Major chord · D root
D chord
- D1
- F#3
- A5
The D major chord is built from the notes D, F#, A. It turns up 323 times in the 104 songs on this site, including (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay and A Horse with No Name.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the D chord?
The D chord (D major) is a major chord built from three notes: D, F#, A — the 1–3–5 of the D scale, 4 semitones and 7 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played in open position (x-x-0-2-3-2) with 3 fretted strings while 1 string rings open and the low E string stays silent. It is rated beginner — most players learn it in their first weeks. The bright, home-base sound that most songs resolve to. Across the 104 song sheets in this site's library, D appears 323 times in 58 songs, most often in the keys of D and G, and the chord it most often moves to is G. Below you will find step-by-step fingering, 4 positions up the neck, audio of every shape, and the real progressions this chord lives inside.
How do you play the D chord on guitar?
Open position — the easiest version of D on the guitar.
- Press the G string at fret 2 with your index finger.
- Press the B string at fret 3 with your ring finger.
- Press the high E string at fret 2 with your middle finger.
- Start your strum on the D string and leave the low E and A strings out.
The x marks are part of the shape, not an accident: the chord only sounds right when low E and A stay silent. Instead of aiming your pick around those strings, let a spare finger rest on it and damp it. x-x-0-2-3-2
How do you make D sound clean?
Start the strum on the open D string. The low E changes the bass to E, while the A string adds a lower A; leave both low strings out for the D voicing shown here.
Play D → A → G and back, rebuilding the D triangle from the air each time instead of sliding it into place.
In real songs
What songs use the D chord?
- chord changes
- 323
- songs
- 58
- common keys
- D · G
Across the 104 chord sheets on this site, D appears 323 times in 58 songs — most often in the keys of D and G.
GDCG
Asus2DDadd9D
GDEmC
All 58 songs that use D— key, capo and a link to every sheet
Chord flow
What chord comes after D?
The counts come from our own song library — 1879 chord changes in total — which makes them a snapshot of real songs instead of a rule of thumb.
Three-chord moves
Three-chord moves are where a chord really shows its character. These are the ones that actually happen in this library, counted from the sheets:
What other ways can you play D up the neck?
3 more positions below. A chord is a set of notes, not a shape — every position below sounds like D, and each one puts your hand somewhere different, which is what makes them useful in different songs.
Position 2 · Fret 5 barre
No open strings, so this is a movable shape: slide it up or down and the same fingering gives you a different chord name.
It uses 2 separate barres. Fret each one across its marked strings, then add the other fingers without damping the ringing notes.
Position 3 · Fret 7 barre
No open strings, so this is a movable shape: slide it up or down and the same fingering gives you a different chord name.
One bar does most of the work. Roll that finger onto its bony edge and pull the elbow slightly in — a barre that buzzes is almost always a position problem, not a strength problem.
Position 4 · Fret 10 barre
No open strings, so this is a movable shape: slide it up or down and the same fingering gives you a different chord name.
One bar does most of the work. Roll that finger onto its bony edge and pull the elbow slightly in — a barre that buzzes is almost always a position problem, not a strength problem.
Watch the D chord
Video: JustinGuitar on YouTube — embedded with the official player; credit and views belong to the creator.
The theory behind D
D is spelled D – F# – A — the 1 – 3 – 5 of the D scale, which is the root plus 4 semitones, 7 semitones. The bright, home-base sound that most songs resolve to.
The third is the note that makes it major, so it decides the character: keep it on top and D sounds bright, drop it below the fifth and the same notes sound rounder. On guitar that is a matter of which string you put it on, which is exactly what the different positions on this page do.
What key is the D chord in?
D is the I chord in the key of D major, the IV chord in A major and the V chord in G major — the three major keys where D appears naturally.
the home chord — songs resolve here
the subdominant — the chord that leaves home
the dominant — the chord that pulls back home
D on other instruments
2 2 2 0
The same chord on four strings in standard tuning. Because the uke is tuned higher, this shape sits at a different place on the neck than its guitar equivalent — useful when arranging for both instruments.
D – F# – A — the highlighted black keys are the sharps or flats; play each note once, then move them into one hand position.
Take it to the practice room
