D seven chordD7

Built from

• Droot
• F♯major 3rd
• A5th
• Cflat 7th

The flat 7th rubs against the major 3rd, and that tension wants to resolve.

Hear it in a progression

• ii–V–I

  The backbone of jazz. In G major.

  Capo and transpose

  1. Am7ii7
  2. D7V7
  3. Gmaj7Imaj7
  4. Gmaj7Imaj7

• Blues opening

  The first four bars of a twelve-bar blues. In D major.

  Capo and transpose

  1. D7I7
  2. G7IV7
  3. D7I7
  4. D7I7

Where it goes next

Thinking in G major, where it is the V7 chord.

• Gmaj7

  Imaj7. The strongest pull in music: tension resolving home.

• Em7

  vi7. The fake-out: you expect home, you get the relative minor.

Sounds close

• Cdim7

  Shares 3 of its notes. Both have F♯, A and C.

• Bm7

  Shares 3 of its notes. Both have D, F♯ and A.

• A♭7

  Tritone substitute: swaps in for it in jazz. Both have F♯ and C.

• F

  Shares 2 of its notes. Both have A and C.

Scales that fit

Notes you can play over this chord, simplest first.

• D major pentatonic
• D minor pentatonic
• D blues
• D mixolydian

Keys it lives in

• G majoras V7
• E minoras VII7