Which notes are in the Dm chord?

Dm contains the notes D, F and A. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – ♭3 – 5.

How many ways can you play Dm?

Minory lists 3 guitar fingerings for Dm, 2 of which are barre shapes. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.

Is the Dm chord hard to play?

Not really. The open position of Dm uses open strings and needs no barre, which makes it approachable for beginners.

D minor · Guitar

Dm Chord on Guitar

The Dm chord (D minor) is built from the notes D, F and A. 3 different guitar fingerings for it are shown below.

Chord diagrams

Position 1open position

Fingering

string 6 (E): muted
string 5 (A): muted
string 4 (D): played open
string 3 (G): fret 2 — middle finger
string 2 (B): fret 3 — ring finger
string 1 (E): fret 1 — index finger

Position 2barre shape · starts at fret 5

Fingering

string 6 (E): muted
string 5 (A): fret 5 — index finger
string 4 (D): fret 7 — ring finger
string 3 (G): fret 7 — little finger
string 2 (B): fret 6 — middle finger
string 1 (E): fret 5 — index finger

Position 3barre shape · starts at fret 10

Fingering

string 6 (E): fret 10 — index finger
string 5 (A): fret 12 — ring finger
string 4 (D): fret 12 — little finger
string 3 (G): fret 10 — index finger
string 2 (B): fret 10 — index finger
string 1 (E): fret 10 — index finger

Notes in this chord

Degrees: 1 – ♭3 – 5

How to play

Dm has 1 open position and 2 barre shapes. Start with the open voicing if you are new to it; the barre shapes exist to move the same chord further up the neck without changing the key.

Theory behind the chord

Minor chords sound darker than major ones because the third is lowered by a semitone. They carry the melancholic colour in most songs and pair naturally with their relative major. On Dm this structure sits on the root D, so the degrees 1 – ♭3 – 5 map onto D, F and A. Dm is the vi chord in the key of F major, the ii chord in C major and the iii chord in A# major. Its relative major is F. It is often heard in the Dm – A# – F – C progression.

Frequently asked questions

Which notes are in the Dm chord?: Dm contains the notes D, F and A. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – ♭3 – 5.
How many ways can you play Dm?: Minory lists 3 guitar fingerings for Dm, 2 of which are barre shapes. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.
Is the Dm chord hard to play?: Not really. The open position of Dm uses open strings and needs no barre, which makes it approachable for beginners.

Practise Dm on your phone

Minory bundles the full chord library with a tuner, metronome and repertoire notebook — and it all works offline.