in | D7 is the | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| D | I7 | |
| A | IV7 | |
| G | V7 |
Keys that contain D7
| Key | D7 is the |
|---|---|
| G major | V7 |
| E minor | VII7 |
Minor keys here use the natural minor scale.
Playing D7: what goes wrong
D7 leads to G
D7 is the V7 chord of G major. G, C, D7, G is the folk and country version of the I–IV–V–I progression.
The D shape upside down
Open D has its highest fret on string 2; D7 has its lowest there (fret 1, the C). The fingers form a triangle pointing the other way.
Related chords
Learn and practise D7
- Metronomepractise the change to D7 at 60 BPM
- How to read chord chartsstrings, frets, fingers, x and o
- Chord finder (chord namer)name any other shape you find
FAQ
What notes are in D7?
D, F♯, A, C: the 1, 3, 5, ♭7 of the D7 dominant 7th chord.
What is the difference between D and D7?
D7 adds C, the flat 7th: D, F♯, A, C. On the open shapes only string 2 changes, from fret 3 (D) to fret 1 (C).