About the D7 chord
The dominant seventh adds a flattened seventh to a major chord. It has a bluesy tension that wants to resolve, usually to the chord a fourth above. Blues and rock lean on it heavily. The symbol for it is D7.
How to play D7
- Put your index finger on the B string at fret 1.
- Put your middle finger on the G string at fret 2.
- Put your ring finger on the high E string at fret 2.
- Strum and let the D string ring open, and don't play the low E and A strings.
1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring · 4 little
Chords in the key of D major
These are the chords built on each note of the D major scale, so they all sound good together with D7. The Roman numeral under each one is its position in the key.
Other D chords
D7 chord questions
What notes are in a D7 chord?
D7 is made of D, F♯, A and C. In intervals that is 1, 3, 5, ♭7 above the root, D.
What is the easiest way to play D7?
The first shape above is the most common one: x x 0 2 1 2 from the low E string to the high E, where x means don't play that string and 0 means play it open. Start there, and try the other shapes once it feels comfortable.
Is D7 a barre chord?
The main shape above is an open chord with no barre. Some of the other shapes further up the neck do use a barre, which lets you move the same shape to any key.