Guitar chord · Open shape · Standard tuning
D dominant 7 guitar chord (D7)
3 fingers, 4 strings, chart notation xx0212. Tap the chord chart to hear it strummed, then arpeggio it to check every note is ringing cleanly.
All the strings in one sweep, low to high — how the chord sounds in a song.
- Strings, low to high
- D · A · C · F♯
- Chord tones
- D R · F♯ 3 · A 5 · C b7
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 (R)
- F♯ — the major 3rd (3)
- A — the perfect 5th (5)
- C — the flat 7th (b7)
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.
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.