How to Play a Dm Chord on Acoustic Guitar

I will admit that the D minor chord on guitar is probably one of the most awkward open chords out there. Even after all these years, I still find the Dm chord disturbing. I’m not sure why, but it’s just a weird feeling chord.

If you feel that way too, you’re definitely not alone.

D minor chord

The open Dm chord uses fingers 1, 2 and 3 over three different frets. The easiest way to practice getting in and out of a Dm chord is to practice going between D7 chord and the Dm. The reason for this is that both the Dm and the D7 chord share the second finger on the 3rd string.

You can see that in the diagrams below.

Find this website helpful? Click the button to show your support.

While this may not be the most useful chord change in terms of songs, it will definitely help you get the fell of the Dm down pat much better.

Hopefully by now you have worked on your D major chord quite a bit so that 3rd finger won’t be muting the first string too much. But if you do hear that first string being muted, make sure to check the knuckle on your third finger to ensure it is bent enough to clear the bottom string.

Want to improve your guitar playing even further?

Scroll to Top