Learn The Dm Chord on Guitar

In this easy beginner guitar lesson we take a quick, in-depth look at how to play the Dm chord (aka. D minor chord)

When you’re first learning how to play guitar, I recommend practicing chord switching between two chords. That way, you’ll be able to learn some easy 2 chord songs on guitar, and can focus on the strumming patterns and all that other (very important) stuff.

Once you learn a few two chord songs, you’ll be able to expand your chord vocabulary and learn some 3 chord songs, etc. It’s more important to focus on the whole picture (putting chords & strumming together) than getting carried away with how many chords you know – quality over quantity!

D Minor Chord Diagram

Note: You can use either your ring or pinky finger for the B string.

Not sure what this chord diagram means? Learn how to read guitar chord diagrams!

Tips For Playing Dm Chord on Guitar

The Dm chord is among the trickiest of the basic guitar chords. Getting the fingers to reach all the way, and curling them enough so you don’t touch adjacent strings takes a while to get used to. In my free eBook, you’ll find the following Dm chord tips along with helpful diagrams and visuals to make this chord easier to play.

1. Make sure your thumb is in a good spot near the middle of the neck (up vs down), pointing upwards, and halfway between your index and ring (or pinky) finger
2. Sit up straight, with your shoulders back and pull your elbow in a bit, in order to give your ring finger a bit more reach
3. Keep your fingers curled so they don’t mute adjacent strings
4. Press as close to the fret as possible

To speed up the process, I recommend doing some quick & easy warmup exercises that’ll help build up your strength and reach. To help with that, here’s a page with some great guitar warm up exercises for beginners (and beyond!)

Switching Between Dm and Other Basic Guitar Chords

You’ll often find the Dm chord adjacent to a G chord, and that’s a great place to start, as they share a common finger (ring finger). Dm to C and Dm to A are also worth looking into early on.

To help you practice this switch and many other common ones, I’ve put together an entire page dedicated to switching between Dm and other basic chord shapes.

Easy Songs Containing The Dm Chord

I cannot find a 2 chord song on guitar with the Dm chord – if you know of one, please contact me (using the “contact” link above) and I will credit you with the discovery!

There are still plenty of easy guitar songs that use Dm however. You can also try using the song finder, here on my website. Simply check the box for “Dm” and search for any song containing the Dm chord!

Am, Em, Dm

• All Your Love (John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers)

Dm, C, G, Am

• Blinding Lights Guitar Tutorial (The Weeknd)

A, Dm, C, F

• Man Who Sold The World Guitar Tutorial (Nirvana cover of David Bowie)

C, Em, Am, F, G, B7, Dm, A7

• Can’t Help Falling In Love With You Guitar Tutorial (Elvis Presley)

If you’re looking for a complete path, that will transform you from an absolute beginner into a confident guitarist, check out my Beginner’s Course. It’ll teach you all the fundamentals of guitar: rhythm, dexterity, accuracy, all while learning real songs that you can enjoy playing at home, or with your family and friends.