Chords
D Minor seventh
D · F · A · C
The minor seventh chord — a minor triad with a minor seventh. The most useful chord in jazz and soul.
Also written Dmin7 · Dmi7 · D-7
D Minor seventh
D · F · A · C
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | D3 · F3 · A3 · C4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | A2 · D3 · F3 · C4 | |
| Shell | D3 · F3 · C4 | |
| Rootless | F3 · A3 · C4 · E4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
D Minor seventh (Dm7) contains the notes D · F · A · C, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords
Inversions
An inversion of D Minor seventh puts a chord tone other than D in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales D Minor seventh belongs to.
In which keys
D Minor seventh is diatonic to 6 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
D Minor seventh fits inside these scales, each built on D.
- D Minor PentatonicD · F · G · A · C
- D Minor BluesD · F · G · Ab · A · C
- D MinorD · E · F · G · A · Bb · C
- D DorianD · E · F · G · A · B · C
- D PhrygianD · Eb · F · G · A · Bb · C
- D Half-Whole DiminishedD · Eb · F · F# · G# · A · B · C
- D Dorian b2D · Eb · F · G · A · B · C
- D Dorian #4D · E · F · G# · A · B · C
Understanding the D Minor seventh chord
Names and symbols
Dm7 is the chord symbol for D Minor seventh; it is also written Dmin7, Dmi7, D-7.
How it is built
On D it is D · F · A · C, stacking 1P · 3m · 5P · 7m. Both added intervals are minor, which keeps the chord dark but soft — there is no tritone inside it, so it carries no obligation to move.
How it is used
It is the ii of a major key and therefore the opening chord of the ii–V–I, the single most common progression in jazz. It is also the i of a modal minor vamp, where its lack of tension is exactly what lets a groove sit still for eight bars.
Soul, R&B and neo-soul lean on it for the same reason: it is rich enough to be interesting and stable enough to loop.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Dm7?
- Dm7 contains D · F · A · C. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- What is the difference between m7 and m/maj7?
- The seventh. A minor seventh chord uses a minor seventh; a minor-major seventh raises it to a major seventh, which makes the chord far more tense.
- Where is a minor seventh chord used?
- As the ii of a ii–V–I, as the tonic of a modal minor vamp, and throughout soul and R&B where its stability suits looping.
- What notes are in the D Minor seventh chord?
- The D Minor seventh chord contains the notes D · F · A · C: the root D with the intervals 1P, 3m, 5P, 7m stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally D, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the D Minor seventh chord?
- Measured from D, the D Minor seventh chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3m, 5P, 7m. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.