Chords in the Key of D Major

The key of D major is built on the notes D – E – F# – G – A – B – C#. Every chord below is drawn from that scale, so they all sound at home together.

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The seven chords in D major

Numeral	Chord	Notes	Quality
I	D	D F# A	Major
ii	Em	E G B	Minor
iii	F#m	F# A C#	Minor
IV	G	G B D	Major
V	A	A C# E	Major
vi	Bm	B D F#	Minor
vii°	C#dim	C# E G	Diminished

Seventh chords in D major

Adding the next third on top of each triad gives the seventh chords of the key — the harmonic vocabulary most jazz and soul writing starts from.

Numeral	Chord	Notes
Imaj7	Dmaj7	D F# A C#
ii7	Em7	E G B D
iii7	F#m7	F# A C# E
IVmaj7	Gmaj7	G B D F#
V7	A7	A C# E G
vi7	Bm7	B D F# A
viiø7	C#m7b5	C# E G B

Common chord progressions in D major

Numerals	Chords in D major	Why it works
I – V – vi – IV	D – A – Bm – G	The most common progression in modern pop music.
I – IV – V – I	D – G – A – D	The classic three-chord cadence used across blues, folk and rock.
ii – V – I	Em – A – D	The backbone of jazz harmony.
vi – IV – I – V	Bm – G – D – A	A softer, minor-flavoured rotation of the pop progression.

Relative minor key

D major shares all of its notes with B minor, so switching between the two changes the mood of a piece without changing a single note. See B minor.

Scale reference

See the full D Major scale for its fingering, key signature, degrees and step pattern.

Other scales for this key: D major pentatonic.

Other keys

C major C# major Eb major E major F major F# major G major Ab major A major Bb major B major

Frequently asked questions

What chords are in the key of D major?

The key of D major contains D, Em, F#m, G, A, Bm, C#dim. These are the triads built on each degree of the D major scale.

What is the relative minor of D major?

The relative minor of D major is B minor. Both keys use exactly the same notes but resolve to a different tonic.

How many sharps or flats does D major have?

The D major scale is spelled D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, which gives it 2 sharps and 0 flats.