Dmaj7: D Major 7th Piano Chord

Root position: either hand, fingers low note to high
Hand	Notes	Fingers
Right	D, F♯, A, C♯	1-2-3-5
Left	D, F♯, A, C♯	5-3-2-1

Scale degree, note, and interval measured from the root.
Degree	Note	Interval from root	Semitones
1	D	Perfect unison	0
3	F♯	Major third	4
5	A	Perfect fifth	7
7	C♯	Major seventh	11

Construction

D Major 7th = Root + Major 3rd + Perfect 5th + Major 7th = D, F♯, A, C♯

Note	Interval	Degree
D	Root	1
F♯	Major 3rd	3
A	Perfect 5th	5
C♯	Major 7th	7

Fingering

Note	Key color	Right hand	Left hand
D	white	thumb (1)	little finger (5)
F♯	black	index finger (2)	middle finger (3)
A	white	middle finger (3)	index finger (2)
C♯	black	little finger (5)	thumb (1)

Right hand: thumb (1) on D, index finger (2) on F♯, middle finger (3) on A, little finger (5) on C♯.

Left hand: little finger (5) on D, middle finger (3) on F♯, index finger (2) on A, thumb (1) on C♯.

D Major 7th Inversions

Root position
D – F♯ – A – C♯
1st inversion (Dmaj7/F♯)
F♯ – A – C♯ – D
2nd inversion (Dmaj7/A)
A – C♯ – D – F♯
3rd inversion (Dmaj7/C♯)
C♯ – D – F♯ – A

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the D Major 7th is the tonic (I) chord of D Major, whose key signature has 2 sharps (F♯, C♯).

F♯C♯

Order of sharps

Sharps are added to a key signature in a fixed order. Each new sharp key adds the next sharp on the list.

F♯C♯G♯D♯A♯E♯B♯

Mnemonic: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

Chords in the Key of D Major

These are the triads built on each degree of D Major:

I — D Major (major)

Degree	Numeral	Chord	Quality
1	I	D Major	Major
2	ii	E Minor	Minor
3	iii	F♯ Minor	Minor
4	IV	G Major	Major
5	V	A Major	Major
6	vi	B Minor	Minor
7	vii°	C♯ Diminished	Diminished

How D Major 7th functions in a key

The same chord takes on a different harmonic role depending on the key it appears in. Here is where D Major 7th sits diatonically across the common keys:

In D major, D Major 7th is the I chord — the tonic.
In F♯ minor, D Major 7th is the VI chord — the tonic.
In A major, D Major 7th is the IV chord — a predominant.
In B minor, D Major 7th is the III chord — a mediant / color chord.

Scales That Include the D Major 7th

D Major (Imaj7)
A Major (IVmaj7)
B Minor (♭IIImaj7)
F# Minor (♭VImaj7)
E Dorian (VII)
F# Phrygian (VI)
G Lydian (V)
A Mixolydian (IV)

D Major 7th : Frequently Asked Questions

What is the D Major 7th chord on piano?

The D Major 7th chord contains the notes D – F♯ – A – C♯. On piano, play these notes together to sound the chord.

What notes are in the D Major 7th chord?

The D Major 7th chord (Dmaj7) contains four notes: D (root), F# (major third), A (perfect fifth), and C# (major seventh). The major seventh interval gives this chord its dreamy, warm, sophisticated quality.

How does D Major 7th differ from D Dominant 7th?

Both contain D, F#, and A. The difference is the seventh: Dmaj7 has C# (major seventh) while D7 has C (minor seventh). Dmaj7 sounds lush and at rest; D7 sounds tense and wants to resolve to G Major.

How is D Major 7th used in music?

Dmaj7 is the I chord in jazz harmony in D Major. It provides a richer alternative to a plain D Major triad and appears in jazz, folk-jazz, singer-songwriter, and bossa nova. D Major is a common key for acoustic music.

What genres commonly use Major 7th chords?

Major 7th chords are foundational in jazz, bossa nova, neo-soul, R&B, city pop, and lo-fi hip-hop. They also appear in classical impressionism and sophisticated pop. The smooth, dreamy quality of the major 7th is a signature of relaxed, harmonically rich music.

What songs use Major 7th chords?

Major 7th chords appear in The Girl from Ipanema (Jobim), Don't Know Why (Norah Jones), and countless jazz standards. Stevie Wonder's catalogue is filled with major 7th voicings. The warm, sophisticated sound makes it a favourite in singer-songwriter and neo-soul contexts.

Can I substitute D Major 7th for D Major?

Yes: in most contexts, Dmaj7 can replace a plain D Major chord for added colour. The exception is when the melody note is D itself, because D and C# (the major seventh) are a semitone apart and can create a harsh clash.

D Major 7th in detail

Exact

Every pitch class is present and nothing outside the chord is added.

Type	Notes	Semitones	Span	Omissions and additions	Set relation
Close, root position	D3 F♯3 A3 C♯4	11	151 mm	none	identical
Close, first inversion	F♯3 A3 C♯4 D4	8	110 mm	none	identical
Close, second inversion	A3 C♯4 D4 F♯4	9	124 mm	none	identical
Close, third inversion	C♯4 D4 F♯4 A4	8	110 mm	none	identical
Drop 2	A2 D3 F♯3 C♯4	16	220 mm	none	identical
Drop 3	F♯2 D3 A3 C♯4	19	261 mm	none	identical
Drop 2 and 4	D2 A2 F♯3 C♯4	23	316 mm	none	identical

Reduced

A subset of the pitch classes: the identity is incomplete rather than altered.

Type	Notes	Semitones	Span	Omissions and additions	Set relation
Shell, root 7 3	D2 C♯3 F♯3	16	220 mm	omits A	subset
Guide tones, 3 and 7	F♯3 C♯4	7	96 mm	omits D and A	subset
Rootless close	F♯3 A3 C♯4	7	96 mm	omits D	subset

Spans are measured centre to centre at a 165 mm octave (standard keyboard geometry).

Position	Bass note	Notes in order	Figured bass	Semitones	Span
Root position	D	D3, F♯3, A3, C♯4	7	11	151 mm
First inversion: Dmaj7/F♯	F♯	F♯3, A3, C♯4, D4	6/5	8	110 mm
Second inversion: Dmaj7/A	A	A3, C♯4, D4, F♯4	4/3	9	124 mm
Third inversion: Dmaj7/C♯	C♯	C♯4, D4, F♯4, A4	4/2	8	110 mm

One position per chord tone in the bass. Spans are for close position: voiced inversions appear under Voicings.

Progression	Key	Role	Sequence	Voice leading
ii, V, I	D major	Imaj7	Em7 to A7 to Dmaj7	2 tones held from A7
IV, I	D major	Imaj7	Gmaj7 to Dmaj7	2 tones held from Gmaj7
I, vi, ii, V	D major	Imaj7	Dmaj7 to Bm7 to Em7 to A7	Dmaj7 opens the phrase
♭VI, iv, i, v	F♯ minor	♭VImaj7	Dmaj7 to Bm7 to F♯m7 to C♯m7	Dmaj7 opens the phrase
i, ♭VI	F♯ minor	♭VImaj7	F♯m7 to Dmaj7	3 tones held from F♯m7
IV, V, I	A major	IVmaj7	Dmaj7 to E7 to Amaj7	Dmaj7 opens the phrase
I, IV	A major	IVmaj7	Amaj7 to Dmaj7	2 tones held from Amaj7
♭III, ♭VI, ii, v	B minor	♭IIImaj7	Dmaj7 to Gmaj7 to C♯m7♭5 to F♯m7	Dmaj7 opens the phrase
i, ♭III	B minor	♭IIImaj7	Bm7 to Dmaj7	3 tones held from Bm7

Root motion, common tones and voice displacement are computed from pitch class sets. Roman numerals follow common practice functional harmony.

Which keys it belongs to

Key	Roman numeral	Function
D major	Imaj7	Tonic, home
F♯ minor	♭VImaj7	Pre-dominant colour
A major	IVmaj7	Subdominant, away from home
B minor	♭IIImaj7	Relative-major colour

Classification system: common-practice functional harmony.

Change one note

Chords a single note away, and what moving that note does.

Chord	Change	Formula	Common tones
Dmaj9	adds E	1 3 5 7 9	4
D	drops C♯	1 3 5	3
D7	C♯ becomes C	1 3 5 ♭7	3
DmMaj7	F♯ becomes F	1 ♭3 5 7	3
D6	C♯ becomes B	1 3 5 6	3
Dadd9	C♯ becomes E	1 3 5 9	3
D9	C♯ becomes C, E	1 3 5 ♭7 9	3
Dm	F♯, C♯ becomes F	1 ♭3 5	2
Daug	A, C♯ becomes A♯	1 3 ♯5	2
Dsus2	F♯, C♯ becomes E	1 2 5	2
Dsus4	F♯, C♯ becomes G	1 4 5	2
Dm7	F♯, C♯ becomes F, C	1 ♭3 5 ♭7	2

Frequencies

Note	MIDI	Frequency
D3	50	146.83 Hz
F♯3	54	185.00 Hz
A3	57	220.00 Hz
C♯4	61	277.18 Hz

Reference pitch A440, 12-TET, close root position.

Set theory: prime form, Forte number, interval vector

Absolute pitch class set: {2, 6, 9, 1}
Normal order: [1, 2, 6, 9]
Prime form: (0158)
Forte number: 4-20
Interval vector: <101220>

Pair	Interval	Semitones	Interval class
D to F♯	Major third	4	4
D to A	Perfect fifth	7	5
D to C♯	Major seventh	11	1
F♯ to A	Minor third	3	3
F♯ to C♯	Perfect fifth	7	5
A to C♯	Major third	4	4

Where these facts come from

Every value on this page is derived from the note formula for a major 7th applied to the root D, using standard music theory. Nothing here is hand-entered per chord, so the notes, intervals, inversions and frequencies cannot drift out of agreement with each other. Pitches assume 12-TET at A440.

D Major 7th

Fingerings

D Major 7th: notes and degrees