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D minor 7 chord

D minor 7 Minor 7 family

Mellow and smooth, minor without the heartbreak.

Easiest shape1 of 5

Square: the root. In colour: the flat 7th, which gives the chord its sound.

Change a finger and see what it becomes

Built from

Droot
Fminor 3rd
A5th
Cflat 7th

The flat 7th softens the minor 3rd, so the sadness turns into something relaxed.

Tension: Gentle

Hear it in a progression

Epic minor
Film scores and stadium anthems. In D minor.
Capo and transpose
Minor cadence
Dark, then a strong pull home. In D minor.
Capo and transpose
1. Dm7i
2. Gmiv
3. A7V7
4. Dm7i
Andalusian cadence
Flamenco and surf rock, stepping down. In D minor.
Capo and transpose
1. Dm7i
2. CVII
3. B♭VI
4. AV

Where it goes next

Thinking in D minor, where it is the i7 chord.

B♭maj7
VImaj7. Opens up into something bittersweet.
Gm7
iv7. Goes darker still.
C7
VII7. Steps down: a rock and folk staple.
Fmaj7
IIImaj7. Brightens into the relative major.

Sounds close

Fmaj7
Relative major 7: same notes but one. Both have F, A and C.
F
Contains its relative major whole. Both have F, A and C.
F7
Shares 3 of its notes. Both have F, A and C.
B♭maj7
Shares 3 of its notes. Both have D, F and A.

Scales that fit

Notes you can play over this chord, simplest first.

Keys it lives in