Chords in the key of D major

The guitar chords in the key of D major are D, Em, F#m, G, A, Bm and C#dim, with the Roman numerals I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi and vii°. Four of them, D, Em, G and A, are open chords. B minor, its relative minor, has the same notes and chords. See the chords of all 24 keys.

  1. I
    1fr132
    D
    X X 0 2 3 2
  2. ii
    1fr12
    Em
    0 2 2 0 0 0
  3. iii
    1fr34
    F#m
    2 4 4 2 2 2
  4. IV
    1fr213
    G
    3 2 0 0 0 3
  5. V
    1fr123
    A
    X 0 2 2 2 0
  6. vi
    1fr342
    Bm
    X 2 4 4 3 2
  7. vii°
    4fr1243
    C#dim
    X 4 5 6 5 X

The seven chords in D major

F#m and Bm are barre chords at fret 2; C#dim is a closed shape at fret 4. Each diagram is the shape most guitarists hold in standard tuning, and on a piano the same notes make the same chords.

NumeralChordNotes
IDD F# A
iiEmE G B
iiiF#mF# A C#
IVGG B D
VAA C# E
viBmB D F#
vii°C#dimC# E G

Seventh chords in D major

Stack one more note on each chord, every other note of the scale again, and you have the seventh chords of D major: Dmaj7 on the first note, A7 on the fifth.

NumeralSeventh chordNotes
Imaj7Dmaj7D F# A C#
ii7Em7E G B D
iii7F#m7F# A C# E
IVmaj7Gmaj7G B D F#
V7A7A C# E G
vi7Bm7B D F# A
viiø7C#m7b5C# E G B

How the chords in D major are found

Write out the D major scale: D E F# G A B C#. From each note, take every other note up the scale, three in all: D, F# and A make D, the chord on the first note, and C#, E and G make C#dim, the diminished chord on the seventh. Do it on every note in turn and the seven chords follow the pattern of every major key: major, minor, minor, major, major, minor and diminished.

Each letter from A to G stands once in the scale, so the note between F and G is written F# here, not Gb.

The same steps give the chords of every key: chords in a key.

The relative minor of D major

The relative minor of D major is B minor, on its sixth note. It has the same seven notes and chords, counted from Bm: Bm, C#dim, D, Em, F#m, G and A, so the vi of D major is the i of B minor.

Chord progressions in D major

Seventeen well-known progressions in D major: eleven of them use only the key's own chords, and the other six borrow from outside it, as the 12-Bar Blues does with D7 and G7. Each name leads to its chart and diagrams in D major under chord progressions.

ProgressionNumeralsIn D majorIn the key?
Pop AxisI – V – vi – IVD A Bm GStays in the key
Pop Axis from vivi – IV – I – VBm G D AStays in the key
50s ProgressionI – vi – IV – VD Bm G AStays in the key
Major to Minor FourI – III – IV – ivD F# G GmBorrows F# and Gm
Royal RoadIVmaj7 – V7 – iii7 – viGmaj7 A7 F#m7 BmStays in the key
Three-Chord SongI – IV – VD G AStays in the key
I–IV–V–IVI – IV – V – IVD G AStays in the key
12-Bar BluesI7 – IV7 – V7D7 G7 A7Borrows D7 and G7
Quick-Change BluesI7 – IV7 – V7D7 G7 A7Borrows D7 and G7
8-Bar BluesI7 – V7 – IV7D7 A7 G7Borrows D7 and G7
ii–V–Iii7 – V7 – Imaj7Em7 A7 Dmaj7Stays in the key
I–vi–ii–VImaj7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7Dmaj7 Bm7 Em7 A7Stays in the key
Circle Turnaroundiii7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7 – Imaj7F#m7 Bm7 Em7 A7 Dmaj7Stays in the key
Circle of Fifthsvi7 – ii7 – V7 – Imaj7Bm7 Em7 A7 Dmaj7Stays in the key
Pachelbel's CanonI – V – vi – iii – IV – I – IV – VD A Bm F#m GStays in the key
Lydian VampI – IID EBorrows E
Mixolydian VampI – bVII – IVD C GBorrows C

The D major scale on the guitar

Degrees: R 2 3 4 5 6 7. Notes: D E F# G A B C#.

You play the D major scale in seven positions across the neck, each within five frets in standard tuning. All of them are under the D major scale, and every other scale under guitar scales.

Keys next door to D major

G major and A major, on the fourth and fifth notes of D major, each differ from it by one note: G major has C where D major has C#, and A major has G# where it has G. B minor, its relative, shares all seven.

A scale's chords in TabTunix as diagrams, and four of them on the timeline, each with its numeral: E7sus4, Gmaj9, Bm11 and Em7

In the app

Play in D major

Loop D – A – Bm – G, or any chords of D major, in TabTunix and play over them at your tempo. Keep the loop as an exercise with a target tempo, and come back to it until the changes are clean.

More progressions in every key under chord progressions, every shape of each chord under guitar chords, and how to change chords faster.

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Questions about the chords in D major

D, G and A: the I, IV and V, on the first, fourth and fifth notes, and the key's three major chords. Played D – G – A – D they make the I – IV – V; as D7, G7 and A7, the 12-bar blues.

Play in D major until its chords are yours. Free, for Mac and Windows.

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