D Dominant 7th
Open PositionThe classic open D7 — D string open, middle on G fret 2, index on B fret 1, ring on high e fret 2. Only three fingers and two open strings. The low E and A strings are not strummed.
D Dominant 7th
5th FretA-shape barre chord rooted on D at the 5th fret. Barre fret 5 with the index; ring on D fret 7, pinky on B fret 7. Mute the low E. A fully moveable dominant 7th voicing.
D Dominant 7th
10th FretE-shape barre chord with the root on the low E string at fret 10. Full six-string voicing — index barres all strings at fret 10, ring on A fret 12, middle on G fret 11.
D Dominant 7th
8th FretDrop 2 voicing on the top four strings — root (D) on D fret 12, 3rd (F#) on G fret 11, 5th (A) on B fret 10, ♭7th (C) on high e fret 8. A classic jazz comping shape.
D Dominant 7th
2nd PositionCompact shell voicing on the inner four strings — 3rd (F#) on D fret 4, ♭7th (C) on G fret 5, root (D) on B fret 3, 3rd (F#) on high e fret 2. No barre — captures the tritone tension of D7 cleanly.
Tips for Playing the D7 Chord
Build from D major
If you know the open D chord (x-x-0-2-3-2), the open D7 simply moves the B string finger from fret 3 to fret 1 and adds ring on the high e at fret 2. The G string stays at fret 2.
Strum from the D string
The open D7 uses only four strings. Start your strum at the D string — avoid catching the A and low E strings.
D7 → G is everywhere
The D7 → G progression is one of the most common in folk, country, and rock. D7 creates strong tension that resolves beautifully to G major.
Move the barre shapes
The A-shape barre at fret 5 and the E-shape barre at fret 10 are fully moveable — slide them to any fret to play any dominant 7th chord.
Blues in D
In a 12-bar blues in D, the three chords are D7, G7, and A7. Practise switching between these three open or barre shapes for essential blues vocabulary.
Jazz shell for quick changes
The x-x-4-5-3-2 shell voicing is fast and clean for jazz comping. The ascending finger pattern (index on e, middle on B, ring on D, pinky on G) becomes a reliable moveable grip across all dominant 7ths.
About the D7 Chord on Guitar
The D7 chord is built from four notes: D (the root), F# (the major 3rd), A (the perfect 5th), and C (the minor 7th). It is the D major triad with an added flat 7th — and one of the most naturally playable dominant 7th chords on guitar thanks to its accessible open voicing. The tritone tension between F# and C resolves powerfully to G major, making D7 one of the most-used chords in folk, country, blues, and rock. In jazz, D7 functions as the V chord in G major and travels through the dominant cycle. This page covers five voicings, from the familiar open D7 to barre and jazz shapes. Every diagram is interactive and playable with real acoustic guitar sound.
- 015 D7 chord shapes from beginner to advanced
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Real acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04Open position, A-shape barre, E-shape barre, Drop 2, and shell voicing
- 05Difficulty rating on every shape
- 06Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 4 notes that form the D Dominant 7th chord and their role in the major scale.
Every dominant 7th chord follows this same formula — root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh.