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The Dm7 chord (D minor seventh) on guitar

Dm7 is D minor with a C added on top, and that C makes it softer, more open, less final than a plain D minor. It is everywhere in soul, jazz, bossa nova and pop, mostly for one reason: it is the first chord of the ii V I in C major. The open shape takes two fingers. Learn it, then the movable shape at the fifth fret, and you can play the whole cadence.

Dm7 chord: notes and shapes at a glance

  • Name: D minor seventh
  • Symbol: Dm7
  • Notes: D, F, A, C
  • Where it belongs: ii7 in C major, vi7 in F major, iii7 in Bb major, im7 in D minor, ivm7 in A minor

Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.

Shape Frets, low E to high E Notes, low to high What it is for
Dm7, open xx0211 D A C F The open Dm7: one small barre and one finger, from the D string down.
Dm7, fifth fret x57565 D A C F A The movable m7 shape, root on the fifth string. The one for ii V I changes.
Dm7, tenth fret 10 12 10 10 10 10 D A C F A D The E minor 7 shape barred at fret 10: one barre, one finger, root on the low E.
Dm7, open x x 0 2 1 1 · · · 2 1 1 fingers
Dm7, fifth fret x 5 7 5 6 5 · 1 3 1 2 1 fingers
Dm7, tenth fret 10 12 10 10 10 10

Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.

Dm7 on the neck: every D, F, A, C

Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Dm7: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Dm7.

Fretboard notes
Swipe the fretboard sideways to see every fret.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1 - E
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
2 - B
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
3 - G
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
4 - D
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
5 - A
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
6 - E
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E

The open Dm7: xx0211

Lay the first finger flat across the B and high E strings at fret 1: that gives C on the B string and F on the high E. Put the second finger on the G string at fret 2: A. The D string rings open: D, the root. Strum the top four strings only.

Compare it with D minor, xx0231. The only change is the B string: D at fret 3 in Dm, C at fret 1 in Dm7. Play the two back to back and listen to that one note. It is the whole difference.

The small barre does not need force. Press with the flat of the first finger just behind the fret, and check that the B string rings. If it dies, the C is gone and so is the seventh: you are back to a thin D minor.

Dm7, D7 or Dmaj7: read the name carefully

Chord Notes Open shape Sound
Dm7 D, F, A, C xx0211 Minor, soft
D7 D, F#, A, C xx0212 Dominant, tense, pulls to G
Dmaj7 D, F#, A, C# xx0222 Major, bright

The small "m" refers to the third: F natural in Dm7, F# in the other two. "maj7" refers to the seventh: C# instead of C. One fret on one string each time, and three different moods.

Dm7 in the ii V I

In C major, Dm7 is the ii chord. It leads to G7, the V, which resolves to Cmaj7, the I. Learn it in open position first, then with movable shapes.

Progression Shapes What to watch
Dm7, G7, Cmaj7 xx0211, 320001, x32000 Open position. The F on the high E in Dm7 comes back at the top of G7: keep the first finger near fret 1.
Dm7, G7, Cmaj7 x57565, 3x343x, x35453 Movable shapes, all between frets 3 and 7. The G7 here mutes the A and the high E.
Am7, Dm7, G7, Cmaj7 x02010, xx0211, 320001, x32000 One more step back: vi ii V I.
Cmaj7, Dm7, Em7, Fmaj7 x32000, xx0211, 020000, xx3210 A scale of chords climbing in C major.

The barre shape x57565 is the C#m7 shape moved up one fret; see the C#m7 chord. To hear Dm7 next to a D major in the same song, Jason Mraz's Live High goes through both.

Common Dm7 mistakes

  • Calling it D7. Dm7 has F, D7 has F#. On a chart, look for the small "m".
  • Losing the C. If the B string is muted in xx0211, the seventh disappears. Check that string alone.
  • Squeezing the barre at fret 5. In x57565 the barre only has to sound the A string and the G and high E strings. Pinch, do not crush.
  • Swapping every Dm for Dm7. It works often, not always. Play the bar both ways and keep the one the melody likes.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Dm7 on guitar?
Play xx0211: lay the first finger flat across the B and high E strings at fret 1, put the second finger on the G string at fret 2, and strum from the open D string down. Leave the low E and A strings out.
What notes are in a D minor 7 chord?
Four: D, F, A and C. D minor (D, F, A) plus C, the minor seventh. In the open shape the C is on the B string at fret 1.
What is the difference between Dm7 and D7?
The third. Dm7 has F natural, D7 has F#. Both share the same C. Dm7 is soft and minor; D7 is a tense dominant chord that wants to resolve to G. In the open shapes, only the high E changes: fret 1 for Dm7 (xx0211), fret 2 for D7 (xx0212).
What progression is Dm7 used in?
Above all the ii V I in C major: Dm7, G7, Cmaj7. It is the most common cadence in jazz, and it turns up in pop, soul and bossa nova too.
Can I play Dm7 instead of Dm?
Often, but listen first. The C adds air and softness. If the melody sits on C or A, Dm7 fits; if the song wants a plain, dark minor, keep Dm.
Yohann Abbou, guitar teacher and founder of Guitar Social Club

Who made this

Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.

More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.