Dmaj7 chord on piano
Dmaj7 is D, F♯, A and C♯. D is the white key 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 Dmaj7 on piano
From D, go 4 half steps up to F♯, 3 half steps up to A then 4 half steps up to C♯. Press the 4 keys together and that's Dmaj7.
- 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 black keys, the same pattern as Emaj7 and Amaj7, so your hand shape carries over.
Dmaj7 inversions
- root position: D–F♯–A–C♯. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: F♯–A–C♯–D (F♯ in the bass). Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: A–C♯–D–F♯, A lowest. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: C♯–D–F♯–A, with C♯ at the bottom. RH 1-2-3-5.
Inversions keep the same notes and change which one is lowest. Moving between chords, pick the inversion that keeps your hand closest to where it already is.
Dmaj7 chord changes
These are the changes you'll meet most often with Dmaj7, using the first shape of each chord.
- Gmaj7 (IV in D major): Dmaj7 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
- A7 (V in D major): Dmaj7 to A7: play A7 in 2nd inversion (E–G–A–C♯) and A and C♯ stay under the same fingers, while D moves up to E and F♯ up to G. A7 on piano
- Bm7 (vi in D major): Dmaj7 to Bm7: play Bm7 in 1st inversion (D–F♯–A–B) and D, F♯ and A stay under the same fingers, while C♯ moves down to B. Bm7 on piano
Dmaj7 is a major seventh chord: a major triad with the note a half step below the octave added. Dmaj7 works as a relaxed home chord; swap it in for plain D at the end of a phrase. The one-by-one button above makes that quality easy to hear.
Getting Dmaj7 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 Dmaj7
Dmaj7 is a major seventh chord, 1–3–5–7 from D. Root position, from the bottom: how Dmaj7 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♯ | black key | RH 5 · LH 1 | major seventh |
Dmaj7 in context
In D major, ii–V–I on piano is Em7 (E–G–B–D), A7 (A–C♯–E–G) and Dmaj7 (D–F♯–A–C♯). About the jazz cadence.
Dmaj7 on guitar and ukulele
Dmaj7 on guitar and ukulele uses the same 4 notes in a different layout. See all three together.
Next to try on piano
Other major seventh chords
Dmaj7 on piano: questions
What notes are in Dmaj7 on piano?
D, F♯, A and C♯: D (white key), F♯ (black key), A (white key) and C♯ (black key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play Dmaj7 on piano?
Press D, F♯, A and C♯ together (2 black, 2 white). Right hand: 1 on D, 2 on F♯, 3 on A and 5 on C♯.
What are the inversions of Dmaj7?
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♯). Only the lowest note changes.
What does Dmaj7 look like on the keyboard?
white, black, white and black keys, the same pattern as Emaj7 and Amaj7, 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.