D Minor

Dm is a solid intermediate shape once open chords feel steady. The first shape is the easiest voicing: 3 fretted strings and 1 open string. Put your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the G string. Put your ring finger on the 2nd fret of the C string. Put your index finger on the 1st fret of the E string. Leave the A string open. Strum all four strings and check each one rings cleanly. Watch on YouTube

Dm is D, F, A. That is a minor triad (root, minor third, perfect fifth). Play them in any order and you still get Dm. Dm sits in the keys of C major, F major, A major.

A minor chord stacks root, minor third, and perfect fifth (1–♭3–5). In Dm that is the notes above. Soft and melancholic: the emotional counterpart to major. Adds depth and longing. Raise the third and the same family becomes major.

Songs that use Dm include Long Ago and Far Away, I Got Rhythm, Misty, Fast Car, Piano Man, and more.