D minor is the chord that teaches your strumming hand to aim. The fretting hand only needs three fingers in the first three frets, but the pick has to start on the fourth string and leave the two bass strings alone. Get both hands right and you have one of the most useful minor chords on the guitar.
Dm chord: notes and shapes at a glance
- Name: D minor
- Symbol: Dm
- Notes: D, F, A
- Where it belongs: ii in C major, vi in F major, iii in Bb major, i in D minor, iv in A minor
Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a
number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you
do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.
| Shape | Frets, low E to high E | Notes, low to high | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dm, three strings | xxx231 | A D F | The first step: A, D and F on the top three strings, nothing else to aim for. |
| Dm, open | xx0231 | D A D F | The standard D minor. The open D string adds the root in the bass. |
| Dm, fifth fret, four strings | xx7765 | A D F A | The A minor shape moved up, without the barre. A sits in the bass, so it sounds a little lighter. |
| Dm, barre | x57765 | D A D F A | The full D minor with the root on the fifth string, the shape every other minor chord borrows. |
Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.
Dm on the neck: every D, F, A
Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Dm: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Dm.
How to play Dm, step by step
- Second finger on the G string, fret 2. That is your A.
- Third finger on the B string, fret 3. That is a D.
- First finger on the high E string, fret 1. That is F, the note that makes the chord minor.
- Strum from the D string down, four strings only. The open D is the root.
Then check it string by string: pick the D, G, B and high E strings one at a time. If one is dead, fix the finger before you press harder. The usual culprit is the third finger leaning on the high E, or the second finger flattening onto the open D.
xxx231: same fingers, no open string to aim for. Add the open
D once the shape lands cleanly.
Common Dm mistakes and how to fix them
| What you hear | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A low rumble under the chord | The low E or A string is ringing | Start the strum on the D string. A light touch of the thumb on the low E also keeps it quiet. |
| The high E buzzes | The first finger is far from the fret | Slide it right up against the first fret wire. Closer, not harder. |
| The open D is muted | The second finger lies flat | Arch it so it lands on its tip, straight down on the G string. |
| The change into Dm is slow | The whole hand lifts off the neck | Look for the finger that moves least and keep it close to the strings. |
Getting in and out of Dm
These are the changes Dm turns up in most. Play each pair slowly, four beats per chord, before you speed up.
| Change | Shapes | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Am to Dm | x02210 to xx0231 | The second finger stays at fret 2 and simply moves from the D string to the G string. |
| C to Dm | x32010 to xx0231 | The first finger moves from the B string to the high E. Narrow the strum: C starts on the fifth string, Dm on the fourth. |
| Dm to A7 | xx0231 to x02020 | The i to V7 of D minor, and back. The strum goes back to the fifth string for the open A. |
| Dm to G to C | xx0231, 320003, x32010 | The ii, V, I of C major, and the reason Dm is everywhere. |
Where Dm shows up
D minor is the ii chord in C major and the vi chord in F major, so any song in those keys is likely to pass through it. In the key of D minor it is home, and A or A7 is the chord that pulls back to it.
To hear it in context: Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine moves through Dm alongside Am7, Em7 and G; The Police's Roxanne uses Dm with Gm, Eb, Cm, Bb and F; the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Californication brings Dm in after Am, F, C and G.
The same three notes in another order give two chords with their own pages: Dm/A, the open shape with the A string left ringing, and Dm/F, with F in the bass.
Close to Dm, but not the same chord
Two shapes sit one finger away from Dm, and both are worth knowing for what they change.
Dm7, xx0211. Move the third finger off the B string and lay the first finger across the B and high E at fret 1. The B string now gives C, the minor seventh: a softer, jazzier minor. See the Dm7 chord.
Dsus2, xx0230. Lift the first finger and let the high E ring open. F disappears and E takes its place, so the chord is neither minor nor major. Use it as a color, not as a stand-in for Dm. See the Dsus2 chord.
Further up the neck, the E minor shape at the tenth fret (10, 12, 12, 10, 10, 10 from low to high) is a six string D minor with the root on the low E. It is the same idea as the barre chords page explains, moved to D.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play a Dm chord on guitar?
What notes are in a D minor chord?
Why does my Dm chord sound muddy?
Is Dm harder than Am?
What is the difference between Dm and D?
Who made this
Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.
More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.