Julie Swihart

Major Seventh Chords

Let’s look at how to play a Dmaj7 (D major seventh) chord on the piano. We’ll also look at the pattern for building any major seventh chord.

What Are Major Seventh Chords?

Major seventh chords are major chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale.

To build a major seventh chord, we’ll start by building a major chord. Major chords are built using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale (learn how to build a major scale here).

Then to convert the major chord into a major seventh chord, we’ll add the seventh note of the matching major scale.

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 34-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note (C, D, E, etc.) and type (major, minor, etc.).

Get the Printable

How to Play a Dmaj7 Chord

Now let’s build a Dmaj7 chord. We’ll start by building our D major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the D major scale: D – F♯ – A.

Then we’ll add the seventh note of the D major scale, C♯.

So to play a Dmaj7 chord, we’ll play:

D – F♯ – A – C♯

You can use this pattern to build any major seventh chord. First build a major chord, then add the seventh note of the matching major scale.

Other Chord Types

There are many other chord types you can learn. Here are some others:

Major
Minor
Augmented
Diminished
Second
Minor Second
Suspended
Fifth
Sixth
Minor Sixth
Seventh
Minor Seventh
Ninth
Minor Ninth
Major Ninth

Conclusion

Now you know how to build a Dmaj7 chord on the piano, and you can use that knowledge to build any other major seventh chord.

Piano chords are a wonderful way to learn and enjoy the piano!