Guitar chord · Open shape · Standard tuning
D dominant 7 guitar chord (D7)
Place finger 3 on the 2nd fret of the G, finger 1 on the 1st fret of the B, finger 2 on the 2nd fret of the high e. Don't play the low E or A strings.
D – F♯ – A – C
Loop strum: down, down-up, up-down-up on 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.
Next moves
3 fingers, 4 strings, chart notation xx0212. Tap the chord box to hear it strummed, then play it string by string to check every note is ringing cleanly.
How to play D7
Finger numbers run 1 for the index to 4 for the little finger. String names are given as players say them — the low E is the thickest string (the 6th) and the high E is the thinnest (the 1st).
- 1st finger (index) — 1st fret, B string
- 2nd finger (middle) — 2nd fret, high E string
- 3rd finger (ring) — 2nd fret, G string
- Play open: D (4th) — strum it without fretting anything.
- Leave out: low E (6th) and A (5th) — start the strum below them, or damp them with the side of the thumb.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note it sounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th — low E | Not played | — | × |
| 5th — A | Not played | — | × |
| 4th — D | Open | — | D |
| 3rd — G | 2nd fret | 3 (ring) | A |
| 2nd — B | 1st fret | 1 (index) | C |
| 1st — high E | 2nd fret | 2 (middle) | F♯ |
Notes and intervals in D7
D7 is built from 4 notes: D, F♯, A and C.
- D — the root
- F♯ — the major 3rd
- A — the perfect 5th
- C — the flat 7th
Across the six strings the shape sounds D · A · C · F♯ from low to high, so some notes are doubled in different octaves — that is what gives an open guitar chord its width compared with the same chord on a keyboard.
What D7 is used for
D7 is the V7 in the key of G and the home chord of a blues in D, so its job is to push toward G. The three fingers make a triangle with the index at the point, and because it is only a small rearrangement of D major it is the easiest 7th to slot into a progression that already uses D.
Common mistakes with D7
- Letting the shape lean over and mute the high E string — the middle finger has to stay up on its tip.
- Using D7 where a plain D belongs. The flat 7th wants to move, so the chord belongs at the end of a phrase pushing onward, not sitting still at the start.
- Strumming from the low E; the root is the open 4th string.
A first strum pattern
Count “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &” — eighth notes (quavers). Strum down, down-up, up-down-up: down on 1, down on 2, up on the “&” of 2, up on the “&” of 3, down on 4, up on the “&” of 4. Keep your hand moving down and up all the time, and only touch the strings on the marked counts.
Start the strum loop above at 60–70 BPM and change chords on beat 1.
D dominant 7 FAQ
How do you play D dominant 7 on guitar?
Place finger 3 on the 2nd fret of the G, finger 1 on the 1st fret of the B, finger 2 on the 2nd fret of the high e. Don't play the low E or A strings. In chart notation it is xx0212, low E string first.
What notes are in D dominant 7?
D, F♯, A and C: the root, the major 3rd, the perfect 5th and the flat 7th.
What chord comes after D dominant 7?
Common changes from D dominant 7: E major and E minor. Practice the switch slowly with the strum loop, then speed it up.
Guitar chord data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.