Chord builder · Chord page

The D7 chord

Built from D - F# - A - C, the D7 is a dominant seventh that sounds the cornerstone of the twelve-bar. It lives at the centre of every blues form and most jazz tunes, and it fits into more keys than most writers expect. The classic V chord in the key of G, and the most common turnaround in country. What follows below: the voicings worth memorising on guitar and piano, the theory in plain language, progressions in two or three different keys, and a short list of real records that lean on the chord.

Hear the D7 in the chord builder →

Voicings for D7

Common ways to grip the D7 on guitar and piano. Guitar diagrams read low E to high E left-to-right; an × means muted, an open circle above the nut means an open string. Filled dots are fretted notes.

Guitar , full chord shapes

CAGED-derived voicings for D7 across the neck. Pick the shape closest to where your hand already sits.

Guitar: E7 shape at fr.10

Notes: D - F# - A - C (chord tones)

Guitar: A7 shape at fr.5

Notes: D - F# - A - C (chord tones)

Guitar: D7 shape

Notes: D - F# - A - C (chord tones)

Guitar: C7 shape at fr.2

Notes: D - F# - A - C (chord tones)

Guitar: G7 shape at fr.7

Notes: D - F# - A - C (chord tones)

Guitar , triad shapes

Three-note voicings on three adjacent strings. Light textures for arpeggios, pop layering and chord-melody work.

Triad: top-string triad

Notes: 3-note voicing on adjacent strings

Triad: middle-string triad

Notes: 3-note voicing on adjacent strings

Triad: bass-side triad

Notes: 3-note voicing on adjacent strings

Piano voicings

Root position and inversions. The bass note matters: each inversion changes how the chord sits under a melody.

Piano: root position

Notes: D - F# - A - C. Root D at the bottom. The classic stacked-thirds spelling of a dominant seventh.

Piano: first inversion

Notes: F# - A - C - D. F# at the bottom. Common in chord-melody, walking bass lines and gentler voicings.

Piano: second inversion

Notes: A - C - D - F#. A at the bottom. A floating, suspended feel often used in hymns and ballads.

Piano: third inversion

Notes: C - D - F# - A. C at the bottom. The seventh in the bass , a smooth jazz favourite.

The theory behind D7

D7 is a dominant seventh built on D. Its three or four notes (D - F# - A - C) sit a specific distance apart: root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh. That makes it a passing chord in the key of a closely related major key, and the same chord works as the passing chord in a closely related major key. The simplest rule of thumb: the D7 wants to resolve down a fifth to the next chord.

Progressions that use D7

Short progressions that put the D7 to work. Each one is shown in a different key so you can pick the one that suits your singer.

I→IV→V key of C major

D7 (as passing colour)

This chord appears as a borrowed or passing chord in many major-key progressions.

→ Build this in the chord builder

Songs that feature D7

Real records where this chord does structural work. No lyrics quoted, just the title and artist so you can pull up a copy and hear it in context.

Yesterday by The Beatles. D7 as the V of vi pivot.
Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. D7 as a turnaround chord.
Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash. D7 in the twelve-bar form.

Related chords

Chords a step away from the D7 in the songwriting circle, the natural neighbours when you want a substitution.

TriadD Maj7Dmaj7 m7Dm7 NeighbourA NeighbourAm NeighbourA7 NeighbourG NeighbourGm

Keys where D7 lives

The keys where this chord turns up diatonically. Open any key page for the full set of progressions that lean on it.

C major A minor

More songwriting tools

Got the chord but still wrestling with the lyric? Find the right rhyme in RhymeForge, or break a writer's block with the unexpected word-pair generator in CollisionLab. Need to map a full progression? The chord builder on the home page is where the D7 fits into context. All free, no signup.

About the chord builder

The Undercover Zest chord progression builder is a free interactive tool that maps every diatonic and borrowed chord in every key. Click a Roman numeral to hear it, drag chords into a progression, then audition voicings, inversions and tensions until the song clicks.

This page is a static reference for the D7. For interactive playback, voice-leading hints and substitution suggestions, open the chord builder above.