Piano chord
D major chord
D is a major triad: the root D, a major 3rd up to F♯ and a perfect 5th up to A.
- Symbol
- D
- Notes
- D – F♯ – A
Play it yourself
Tap D, F♯ and A on the keys below, in any order.
- D
- F♯
- A
Major chords sound bright and settled. They are the home chord of most pop, rock and folk songs, and the chord most people learn first.
Inversions of D
An inversion keeps the same notes but puts a different one at the bottom. Pianists use them to move between chords with less jumping.
- Root position
D – F♯ – A
- 1st inversion · D/F♯
F♯ – A – D
- 2nd inversion · D/A
A – D – F♯
Keys with D
D occurs naturally in these keys. The Roman numeral shows which step of the scale it is built on.