How to play a Dm chord
Throughout this site we have learned how to form many piano chords. You can check out the main piano chords section to learn how to build various kinds of chords. On this page we take a look at the Dm (D minor) piano chord. Dm is just one way to represent the D minor chord. It can also be written as Dmin or D-.
To form this chord, combine the root note D, the minor third F, and the perfect fifth, A of the major scale. The minor third is also known as a flat third. If we were to play D F# A, this would be D major; instead of playing F# (F sharp), we lower that note by a semitone and play F natural.
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In a Dm chord, F is one and a half tones (three semitones) higher than D. A is two tones (four semitones) higher than F. A D min chord is a combination of a minor third and a major third. D to F is a minor third interval, while between F and A you have a major third interval.
The D minor chord has a sadder (melancholic) sound than the D major chord which has a happier tone. This is typical of all minor and major chords.
The root position for a D- chord is D F A. D is followed by F is followed by A. This chord can also be played in two inversions. In the first inversion you start with F, followed by A, followed by D. This last note D, is one octave higher than the D in root position. F remains the same. In the second inversion you play A, followed by D, followed by F. A remains the same but D and F are one octave higher on your keyboard. This is clearly illustrated in the Dm chord diagram above.
How To Play A D Minor Chord On Piano And Keyboard
Fingering
How do you play this chord? What finger plays what note? In root position, finger 1 plays D, finger 3 plays F and finger 5 plays A. In the 1st inversion, finger 1 plays F, finger 2 plays A and finger 4 plays D. In the second inversion finger 1 plays A, finger 3 plays D, and finger 5 plays F.
The D min chord occurs naturally in the following keys:
- D minor (chord i). Relative major – F major (chord vi)
- A minor (chord iv). Relative major – C major (chord ii)
- G minor (chord v). Relative major – Bb major (chord iii)
For an understanding of chords and the keys in which they occur, go to the page, Chords By Key.
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