What notes are in a D minor chord?

D minor contains three notes: D (the root), F (the minor third), and A (the perfect fifth).

How do you play a D minor chord on guitar?

The standard open voicing: middle finger on the 2nd fret of the 3rd string (A), ring finger on the 3rd fret of the 2nd string (D), index finger on the 1st fret of the 1st string (F). The 4th string rings open as D. Strum from the 4th string down.

How is D minor different from D major?

Only the third changes. D minor uses F (natural); D major uses F♯. The root (D) and fifth (A) are the same. On guitar the difference is one fret: in D major the high F♯ sits on the 2nd fret of the 1st string, in D minor it's on the 1st fret as F natural.

What is the "lament bass" and how does D minor fit in?

The lament bass is a descending stepwise bass line, often Dm → C → B♭ → A in D minor. It appears in countless baroque and later compositions to evoke grief — Purcell's "Dido's Lament," Bach's Crucifixus, and many subsequent pieces. The pattern is so iconic that hearing it in D minor immediately signals "lament" in trained ears.

D minor chord — notes, intervals, and practice

D minor is the most "serious" of the easy minor chords — Spinal Tap famously called it "the saddest of all keys," and there's some truth in the joke. Bach's D minor Toccata, Mozart's D minor Requiem, and a long list of grave classical and film works live here. The chord contains D, F, and A — all close to the centre of the staff, none requiring a key signature accidental on the chord itself.

Intervals

The D minor chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:

D→Fminor 3rd3 semitones
F→Amajor 3rd4 semitones
D→Aperfect 5th7 semitones

On the keyboard

Each note of the D minor chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.

On the guitar

One voicing of the D minor chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.

Common mistakes

D minor's key signature is one flat (B♭) — same as F major, its relative major. The D minor chord itself is D, F, A (no accidentals on the chord notes), but the surrounding key has B♭ on every B unless cancelled. In the key of D minor, the V chord is usually A major (with C♯ raised from C natural via harmonic minor); the C♯ doesn't appear in the key signature, so it has to be written as an explicit accidental every time. Missing it is the most common cadence error in D minor.

In context

D minor is the i chord in D minor and the vi chord in F major. The descending tetrachord Dm–C–B♭–A is one of the oldest gestures in Western music — it's the bass line of every "lament bass" passacaglia from Purcell's Dido onward. In jazz, the Dm7–G7–C cadence (ii–V–I in C major) puts D minor in the "ii" position constantly.

Drill it

The D minor chord is one of 48 in the Chord Trainer. Open the full trainer to practice it alongside related chords with timing and best-time tracking.

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Frequently asked

What notes are in a D minor chord?: D minor contains three notes: D (the root), F (the minor third), and A (the perfect fifth).
How do you play a D minor chord on guitar?: The standard open voicing: middle finger on the 2nd fret of the 3rd string (A), ring finger on the 3rd fret of the 2nd string (D), index finger on the 1st fret of the 1st string (F). The 4th string rings open as D. Strum from the 4th string down.
How is D minor different from D major?: Only the third changes. D minor uses F (natural); D major uses F♯. The root (D) and fifth (A) are the same. On guitar the difference is one fret: in D major the high F♯ sits on the 2nd fret of the 1st string, in D minor it's on the 1st fret as F natural.
What is the "lament bass" and how does D minor fit in?: The lament bass is a descending stepwise bass line, often Dm → C → B♭ → A in D minor. It appears in countless baroque and later compositions to evoke grief — Purcell's "Dido's Lament," Bach's Crucifixus, and many subsequent pieces. The pattern is so iconic that hearing it in D minor immediately signals "lament" in trained ears.