Dm/F is a D minor chord standing on its third. The notes are the ones you already know, D, F and A, but F is the lowest. That small change turns a plain minor chord into a step in a bass line, and it is the reason the slash shows up on so many chord charts.
Dm/F chord: notes and shapes at a glance
- Name: D minor over F
- Symbol: Dm/F
- Notes: D, F, A
- Bass note: F, the lowest note you play
- 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/F, four strings | xx3231 | F A D F | No thumb: F on the D string is the bass. The easiest way in. |
| Dm/F, thumb over | 1x0231 | F D A D F | The open D minor with the thumb on the low E at fret 1. A deeper F, and the A string stays muted. |
| Dm/F, higher up | x8776x | F A D F | F on the A string at fret 8, the chord above it. Useful when the song already sits around the seventh fret. |
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/F on the neck: every D, F, A
Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Dm/F: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Dm/F.
What the slash means
A slash chord reads as “chord over bass note”. Dm/F is D minor with F underneath. F is the minor third of the chord, so Dm/F is the first inversion of D minor: same chord, different bass.
Put the fifth, A, in the bass and you get Dm/A. Put the root back in the bass and you are on plain D minor.
How to play Dm/F, with or without the thumb
Without the thumb, xx3231. Start from the open Dm, then replace the open D string with an F at fret 3:
- First finger on the high E string, fret 1 (F).
- Second finger on the G string, fret 2 (A).
- Third finger on the D string, fret 3 (F, the bass).
- Fourth finger on the B string, fret 3 (D).
- Strum the top four strings only.
With the thumb, 1x0231. Keep the open D minor and wrap the thumb over the neck onto the low E at fret 1. The same thumb grazes the A string and keeps it quiet. A barre with the first finger will not work here: it would press the D string, which has to ring open.
The bass lines Dm/F was made for
In the key of C major, Dm is the ii chord. With F in the bass, it sits exactly between C/E and G, and the bass climbs one step at a time: E, F, G. With the thumb shape, the low E string plays the whole line.
| Change | Shapes | Bass |
|---|---|---|
| C/E, Dm/F, G | 032010, 1x0231, 320003 | E, F, G on the low E string, frets 0, 1, 3 |
| F to Dm/F | xx3211 to xx3231 | F stays on the D string at fret 3. Only the top of the chord changes. |
| Dm/F to D/F# | 1x0231 to 2x0232 | F to F# in the bass, and on the high E too. Both E strings move up one fret; the open D, the G at fret 2 and the B at fret 3 stay. |
To find the bass note anywhere on the neck, the fretboard notes page shows every F on every string.
Frequently asked questions
What does Dm/F mean?
How do you play Dm/F on guitar?
What notes are in Dm/F?
Is Dm/F the same as F6?
What is the difference between Dm/F and Dm/A?
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.