Chords in the Key of D Major — Guitar Chord Chart

Guitar Chords in the Key of D Major

The key of D major has 2 sharps, and its seven chords are D, Em, F♯m, G, A, Bm, C♯dim. Start with D, G, A: they are the three a song in D major cannot do without. Every diagram below plays when you press it.

The seven chords of D major

One chord on each note of the scale, built from the scale’s own notes. Capital numerals are major chords, small ones minor, and ° is diminished.

IDxx0232the home chord
iiEm022000leads to V
iiiF♯m244222a softer stand-in for I
IVG320003the step away from home
VAx02220pulls back to I
viBmx24432the relative minor
vii°C♯dimx42020rare — a passing chord

The three to learn first

D is home — the chord the song starts from and ends on. G is the step away, and A is the one that pulls back home. On guitar they are xx0232, 320003 and x02220: D with three fingers, G with three fingers and A with three fingers.

Progressions in D major

The orders these chords are most often played in. Press play to hear each one strummed, a bar to a chord.

I – IV – VD – G – A

Three chords, and thousands of folk, blues, country and rock songs.

I – V – vi – IVD – A – Bm – G

The four-chord pop progression.

I – vi – IV – VD – Bm – G – A

The 1950s doo-wop turnaround.

ii – V – IEm – A7 – D

The jazz cadence: two steps toward home, then home.

The sevenths

Four-note versions of the same chords. A7 is the one worth learning first: it is A with one note added, and it pulls toward D harder than the plain chord does.

V7A7x02020the dominant with its seventh — the strongest pull home
Imaj7Dmaj7xx0222home, softened
ii7Em7020000the jazz player’s way into V7

The scale behind the chords

D major is the notes D – E – F♯ – G – A – B – C♯. Every chord above uses only those seven notes, which is why they sound as if they belong together — and why a melody in D major fits over any of them. Its relative minor is B minor, which has the same notes and the same chords with a different home.

The nearest keys are a fifth either side: A major and G major. Each shares six of this key’s seven notes, which is why songs change key to them so often.

Frequently asked questions

What chords are in the key of D major?

D (I), Em (ii), F♯m (iii), G (IV), A (V), Bm (vi), C♯dim (vii°). They are the seven chords you get by stacking thirds on each note of the D major scale — D, E, F♯, G, A, B, C♯ — using only notes of that scale.

What are the three main chords in D major?

D, G and A — the chords on the first, fourth and fifth notes of the scale. D is home, G moves away from it and A pulls back. A great many songs use only these three.

What is the relative minor of D major?

B minor. The two keys share all seven notes and all seven chords, in a different order: what is vi in D major is the home chord of B minor. A song can move between them without any chord sounding out of place.

Is D major an easy key on guitar?

2 of its six everyday chords — F♯m and Bm — need a barre or four fingers on guitar.

Strum them yourself

The playable guitar puts the chords of a key in a row: tap one to hold it, and drag across the strings.

Play the Virtual Guitar