Minor chord · D root
Dm chord
- D1
- F♭3
- A5
The D minor chord is built from the notes D, F, A. It turns up 23 times in the 104 songs on this site, including 500 Miles and 505.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the Dm chord?
The Dm chord (D minor) is a minor chord built from three notes: D, F, A — the 1–♭3–5 of the D scale, 3 semitones and 7 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played in open position (x-x-0-2-3-1) 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 darker, moodier counterpart of the major chord. Across the 104 song sheets in this site's library, Dm appears 23 times in 9 songs, most often in the keys of C and Am, and the chord it most often moves to is F. 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 Dm chord on guitar?
Open position — the easiest version of Dm 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 1 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-0-2-3-1
How do you make Dm sound clean?
Dm puts the index on the thinnest string at the 1st fret — the buzz capital of the guitar. Get the fingertip right behind the wire, not in the middle of the space.
Practise Dm to the small F shape x-x-3-2-1-1. Keep the high E at fret 1 and move the other notes slowly enough that every string rings clearly.
In real songs
What songs use the Dm chord?
- chord changes
- 23
- songs
- 9
- common keys
- C · Am
Across the 104 chord sheets on this site, Dm appears 23 times in 9 songs — most often in the keys of C and Am.
All 9 songs that use Dm— key, capo and a link to every sheet
| Song | Artist | Key | Capo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 Miles | Peter, Paul and Mary | C | — |
| 505 | Arctic Monkeys | Dm | — |
| Ain't No Sunshine | Bill Withers | Am | — |
| House of the Rising Sun | The Animals | Am | — |
| Imagine | John Lennon | C | — |
| Lean on Me | Bill Withers | C | — |
| Sparks | Coldplay | Db | 1 |
| Summertime | George Gershwin | Am | — |
| Yellow | Coldplay | B | 4 |
Chord flow
What chord comes after Dm?
Every number here is a count from the progressions in our song sheets, not a generalisation: 1879 chord changes are behind these figures.
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 Dm up the neck?
3 more positions below. Learn one of these well and the rest become optional. The value of a second position is practical: it keeps your fretting hand near where the song is already heading.
Position 2 · Fret 5 barre
Every note here is fretted, which means the shape transposes anywhere on the neck without changing your fingers.
The barre is the only hard part of this shape. Keep the bar finger straight and use the weight of your arm rather than the grip of your thumb.
Position 3 · Fret 6
No open strings, so this is a movable shape: slide it up or down and the same fingering gives you a different chord name.
At fret 6 the neck is still wide enough to keep your thumb behind it, which gives the fingers more reach than a thumb-over grip.
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 Dm chord
Video: JustinGuitar on YouTube — embedded with the official player; credit and views belong to the creator.
The theory behind Dm
Dm is spelled D – F – A — the 1 – ♭3 – 5 of the D scale, which is the root plus 3 semitones, 7 semitones. The darker, moodier counterpart of the major chord.
The flattened third is what makes it minor, so if Dm sounds wrong the third is almost always the note being muted — check the string carrying it before you change anything else.
What key is the Dm chord in?
Dm is the i chord in D minor, the ii chord in C major and the vi chord in F major — the three keys where Dm appears naturally.
the home chord of the minor key
the gentle predominant — often before the V
the relative minor — the major key’s shadow
Dm on other instruments
2 2 1 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 — all white keys, so you can find the shape by counting up from C.
Take it to the practice room
