Guitar chord · Open shape · Standard tuning
D minor guitar chord (Dm)
3 fingers, 4 strings, chart notation xx0231. Tap the chord chart to hear it strummed, then arpeggio it to check every note is ringing cleanly.
All the strings in one sweep, low to high — how the chord sounds in a song.
- Strings, low to high
- D · A · D · F
- Chord tones
- D R · F b3 · A 5
How to play Dm
Finger numbers run 1 for the index to 4 for the little finger. String names are given as players say them — the low E is the thickest string (the 6th) and the high E is the thinnest (the 1st).
- 1st finger (index) — 1st fret, high E string
- 2nd finger (middle) — 2nd fret, G string
- 3rd finger (ring) — 3rd fret, B string
- Play open: D (4th) — strum it without fretting anything.
- Leave out: low E (6th) and A (5th) — start the strum below them, or damp them with the side of the thumb.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note it sounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th — low E | Not played | — | × |
| 5th — A | Not played | — | × |
| 4th — D | Open | — | D |
| 3rd — G | 2nd fret | 2 (middle) | A |
| 2nd — B | 3rd fret | 3 (ring) | D |
| 1st — high E | 1st fret | 1 (index) | F |
Notes and intervals in Dm
Dm is built from 3 notes: D, F and A.
- D — the root (R)
- F — the minor 3rd (b3)
- A — the perfect 5th (5)
Across the six strings the shape sounds D · A · D · F from low to high, so some notes are doubled in different octaves — that is what gives an open guitar chord its width compared with the same chord on a keyboard.
What Dm is used for
Dm is D major with the high E string moved down a fret, turning the F♯ into an F. It is the ii chord in C major — the chord that sets up G7 and a return home to C — and the darkest sounding of the easy open shapes, because the minor 3rd sits right at the top of the voicing where you hear it most.
Common mistakes with Dm
- Mixing up Dm and D. Only the high E string changes; if the top note still sounds bright you are playing D major.
- The index finger dragging across the B string. It only needs the 1st fret of the high E, so keep it upright on its tip.
- Playing the 5th and 6th strings. Dm starts at the open D string.
Guitar chord data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.