D Minor 7th Piano Chord
The Notes in a D Minor 7th Chord
The Root
This is one is easy. All you have to do to find the root of a chord is look at the name of the chord. It's the first part of the name! If it's a D Minor 7th chord, the root is D!
The Min 3rd
The minor third of a D Minor 7th chord is F. The minor third is up three half-steps from the Root.
Finding F from D step by step:
- Start on: D
- Step 1: move up to Eb
- Step 2: move up to E
- Step 3: Land on F
- Eb is a minor second above D.
- E is a major 2nd above D.
- F is a minor third above D.
The Min 7th
The minor seventh of a D Minor 7th chord is C. The minor seventh is down two half-steps from the Root.
Finding C from D step by step:
- Start on: D
- Step 1: move down to C#
- Step 2: Land on C
- C# is a minor second below D.
- C is a major 2nd below D. The min 7th is down a major 2nd? Confusing, right? The note C is down 2 half-steps from D, but up 10 half-steps from D:
The Inversions of D Minor 7th
Root Position
1st Inversion
2nd Inversion
3rd Inversion
How to find D Minor 7th with my three-finger-method
This is the method taught in my book "How to Speed Read Piano Chord Symbols"
Step 1) Use the Fourth
Find the Root and the Fourth up from the Root. (See my tutorial on finding fourths).
Step 2) Move the right hand down
Move both fingers in right hand a whole-step down (two keys to the left on the piano). (A half-step is the next key.)
How to Find 7th Chords with Nate's Three Finger Method
- Major 7th chords: bring both fingers down a half-step
- Minor 7th chords: bring both fingers down a whole-step
- Dominant 7th chords: bring the Root down a whole-step, the fourth down a half-step
- Diminished 7th chords: bring the Root down a minor third, the fourth down a whole-step
If you would like to learn more about my method, pick up "How to Speed Read Piano Chord Symbols".
