Piano chord

D Major Piano Chord

The D Major chord on piano is made of the notes D, F♯ and A. Bright, happy, and stable. The most common chord type.

D Major chord on a piano keyboard: D, F♯, A C4C5 D F♯ A

D D – F♯ – A

Tap any key to hear it.

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What notes are in D Major?

3 notes, built 1 – 3 – 5 up from D.

Notes
D – F♯ – A
Formula
1 – 3 – 5
Semitones from the root
0 – 4 – 7
Symbol
D
Chord type
Major, 3 notes

How to play D Major on piano

  • Right hand: D (1), F♯ (3), A (5). Fingers 1 – 3 – 5, thumb on D.
  • Left hand: D (5), F♯ (3), A (1). Fingers 5 – 3 – 1, little finger on D.

Fingers are numbered 1 (thumb) to 5 (little finger) on both hands.

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D Major inversions

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: D/F♯, D/A.

D Major root position on piano: D, F♯, A D F♯ A
Root position D D – F♯ – A RH 1 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 1
D Major 1st inversion on piano: F♯, A, D F♯ A D
1st inversion D/F♯ F♯ – A – D RH 1 – 2 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 1
D Major 2nd inversion on piano: A, D, F♯ A D F♯
2nd inversion D/A A – D – F♯ RH 1 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 2 – 1

Progressions with D Major

Press play: the chords move across the keyboard as they sound, voiced so your hand barely moves.

Pop progression

in D major

  1. I D
  2. V A
  3. vi Bm
  4. IV G
Pop progression in D major: D, A, Bm, G D F♯ A

Three-chord classic

in A major

  1. I A
  2. IV D
  3. V E
  4. I A
Three-chord classic in A major: A, D, E, A C♯ E A

Can you find D Major?

Tap the notes on the keyboard, then check. Six chords, starting with this one.

1 / 6 Tap the notes of D Major (D)

Score 0

Any octave, any order. Each key you tap plays.

Practice keyboard: tap the notes of the chord

What key is D Major in?

The keys whose scale contains every note of D, with the chord’s Roman numeral in each.

Major keys

  • D majorI
  • A majorIV
  • G majorV

Minor keys

  • B minorIII
  • G minorV (harmonic minor)
  • F♯ minorVI
  • E minorVII

D Major chord FAQ

What notes are in the D Major chord?

D Major has 3 notes: D, F♯ and A. Its formula is 1 – 3 – 5, counted up from D.

How do you play D Major on the piano?

Put your right thumb on D and play D, F♯ and A with fingers 1 – 3 – 5. With the left hand, use fingers 5 – 3 – 1, little finger on D.

What are the inversions of D Major?

1st inversion: F♯, A, D (D/F♯). 2nd inversion: A, D, F♯ (D/A).

What key is D Major in?

D belongs to D major (I), A major (IV), G major (V), B minor (III), F♯ minor (VI) and E minor (VII).

Other D chords

Major chords on every root

Piano chord chart: all 264 chords Open D in the chord finder Free PDF chord chart Play it on the virtual piano