The Key of D Major for Guitar
The key of D major has the notes D E F♯ G A B C♯, 2 sharps (F♯ C♯), and its relative minor is B minor.
- Chords
- D Em F♯m G A Bm C♯dim
- Main three
- D G A
- Key signature of D major
- 2 sharps (F♯ C♯)
Chords in the key
Chords in D major · moved from D major · · tap to hear1 home chord of the key
35 on the 3rd and 5th
2 other degrees
Now sounding
Key · Capo
Showing: D major (page key)No capo: you play D major shapes as written.
Fretboard · D major scale
Tap a dot to hear it; it lights amber while it sounds. Brightest dot = 1, the root (D). Lighter grey = 3 and 5. High e on top, frets 0 to 12, no capo. Swipe the board sideways for frets 7 to 12.
Progression · I–IV–V–I
Stopped. Four beats per chord, strum D D U D.
Chords in D major, with notes
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I | D | D F♯ A |
| ii | Em | E G B |
| iii | F♯m | F♯ A C♯ |
| IV | G | G B D |
| V | A | A C♯ E |
| vi | Bm | B D F♯ |
| vii° | C♯dim | C♯ E G |
Seventh chords in D major
Add the next scale note a third above each triad and you get the four-note seventh chords of the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | Dmaj7 | D F♯ A C♯ |
| ii7 | Em7 | E G B D |
| iii7 | F♯m7 | F♯ A C♯ E |
| IVmaj7 | Gmaj7 | G B D F♯ |
| V7 | A7 | A C♯ E G |
| vi7 | Bm7 | B D F♯ A |
| viiø7 | C♯m7♭5 | C♯ E G B |
Shapes for the 7th chords of D major: A7 chord and Em7 chord.
Shapes and voicings for every chord: chord directory.
Why D major has 2 sharps (F♯ C♯)
Every major scale uses the same step pattern: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Start that pattern on D and the notes land on D E F♯ G A B C♯, so the key needs F♯ and C♯. On one string a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret, up to the octave at fret 12.
D major scale in first position
Every note of D major in frets 0 to 4. Play one finger per fret: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3, fret 4 = finger 4, open strings need no finger.
Tap a dot to hear it. High e on top; the brightest dot is the root.
Past fret 4: D major scale in every position up the neck, with play-along and a root drone. Pentatonic, blues and the modes work over these chords too: see all guitar scales.
Playing in D on guitar
D major is a friendly key: D, Em, G and A are open chords, and all six open strings, E A D G B E, are notes of the scale. The open D and A strings are the root and fifth of the key, so they work as drones under melodies.
The D chord (x x 0 2 3 2) uses only the top four strings; start the strum on the open D string. Lifting or adding one finger gives Dsus2 (x x 0 2 3 0) and Dsus4 (x x 0 2 3 3), the hammer-on decorations heard in a lot of folk and rock strumming.
F♯m and Bm are the two barre chords. Before the barre, F♯m works as x x 4 2 2 2 and Bm as x x 4 4 3 2. For a deeper sound, tune the low E string down to D (drop D, D A D G B E): the lowest string becomes the root of the key.
Common progressions in D major
| Degrees | Chords | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| I–IV–V–I | D G A D | D G A D: the folk, country and bluegrass core in D, three open chords and nothing else. |
| I–V–vi–IV | D A Bm G | D A Bm G: the pop loop in D. Bm is the only barre; the four-string Bm (x x 4 4 3 2) covers it while you learn. |
| I–vi–IV–V | D Bm G A | D Bm G A: the 1950s loop. The bass falls D, B, G, then climbs to A. |
| vi–IV–I–V | Bm G D A | Bm G D A: the pop loop started on Bm, the relative minor, for a moodier verse. |
| ii–V–I | Em A D D | Em A D: a ii–V–I where all three chords are open shapes near the nut. |
Pick one in the player above and press Play to strum along, four beats per chord.
Capo and D major
D needs no capo, but capo 2 with C shapes, capo 5 with A shapes and capo 7 with G shapes also sound in D, each with a different voicing for a second guitar. D shapes are also the common capo shapes for other keys: with capo 2 they sound in E, with capo 3 in F.
| Capo | D shapes sound in |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | E♭ major |
| Fret 2 | E major |
| Fret 3 | F major |
| Fret 4 | F♯ major |
| Fret 5 | G major |
| Fret 6 | A♭ major |
| Fret 7 | A major |
Song in another key? Capo for D major songs: the capo fret and easier shapes, or any other key.
New to the capo? How to use a capo: where to clamp it and why the same shapes sound in a new key.
Relative minor: B minor
B minor uses the same seven notes, starting on B, the 6th note of the scale. Its chord is the vi in the row above. Songs often move between the two keys without changing a single chord shape.
Have a recording and no idea what key it is in? Find the key of a song from the audio file or by letting it listen; it also gives the chords to play and the easiest capo.
Related keys
- The key of B minorrelative
- The key of D minorparallel
- The key of G majorcircle, one step left
- The key of A majorcircle, one step right
See how every key connects: interactive circle of fifths.
FAQ about D major
What chords are in the key of D major?
D, Em, F♯m, G, A, Bm and C♯dim. D (I), G (IV) and A (V) are the three main chords, and all three are open shapes.
Why does D major have F sharp and C sharp?
The major step pattern started on D needs a whole step from E, which is F♯, and a half step below the octave D, which is C♯.
Can I use drop D tuning for songs in D major?
Yes. Tune the low E string down a whole step to D. The lowest string is then the root of the key, so D chords and riffs get a full open bass note.
What is the relative minor of D major?
B minor. It shares the two sharps and the same seven chords; a song in B minor treats Bm as home instead of D.
Next steps in D major
- Progressions in D majorgenerate, hear and loop chord progressions in this key
- D major pentatonicfive notes for melodies and fills
- Open D (DADF♯AD)the open strings ring a D chord
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along