How to Play Dmaj7 Chord on Guitar
In today's lesson, we'll go over 3 distinct ways to play the D major seventh chord, also written as Dmaj7 or DM7 for short.
The D major 7th chord is a major chord with a little extra sauce that helps give it a unique sound and that special sauce is where the number 7 comes from.
In this article, we'll discover common positions, voicings, and recommend finger placements, each with its chord diagram and later, we'll also discuss chord theory, how it gets its name, and how to use it, etc.
Dmaj7 Guitar Chord Open Position (Easy)
This voicing is a one finger barre chord, but you add the bass note (lowest note) as an open string. To play, simply place your:
- Index finger on the third string, second fret
- Barre across strings 1 - 3
Dmaj7 Played Using Barre Chords
Dmaj7 Barre Chord Shape 1
To play, place your:
- First finger on 6th string, 10th fret
- Second finger on 4th string, 11th fret
- Third finger on 3rd string, 11th fret
- Pinky finger on 5th string, 12th fret
- Barre with your index across all six strings
Dmaj7 Barre Chord Shape 2
This next voicing is also very popular both for acoustic guitar and electric guitar players. To play, place your:
- Index finger on fifth string, 5th fret
- Ring finger on fourth string, 7th fret
- Middle finger on third string, 6th fret
- Pinky finger on second string, 7th fret
BONUS! How To Play Dmaj7 Guitar Chord Without Barre
While all barre chords are moveable chords, not all moveable guitar chords are barre chords. This voicing is going to be a bit of a stretch so make sure your thumb is in the correct position. Place your:
- Pinky on 4th string, 12th fret
- Ring on 3rd string, 11th fret
- Middle on second string, 10th fret
- First on 1st string, 9th fret
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D Major 7th Chord Theory
Now, let’s break down the theory of the Dmaj7 chord so you can better understand how it is constructed and how to use it.
The D major seventh chord is a four note chord built from the D major scale: D E F# G A B C#
To understand the chord formula, you need to understand "scale degrees," which is simply numbering the notes of a scale starting with the root note.
Often, music teachers reference piano note names due to the simplicity of the layout of a piano for scales, but I think the illustration below will do:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
D E F# G A B C#
The Dmaj7 Chord Formula
In music theory, chord formula refers to which notes of a scale are used to make the chord. The D major chord (sometimes called a major triad) uses three notes of the scale which are 1 3 5 of the scale. The Dmaj7 uses four notes which are the 1 3 5 7 notes of the the scale.
You may also hear these notes explained using intervals such as the root, major third, perfect fifth, and major seventh. That is another layer deeper in the theory and can cause some confusion. We’ll have that discussion in another lesson.
How To Use D Major Seventh Chord
The D major seventh chord can be used to make a chord progression have a slightly more unique tone than just a typical progression that uses major chords and minor chords. You can also use these guitar chords for voice leading to help the music flow a bit more naturally.
For example, let’s use A and D. The notes for A major are A C# E and for D major the notes are D F# A. These chords already share one note (called a common tone) but if we turn the D major into a D major seventh chord, it would use notes D F# A C#, giving another common tone.
Chord Progressions Using Dmaj7 On Guitar
Instead of A D E try A Dmaj7 E
Try D Dmaj7 G A
What keys use Dmaj 7th
Dmaj7 works in the key of
Now you know a few ways to play the Dmaj7 chord and understand some Dmaj7 chord theory!
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