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D major

D major has 2 sharps (F♯ and C♯). Its scale is D E F♯ G A B C♯, its chords are D, Em, F♯m, G, A, Bm and C♯dim, and its relative minor is B minor.

Make a beat in D majorWrite a melody in this key

Opens the free editor with a lo-fi beat on D A Bm G. No account needed to start.

The D major scale

Whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half: the half steps come between F♯ and G, and between C♯ and D.

D E F♯ G A B C♯ D

DEGABDF♯C♯

On the piano, D major uses 2 black keys (F♯ and C♯) and 5 white keys (D, E, G, A and B).

The notes of D major by scale degree
DegreeNoteName
1DTonic
2ESupertonic
3F♯Mediant
4GSubdominant
5ADominant
6BSubmediant
7C♯Leading tone

Chords in D major

One chord on each note of the scale, built from the scale’s own notes. The Roman numeral says which note it starts on: capitals are major, small letters minor.

ID
iiEm
iiiF♯m
IVG
VA
viBm
vii°C♯dim

Which chords sound happy or sad

Bright

D G A

I, IV, V. The major chords. D feels like home; A pulls back to it.

Softer, sadder

Em F♯m Bm

ii, iii, vi. The minor chords. Bm is the sad turn in many pop songs.

Tense

C♯dim

vii°. Diminished: tense and unstable, it wants to move on, usually to D.

A progression in D major

The pop progression · I–V–vi–IV
D
A
Bm
G
Hear it as

More progressions in D major

Key signature and related keys

Key signature

2 sharps: F♯ C♯

Written at the start of every line of music, so each F and C is played sharp. Sharps join in the order F C G D A E B, and flats in the order B E A D G C F.

Relative minor

B minor

The same seven notes and key signature, starting on B.

Parallel minor

D minor

The same home note, with 1 flat. Borrowing a chord from it makes a part sound darker.

Next to it on the circle of fifths

Keys next to each other share six of their seven notes. See them all on the circle of fifths.

D major in beats

The editor’s starter beats for these styles are written in D major. Each opens the free editor with its own drums, bass and chords at its usual tempo, no account needed.

Boom bap · 90 BPMLo-fi · 80 BPMAmbient · 70 BPMCloud rap · 140 BPMFunk · 104 BPMWest coast · 95 BPM

Questions about D major

How many sharps are in D major?

Two: F♯ and C♯. Those notes are played sharp every time, so the key signature has 2 sharps, and B minor, its relative minor, has the same.

What is the relative minor of D major?

B minor. It uses the same seven notes and the same key signature as D major, but starts on B, the sixth note of the scale. The two share every chord, which is why songs move between them so easily.

What chords are in D major?

D, Em, F♯m, G, A, Bm and C♯dim: one built on each note of the scale (I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii°). D, G and A are the three major chords most songs in D major lean on, and Bm (vi) gives a sadder turn.

What is the most common chord progression in D major?

I–V–vi–IV: D, A, Bm and G. It is behind hundreds of hit songs, and it is the one the beat on this page plays.

Every key

Major keys
C majorG majorD majorA majorE majorB majorF♯ majorD♭ majorA♭ majorE♭ majorB♭ majorF major
Minor keys
A minorE minorB minorF♯ minorC♯ minorG♯ minorD♯ minorB♭ minorF minorC minorG minorD minor

Build a song in D major

Start with the beat, then add chords, a melody and your voice in the editor, part by part.

Make a beat in D majorAll music keys

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