The D Major Chord
Welcome to our in-depth tutorial on the D major (D maj) chord, a fundamental part of the Major Chords family. The D maj chord is composed of three distinct notes: D, F#, and A. These notes are built from specific music intervals: 1, 3, and 5, also known as the Root, Major Third, and Perfect Fifth, respectively.
Understanding these intervals is crucial to mastering the D maj chord and other chords in general. If you're unfamiliar with these terms, we recommend checking out our comprehensive tutorial on fretboard intervals and our guide on how to denote chords based on the intervals that compose them.
As part of this tutorial, we'll provide you with detailed chord diagrams and fretboard patterns that visually represent the tones that make up the D maj chord. This hands-on approach will help you grasp the structure of the chord and how it's played on the guitar. If you're interested in learning more about how chords are built, our tutorial on building chords by stacking intervals is a great resource.
While the D maj chord is a staple in many music genres, it's just one of the many chords that guitarists should familiarize themselves with. For a broader understanding of guitar chords, don't hesitate to explore our full tutorial on all types of guitar chords.
As you progress in your guitar journey, you'll discover the beauty of chord progressions and how different chords can be combined to create songs. To get started with this, our tutorial on common chord progressions is a must-read.
We hope this introduction to the D maj chord has sparked your interest and we look forward to helping you master this essential chord. Happy strumming!
Notes in the D maj chord:
DF#A
How to create the Major chord:
Keys With The D Major Chord
Here are the most common keys in which you can find a D major chord.
Notice that in the key of G, the D major is the dominant chord (5th degree). That's the reason why G and D play well together.
G Major Key
| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | G | Am | Bm | C | D | Em | F# dim |
D Major Key
| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | D | Em | F#m | G | A | Bm | C# dim |
A Major Key
| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | A | Bm | C#m | D | E | F#m | G# dim |
E Minor Key
| Key | i | ii | III | iv | v | VI | VII |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | Em | F# dim | G | Am | Bm | C | D |
F# Minor Key
| Key | i | ii | III | iv | v | VI | VII |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F# | F#m | G# dim | A | Bm | C#m | D | E |
Scales To Play Over a D Major Chord
This is a major chord, so any scale with root, a major third and a perfect fifth could be a good fit. Here are some examples:
- D major scale
- D Lydian scale
- D Mixolydian scale
- D Major Pentatonic scale
Songs With The D Major Chord
Hotel California is the first song that comes to mind when thinking to a D major chord. It's Am E7 G D F C Dm E7 (again, notice the G -> D transition).
Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd is formed by D, C and G. This song is a great example of D mixolydian modal progression.
Love hurts by Nazareth is another awesome song with a D major: The progression is indeed G Em C D.
Variations for The D Major Chord
The D major chord is often used along the following shapes.
Basically, you put the pinkie on the 3rd fret of the G string (G), to play a D sus4, D(1) G(4) A(5).
Then you lift it, then you play again the D major, and then you lift also the ring finger, leaving the E high string open and forming a D sus2 chord D(1) E(2) A(5).
D major
D sus4
D sus2
You can experiment with these chord voicings and variations by using my chord explorer tool.
Fingerings for the Dmaj guitar chord
Chord boxes are sorted from the easiest to the hardest. Learn how to read chord diagrams.
If you have difficulties with bar chord shapes, check the Bar Chords Tips tutorial.
You can also use this accessible chords page with written diagrams instruction.
Position 1
Movable
Position 2
Open
Position 3
Movable
Position 4
Open
Position 5
Open
Position 6
Open
Position 7
Movable
Position 8
BarreMovable
Position 9
BarreMovable
Position 10
BarreMovable
Position 11
BarreMovable
Position 12
BarreMovable
Position 13
BarreOpen
Position 14
BarreMovable
Position 15
BarreMovable
Position 16
BarreMovable
You can find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download
the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf
Play This Chord With Other Roots
C maj | D maj | E maj | F maj | G maj | A maj | B maj | C#maj | D#maj | F#maj | G#maj | A#maj | Abmaj | Bbmaj | Dbmaj | Ebmaj | Gbmaj
Create your D maj chord shapes
You can create any fingering you like on any part of the fretboard, just play some of the chord tones shown in the map below.