D Major 7th Chord on Piano
The D Major 7th chord is made of 4 notes — D4 F♯4 A4 C♯5. Play it right here in your browser: no install, no sign-up.
What notes are in the D Major 7th chord?
The D Major 7th chord is built from D4 F♯4 A4 C♯5. By scale degrees that is 1 · 3 · 5 · 7 — in other words root · major 3rd · perfect 5th · major 7th (0 · 4 · 7 · 11 semitones above the root D). The root of the chord is D, and the other tones are stacked above it in thirds.
What gives the D Major 7th chord its sound?
A major 7th chord is a major chord made lush. It keeps the bright major triad and adds a major seventh — eleven semitones above the root, just a semitone shy of the octave — which pours a velvety, shimmering colour over the top. That added note hums so close to the root an octave up that it gently vibrates against it, giving the chord its signature warm, bittersweet glow.
Major 7ths are the sound of jazz ballads, neo-soul, lo-fi hip-hop and bossa nova — anywhere a songwriter wants warmth laced with a little melancholy. In jazz they often serve as the I, the home chord, resting peacefully yet colourfully. Play D as a major 7th here, then compare it with a plain D major to hear exactly what that extra note adds.
Everything here is ready to play in your browser, with no install and no sign-up. The highlighted keys above show exactly where the D Major 7th chord sits on this keyboard, and Play notes sounds the whole chord at once so you can hear it before you learn it. Carry it over to the online piano and you can play the chord on any of seven real instruments — try it on the Piano, then on the Rhodes or Music Box to hear how the same notes change character — shift it into any key with the Octave and Transpose controls, or hold Space to let it ring like a sustained piano chord.
Chords rarely sound their best in isolation. To put the D Major 7th chord to work, browse the complete set of piano chords for every root and quality, look at the scales that share these notes, or drop the chord into a real piece from the easy piano songs, where each song has its own playable keyboard. You can also record your own version: use the online piano recorder to capture a short progression built around this chord and download it as an MP3 to keep.
If you are just starting out, the simplest way to learn any chord is to play it slowly, name each note out loud, and then play it in a few different octaves with the Octave control. Once your fingers know the shape, practice switching between this chord and its nearest relative — the one a fifth above or below — until the move feels automatic. That single habit builds the muscle memory behind almost every song you will ever play.
Play the D Major 7th chord
The highlighted keys below are D4 F♯4 A4 C♯5. Click them, press Play notes to hear the whole chord, or use your computer keyboard.
On this site's default keyboard layout, those notes are at D4 = Q, F♯4 = 4, A4 = T, C♯5 = 8.
Chord inversions
In root position, play the tones from lowest to highest: D4 F♯4 A4 C♯5.
First inversion: F♯4 A4 C♯5 D5 — on the default layout at F♯4 = 4, A4 = T, C♯5 = 8, D5 = I.
Second inversion: A4 C♯5 D5 F♯5 — on the default layout at A4 = T, C♯5 = 8, D5 = I, F♯5 = -.
Third inversion: C♯5 D5 F♯5 A5 — on the default layout at C♯5 = 8, D5 = I, F♯5 = -, A5 = ].
Related chords & scales
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in the D Major 7th chord?
The D Major 7th chord is built from the notes D4, F♯4, A4, C♯5. The root is D, and the other tones are root · major 3rd · perfect 5th · major 7th.
How do I play the D Major 7th chord?
The chord tones are D4, F♯4, A4, C♯5. On this site's default keyboard layout, press the highlighted keys shown above, or click Play notes to hear the full chord.
How is a piano chord built?
Most piano chords are built by stacking notes a third apart, starting from a root. A basic triad adds a third and a fifth above the root; stacking more thirds on top creates 7th chords and beyond. The exact quality of each interval — major, minor, diminished or augmented — is what gives each chord its colour.
What is the Major 7th chord used for?
The Major 7th chord has the distinct character described in the section above. In practice it appears wherever that mood is needed — as a resting place, a moment of tension, or a colourful passing chord — and it pairs naturally with the chords listed in the progressions and related sections on this page.