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Guitar chords · Minor 7th

Dm7 chord on guitar

Dm7 (D minor 7th) has four notes: D, F, A and C, the , ♭3, 5 and ♭7.

Shapes

How to play Dm7

Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the ; the other numbers are the chord tones.

Dm7 has an , and two : the A shape at 5 and the E shape at fret 10. A movable shape keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the , on the lowest played string, names the chord.

  • Open

    ××5♭7♭3DACF
  • A shape · fret 5

    5fr×R5♭7♭35DACFA
  • E shape · fret 10

    10frR5♭7♭35RDACFAD
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes Dm7 minor 7th

A minor is a minor chord with a minor 7th added. It is mellower than a plain minor chord, and it is the ii chord of the ii–V–I in jazz and soul.

  • 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
  • 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
  • 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.

The ♭3rd and the ♭7th make Dm7 a minor ; you can leave out the 5th.

  1. DRroot
  2. F♭3essential
  3. A5optional
  4. C♭7essential
EADGBE0135791215DDDDDDDDFACFACFACFACFACFACFACFACF
  • D, the root
  • Other chord tones

Dm7 often leads to G7 and then C: the ii7–V7–I of C major.

Keys

Keys with Dm7

Dm7 belongs to six keys: C major (ii7), B♭ major (iii7), F major (vi7), A minor (iv7), G minor (v7) and D minor (i7).

Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work

Progressions

Progressions with Dm7

Common progressions that use Dm7, each in a key that spells it Dm7. The outlined chord is Dm7.

  • Jazz ii–V–I in C major

    ii7 – V7 – Imaj7

    1. Dm7
    2. G7
    3. Cmaj7

    Each chord falls a fifth to the next — a walk anticlockwise around the circle.

    Heard in Autumn Leaves, Fly Me to the Moon

  • Minor ii–V–i in D minor

    iiø7 – V7 – i7

    1. Em7♭5
    2. A7
    3. Dm7

    Half-diminished ii, dominant V7 and back to the minor tonic.

    Heard in Blue Bossa, Autumn Leaves

Slash chords

Dm7 over another bass note

A keeps Dm7 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.

  • Dm7/F

    Dm7 with its ♭3rd, F, in the bass: the first inversion.

  • Dm7/A

    Dm7 with its 5th, A, in the bass: the second inversion.

  • Dm7/C

    Dm7 with its ♭7th, C, in the bass: the third inversion.

Questions

Dm7, in short

What notes are in the Dm7 chord?
Dm7 (D minor 7th) has four notes: D, F, A and C, the , ♭3, 5 and ♭7.
How do you play Dm7 on guitar?
Dm7 has an , and two : the A shape at 5 and the E shape at fret 10.
What key is Dm7 in?
Dm7 belongs to six keys: C major (ii7), B♭ major (iii7), F major (vi7), A minor (iv7), G minor (v7) and D minor (i7).
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