Guitar chord · Open shape · Standard tuning
D minor guitar chord (Dm)
Place finger 2 on the 2nd fret of the G, finger 3 on the 3rd fret of the B, finger 1 on the 1st fret of the high e. Don't play the low E or A strings.
D – F – A
Loop strum: down, down-up, up-down-up on 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.
Next moves
3 fingers, 4 strings, chart notation xx0231. Tap the chord box to hear it strummed, then play it string by string to check every note is ringing cleanly.
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
- F — the minor 3rd
- A — the perfect 5th
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.
A first strum pattern
Count “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &” — eighth notes (quavers). Strum down, down-up, up-down-up: down on 1, down on 2, up on the “&” of 2, up on the “&” of 3, down on 4, up on the “&” of 4. Keep your hand moving down and up all the time, and only touch the strings on the marked counts.
Start the strum loop above at 60–70 BPM and change chords on beat 1.
D minor FAQ
How do you play D minor on guitar?
Place finger 2 on the 2nd fret of the G, finger 3 on the 3rd fret of the B, finger 1 on the 1st fret of the high e. Don't play the low E or A strings. In chart notation it is xx0231, low E string first.
What notes are in D minor?
D, F and A: the root, the minor 3rd and the perfect 5th.
What chord comes after D minor?
Common changes from D minor: D dominant 7 and E major. Practice the switch slowly with the strum loop, then speed it up.
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.