Piano chord · Minor 7th
D minor 7th piano chord (Dm7)
D, F, A and C, played together. Root position is highlighted on the keyboard below — press play to hear it.
Notes in Dm7: D, F, A and C
| Note | Interval from the root | Key around middle C |
|---|---|---|
| D | Root | D4 · white key |
| F | Minor 3rd | F4 · white key |
| A | Perfect 5th | A4 · white key |
| C | Minor 7th | C5 · white key |
- Chord symbol: Dm7 — D minor 7th
- Formula: R · b3 · 5 · b7 (0 · 3 · 7 · 10 semitones from the root)
- Right hand fingering: 1-2-3-5 — thumb, index, middle and little finger
- Left hand fingering: 5-3-2-1, little finger on the root
How Dm7 works
Dm7 is the ii chord of C major, and Dm7–G7–Cmaj7 is the ii–V–I that jazz is built on. All white keys again, with C on top: the note that stays put as the progression moves to G7.
Dm7 inversions
An inversion keeps the same notes and changes which one is at the bottom. That matters because it lets you move between chords without jumping: the closer the notes of the next chord are to the ones your hand is already holding, the smoother it sounds and the easier it is to play. Root position first, then three inversions.
Root position
D–F–A–C — the root, D, is at the bottom.
1st inversion — F in the bass
F–A–C–D — the same four notes, reordered so F is lowest.
2nd inversion — A in the bass
A–C–D–F — the same four notes, reordered so A is lowest.
3rd inversion — C in the bass
C–D–F–A — the same four notes, reordered so C is lowest.
Common mistakes on Dm7
- Playing F♯, which makes D7. Dm7 has a minor third — F natural.
- Moving every finger for the change to G7. Keep F and the top C, and only two notes have to move.
Piano 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.