D minor 7 (Dm7) — D, F, A, C — is D minor with a minor 7th on top. All four notes are naturals — the cleanest minor 7th spelling on the page. Miles Davis's "So What" is built on Dm7 (the chord plays for 16 bars at the top of the form); the chord is also the iim7 of C major and the vim7 of F major.
Intervals
The D minor 7 chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:
- D→Fminor 3rd3 semitones
- F→Amajor 3rd4 semitones
- A→Cminor 3rd3 semitones
On the keyboard
Each note of the D minor 7 chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.
On the guitar
One voicing of the D minor 7 chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.
- 1D
- ♭3F
- 5A
- ♭7C
Common mistakes
Dm7 is one of the easier chords to spell because all four notes are naturals — but the most common error is reading the chord as Dmaj7 (which would have C♯ as the 7th). The minor-7th C is what gives Dm7 its mellow, blues-tinged character. On guitar, the open Dm7 voicing (xx0211) is one of the easiest jazz chords for beginners.
In context
Dm7 is the iim7 of C major (the ii–V–I runs Dm7 → G7 → Cmaj7), the vim7 of F major, and the im7 of D minor in modal jazz. Miles Davis's "So What" makes Dm7 a 16-bar tonic in its modal A section.
Drill it
The D minor 7 chord is one of 48 in the Chord Trainer. Open the full trainer to practice it alongside related chords with timing and best-time tracking.
Open the Chord Trainer →Or try today's Etudle puzzleRelated
Frequently asked
- What notes are in a Dm7 chord?
- Dm7 contains four notes: D (root), F (minor third), A (perfect fifth), and C (minor seventh).
- How do you play Dm7 on guitar?
- The open Dm7 voicing is xx0211: mute strings 6-5, then D (open 4th), A (2nd fret 3rd string), C (1st fret 2nd string), and F (1st fret 1st string).
- What jazz standards use Dm7?
- "So What" by Miles Davis (modal Dm7 for 16 bars), "Autumn Leaves" (in its relative minor cadence to Am7), "Maiden Voyage" by Herbie Hancock (which uses parallel m7 chords). Dm7 is one of the most-played 7th chords in jazz.
- How is Dm7 different from Dm(maj7)?
- Only the seventh changes. Dm7 has C natural; Dm(maj7) has C♯. Dm(maj7) is the famous "James Bond" chord — much more tense.