D7 chord on piano
D7 is D, F♯, A and C. D sits between the two black keys. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.
root position · D–F♯–A–C · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- D · F♯ · A · C
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
How to play D7 on piano
From D, go 4 half steps up to F♯, 3 half steps up to A then 3 half steps up to C. That's the whole chord: 4 keys.
- Right hand: 1 on D, 2 on F♯, 3 on A and 5 on C.
- Left hand: 5 on D, 3 on F♯, 2 on A and 1 on C.
- On the keyboard it's white, black, white and white keys, the same pattern as E7 and A7, so your hand shape carries over.
D7 inversions
- root position: D–F♯–A–C. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: F♯–A–C–D, F♯ lowest. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: A–C–D–F♯, with A at the bottom. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: C–D–F♯–A (C in the bass). RH 1-2-3-5.
Use the inversions to stay put: the next chord is often one inversion away from where your hand already is, as the changes below show.
Moving between D7 and its neighbours
These are the changes you'll meet most often with D7, using the first shape of each chord.
- G (the V7 pulls home a fifth below): D7 to G: play G in 2nd inversion (D–G–B) and D stays under the same finger, while F♯ moves up to G and C down to B. G on piano
- Gmaj7 (I in G major): D7 to Gmaj7: play Gmaj7 in 2nd inversion (D–F♯–G–B) and D and F♯ stay under the same fingers, while A moves down to G and C down to B. Gmaj7 on piano
- Em7 (vi in G major): D7 to Em7: play Em7 in 3rd inversion (D–E–G–B) and D stays under the same finger, while F♯ moves down to E, A down to G and C down to B. Em7 on piano
D7 is a dominant seventh chord: a major triad with a flattened seventh on top. Use D7 where you want motion: it leans toward the chord a fifth below and turns up on almost every blues. The one-by-one button above makes that quality easy to hear.
Getting D7 under your fingers
Roll the chord up and back down, D, F♯, A, C, A, F♯, D, before playing it as a block. Next, walk up through D–F♯–A–C → F♯–A–C–D → A–C–D–F♯ → C–D–F♯–A without lifting your eyes to your hand.
The keys of D7
D7 is a dominant seventh chord, 1–3–5–♭7 from D. Root position, from the bottom: how D7 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | white key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| F♯ | black key | RH 2 · LH 3 | major third |
| A | white key | RH 3 · LH 2 | perfect fifth |
| C | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | minor seventh |
Where D7 shows up
In D major, I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) on piano is D7 (D–F♯–A–C), G7 (G–B–D–F) and A7 (A–C♯–E–G). About the 12-bar blues.
In G major, ii–V–I on piano is Am7 (A–C–E–G), D7 (D–F♯–A–C) and Gmaj7 (G–B–D–F♯). About the jazz cadence.
D7 on guitar and ukulele
The same notes on another instrument: D7 on guitar and D7 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.
Related D chords on piano
Other dominant seventh chords
D7 on piano: questions
What notes are in D7 on piano?
D, F♯, A and C: D (white key), F♯ (black key), A (white key) and C (white key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play D7 on piano?
Press D, F♯, A and C together (1 black, 3 white). Right hand: 1 on D, 2 on F♯, 3 on A and 5 on C.
What are the inversions of D7?
1st inversion (F♯–A–C–D), 2nd inversion (A–C–D–F♯) and 3rd inversion (C–D–F♯–A), after root position (D–F♯–A–C). Each keeps all the notes of the chord.
What does D7 look like on the keyboard?
white, black, white and white keys, the same pattern as E7 and A7, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Shapes and sound are generated from the notes D, F♯, A and C and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.