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D Major 7th Chord
The D Major 7th Chord is D, F-sharp, A, and C-sharp: white, black, white, black. The top note sits just a half step below the next D, which gives the chord its soft, open sound. The alternating keys help the hand settle, with the second and fifth fingers reaching slightly into the black keys.
How to play the D Major 7th Chord on the piano
Let’s go through some charts that will familiarize you with the D Major 7th Chord and how to play it in the various forms you will encounter in pieces of music. First, we’ll look at the fundamental chord and its inversions; then, we’ll explore some more complex voicings.
The D Major 7th Chord in root position
In root position, the notes of the D major 7th chord are stacked in thirds with D on the bottom. The appearance on the staff is evenly spaced, as is the feeling of the space in between your fingers while playing.
| D Major 7th Chord in root position | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | D F♯ A C♯ |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 3 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 3 5 |
| Chord Symbol | Dmaj7 |
The D Major 7th Chord in first inversion
In first inversion, the third of the chord (F♯) becomes the bottom note, and the root (D) jumps up to the top.
| D Major 7th Chord in 1st inversion | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | F♯ A C♯ D |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 3 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 4 5 |
| Chord Symbol | Dmaj6/5 or Dmaj7/F♯ |
The D Major 7th Chord in second inversion
In second inversion, the fifth of the chord (A) is on the bottom, and the third of the chord (F♯) goes to the top.
| D Major 7th Chord in 2nd inversion | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | A C♯ D F♯ |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 3 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 3 5 |
| Chord Symbol | Dmaj4/3 or Dmaj7/A |
The D Major 7th Chord in third inversion
In third inversion, the seventh of the chord (C♯) is on the bottom, and the fifth of the chord (A) goes to the top.
| D Major 7th Chord in 3rd inversion | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | C♯ D F♯ A |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 4 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 3 5 |
| Chord Symbol | Dmaj4/2 or Dmaj7/C♯ |
D Major 7th Chord theory and function
The major 7th adds the note a half step below the octave, which gives the chord a soft, open sound with a little friction in it. In Baroque and Classical music it appears as a passing seventh inside a sequence, and in Romantic and Impressionist music it is used as a color chord on the tonic and the subdominant.
The D major 7th chord is the tonic (Imaj7) in D major and the subdominant (IVmaj7) in A major. In minor keys, it is the mediant (IIImaj7) in B minor and the submediant (VImaj7) in F♯ minor.
The cadence to recognize is ii7 – V7 – I. In D major that is Em7 – A7 – Dmaj7, where the tonic is colored with its seventh. In a sequence the seventh leans down by step into the next chord, and in a color chord it is left hanging for a moment before the music moves on. Try playing D and then Dmaj7 and listen to what the added note does.
Other chords built on D
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