Key of D on Guitar: Chords and Progressions
Two sharps (F# and C#). Bright and loud - bluegrass runs on D, and Bm is the one chord to practice here.
The notes
D E F# G A B C#
Find them all on the fretboard notes tool.
The chords in this key
Build a chord on every note of the scale and you get the seven chords that always sound good together in D. The Roman numerals are how musicians talk about them - they work in every key.
| Numeral | Chord |
|---|---|
| I | D |
| ii | Em |
| iii | F#m |
| IV | G |
| V | A |
| vi | Bm |
| vii° | C#dim |
Progressions to try
- D - G - A - bluegrass and country backbone.
- D - A - Bm - G - a thousand pop songs.
Why this matters: when someone says a song is "in D", these are the chords they are choosing from. Learn the I, IV, and V chords first - that is most songs.