Chords in the Key of D Minor — Guitar Chord Chart

Guitar Chords in the Key of D Minor

The key of D minor has 1 flat, and its seven chords are Dm, Edim, F, Gm, Am, B♭, C. Start with Dm, Gm, Am: they are the three a song in D minor cannot do without. Every diagram below plays when you press it.

The seven chords of D minor

One chord on each note of the scale, built from the scale’s own notes. Capital numerals are major chords, small ones minor, and ° is diminished.

iDmxx0231the home chord
ii°Edimxx2353rare — a passing chord
IIIF133211the relative major
ivGm310033the step away from home
vAmx02210the natural, gentler dominant
VIB♭x13331bright against the minor home
VIICx32010a whole step under home

The three to learn first

Dm is home — the chord the song starts from and ends on. Gm is the step away, and Am is the one that pulls back home. On guitar they are xx0231, 310033 and x02210: Dm with three fingers, Gm with four fingers and Am with three fingers.

The easy way: a capo at the 5th fret

D minor is not a friendly key on guitar — Edim, F, Gm and B♭ need a barre or a fourth finger. Clamp a capo at the 5th fret and play the chords of A minor instead: every shape sounds 5 semitones higher, so the Am shape sounds Dm, the Dm shape sounds Gm and the Em shape sounds Am.

Progressions in D minor

The orders these chords are most often played in. Press play to hear each one strummed, a bar to a chord.

i – iv – V7Dm – Gm – A7

The minor three-chord song, with the major dominant.

i – VI – III – VIIDm – B♭ – F – C

The four-chord pop progression, started from its minor chord.

i – VII – VI – V7Dm – C – B♭ – A7

The descending “Andalusian” line.

The sevenths

Four-note versions of the same chords. A7 is the one worth learning first: it is Am with one note added, and it pulls toward Dm harder than the plain chord does.

V7A7x02020the major dominant, borrowed from the harmonic minor
i7Dm7xx0211home, softened
iv7Gm7353333the step away, softened

The scale behind the chords

D minor is the notes D – E – F – G – A – B♭ – C. Every chord above uses only those seven notes (except A7, which raises the seventh), which is why they sound as if they belong together — and why a melody in D minor fits over any of them. Its relative major is F major, which has the same notes and the same chords with a different home.

The nearest keys are a fifth either side: A minor and G minor. Each shares six of this key’s seven notes, which is why songs change key to them so often.

Frequently asked questions

What chords are in the key of D minor?

Dm (i), Edim (ii°), F (III), Gm (iv), Am (v), B♭ (VI), C (VII). They are the seven chords you get by stacking thirds on each note of the D minor scale — D, E, F, G, A, B♭, C — using only notes of that scale. Songs in D minor also use A7, the major dominant, which borrows one note from outside it.

What are the three main chords in D minor?

Dm, Gm and Am — the chords on the first, fourth and fifth notes of the scale. Dm is home, Gm moves away from it and Am pulls back. A great many songs use only these three.

What is the relative major of D minor?

F major. The two keys share all seven notes and all seven chords, in a different order: what is III in D minor is the home chord of F major. A song can move between them without any chord sounding out of place.

Is D minor an easy key on guitar?

4 of its six everyday chords — Edim, F, Gm and B♭ — need a barre or four fingers on guitar. The usual way round that is a capo at the 5th fret, playing the chord shapes of A minor.

Strum them yourself

The playable guitar puts the chords of a key in a row: tap one to hold it, and drag across the strings.

Play the Virtual Guitar