Dmaj7

Dmaj7 is D, F#, A and C#, a major seventh. The shape this page opens on is written xx0222, lowest string first.

Also written DM7, DΔ7, DΔ, Dma7 or D major 7. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for Dmaj7 on the guitar, and 32 derived voicings in 4 families.

In which keys. Every note of Dmaj7 belongs to D major (the I), F# minor (the ♭VI), A major (the IV) and B minor (the ♭III).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: xx0222, x54222, x5463x, x57675, xxx779, xx7779, 10-12-11-11-10-10, x-x-12-14-14-14.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Dmaj7 has x546xx, 10-9-11-x-x-x, x5x67x, 10-x-11-11-x-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Dmaj7 has x4423x, xx0222, 2402xx, 5546xx, x5767x, xx7779, 9977xx, x-x-11-11-10-10.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Dmaj7 has 2x022x, x4x232, 5x463x, x5x675, x-9-x-7-10-9, 9x777x, x-12-x-11-14-10, 10-x-11-11-10-x.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. Dmaj7 has 554600, x57670, x44230, 5x4630, x04600, x00670.

Tensions. A shell of Dmaj7, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 9 (E), the #11 (G#) and the 13 (B).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.