subject: Guitar For Kids -- The Dm Chord [print this page] Hi everyone! Hi everyone!
We're gonna talk about the Dm chord now. Yep, it's a minor chord. Remember the formula for building a minor chord? Well, just in case ya forgot, here it is:
R + m3 + M3 ( a m3 = 3 half-steps, a M3 = 4 half-steps )
The root of the Dm chord is, you guessed it, a D. So what about the rest? We need to first go up a m3 from the root. Look at the chromatic scale.
A A#/Bb B C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A
Answer: F
Now we need to go up a M3 from the F:
Answer: A
So... the Dm chord is D F A. These are the only notes in a Dm chord.
Now let's take a good look at the fingering.
[ X 0 0 2 3 1 ]
The 1st string has the 1st finger on the 1st fret. This note is an F.
The 2nd string has the 3rd finger on the 3rd fret. This note is a D.
The 3rd string has the 2nd finger on the 2nd fret. This note is an A.
The 4th open string is a D, and the 5th open string is an A.
The 6th string is not played. Don't even think about it...
So from high to low, the notes for this Dm chord are:
F D A D A X
It does not matter that some notes are repeated. It only matters that the only notes being played are D, F and A.
And yes, there are other ways to play this chord, but again, the only notes will be D F A.
The Dm chord is one of those really pretty sounding chords, but also tends to be one of the harder ones to play clearly. If you have this problem, just spend some more time with it. It will be okay.
Sooooo... Practice and memorize. Or is it memorize and practice...? Well... Do 'em both.
Professor Bruno Noteworthy
by: Professor Bruno Noteworthy: Toon Music Professor
