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Chord · D Minor-Major 7th

Dm(maj7) Chord

Dm(maj7) is D, F, A and C#sinister, James Bond-ish. Tonic of harmonic minor.

Hear it

Dm(maj7) on every instrument

The same 4 notes, 5 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.

×5fr14231EADGBE
Guitar2 voicings
CDEFGAB
Piano3 voicings
5fr2111GCEA
Ukulele1 voicing
3fr4123GDAE
Mandolin1 voicing
×10fr2114GDGBD
Banjo1 voicing

What Dm(maj7) is made of

Dm(maj7) (D minor major seventh) is built from the notes D, F, A, C#, with the interval pattern 1, b3, 5, 7.

Stack 1, b3, 5 and 7 on a root of D and you get D, F, A and C#. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a minor major seventh chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why Cm(maj7) sounds like a transposed Dm(maj7).

Minor-Major 7th: Sinister, James Bond-ish. Tonic of harmonic minor.

Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. That is why this chord is spelled with C rather than its enharmonic equivalent.

Keys that contain Dm(maj7)

No major or natural-minor key contains all 4 of these notes — this one gets borrowed.

Chords like this one sit outside the diatonic set — they arrive as secondary dominants, borrowed chords or passing harmony. Browse every key to see which progressions pull it in.

Other chords on D

Same root, different colour.

The same minor major seventh shape, moved

The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.

Questions people ask about Dm(maj7)

What notes are in the Dm(maj7) chord?
Dm(maj7) is made of D, F, A and C# — the 1, b3, 5 and 7 degrees of a minor major seventh chord built on D.
What keys use the Dm(maj7) chord?
No major or natural-minor key contains all 4 notes of Dm(maj7). Chords like this arrive as borrowed harmony — secondary dominants, harmonic-minor colour, or chromatic passing chords — rather than as one of a key's native chords.
How do you play Dm(maj7) on guitar and piano?
This page shows Dm(maj7) on guitar, piano, ukulele, mandolin and banjo — 8 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.

Learn the theory behind it

Why Dm(maj7) behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.

Functional Harmony: Three Roles, One EngineWhat a seventh chord is for — tension, resolution, and the seat it takes in the key.6 min readThe 12-Bar Blues — Three Chords, A Century of HitsSeventh chords are the whole sound of the blues. Twelve bars is where to hear it.7 min readMajor and Minor Scales — Built from Intervals, Felt in SongsThe flat third under all of this, and the scale it comes from.5 min read