How to play the D chord on guitar (2024)

By Jonny Scaramanga

published

Beginner guitar: the D chord fuels countless rock classics and pop ballads alike. Here, we break it down for you, as well as some useful variations

How to play the D chord on guitar (1)

Jump To:

  • Dsus2
  • Dmaj7
  • D/F#
  • D major G shape barre

Beginner guitar: The key of D just sounds great for guitar. Feel-good rock classics like Bryan Adams' Summer of '69 and Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama take advantage of how bright and powerful this chord sounds, while ballads like Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud and U2’s With or Without You capitalize on how satisfying it is to strum.

If you’ve been following our series on guitar chords, learning how to play the D chord will complete your knowledge of the open major chords on guitar. Together, the five chords spell out C-A-G-E-D, which makes them easy to remember. If you want to practice all five chords together, try strumming through Jimi Hendrix’s Hey Joe, which uses all 5 in the sequence C-G-D-A-E.

  • How to play guitar chords for beginners
  • How to play the C chord on guitar
  • How to play the A chord on guitar
  • How to play the G chord on guitar
  • How to play the E chord on guitar

How to play the D chord on guitar: open D

How to play the D chord on guitar (2)

To play the D major chord, put your first finger on the G string, fret 2. Your second finger goes on the high E string, fret 2, and your third finger goes on the B string, fret 3. Your three fingers end up forming a triangle, and you might find it easier to remember this shape by visualizing that triangle.

It’s a relatively easy chord shape to fret, but challenging to strum because you want to avoid plucking the low E and A strings. There are versions of D that use all six strings, and we’ll look at those later on.

Image

1

of

2

How to play the D chord on guitar (3)
How to play the D chord on guitar (4)

How to play the D chord on guitar: D major barre chords

Image

1

of

3

How to play the D chord on guitar (5)
How to play the D chord on guitar (6)
How to play the D chord on guitar (7)

The E-shape barre chord of D major is played at the 10th fret. Barre the 10th fret with your first finger. Then add your second finger to the G string, 11th fret; third finger to the A string, 12th fret; and fourth finger to the D string, 12th fret. You can strum all six strings.

The A-shape barre chord for D major is at the 5th fret. Barre the strings from the A string up to the high E string with your first finger. You need to fret the 7th fret of the D, G, and B strings with your remaining fingers. You can either use one finger per string, or barre all three with one finger (usually your third finger). If you choose the barring option, you’ll probably mute the high E string, which will sound fine.

Pro tip: when holding A-shape barre chords, you usually avoiding strumming the low E string. You can go one better by letting the tip of your first finger graze the low E. This will choke the string so that you can’t hear it even if you catch it while strumming. It takes a bit of work to make this a habit, but once you can do it you’ll never have to worry about a stray E string making you sound bad again.

How to play the D chord on guitar: easy D chord variations

Dsus2

Image

1

of

3

How to play the D chord on guitar (14)
How to play the D chord on guitar (15)
How to play the D chord on guitar (16)

Make the standard open D major chord shape (see above), and remove your second finger from the high E string. This chord is Dsus2, and it sounds beautiful. Sus2 chords sound great in acoustic singer-songwriter contexts, and you’ll also hear them in distorted riffs by emo and djent bands.

They’re not major or minor, so you can use them almost anywhere! This chord will also improve your fretting accuracy, because you’ll have to be careful not to choke the high E string with your other fretting fingers.

Dmaj7

Image

1

of

3

How to play the D chord on guitar (17)
How to play the D chord on guitar (18)
How to play the D chord on guitar (19)

You can also try D major 7, which looks a lot like the classic open A major shape, but with each finger moved onto a higher string. Put your first finger on the G string, fret 2, second finger on the B string, fret 2, and third finger on the high E string, fret 2. You’ll often hear major 7s in jazz, but you can try it anywhere you want a more sophisticated major sound.

How to play the D chord on guitar: advanced D chord variations

D/F#

Image

1

of

3

How to play the D chord on guitar (20)
How to play the D chord on guitar (21)
How to play the D chord on guitar (22)

Jimi Hendrix liked to modify the classic open D major shape (see above) by wrapping his thumb over the neck, and fretting the second fret on the low E string. This technically makes a D/F# or first inversion chord. It sounds pretty cool, especially leading into Highway to Hell (you can hear the same sound in Highway to Hell, although Angus Young used a different fingering).

This will feel like a stretch at first but it’s a useful technique. If you can’t manage to fret that note cleanly with your thumb, you can just rest your thumb against the E string to choke it. Then you can strum freely, without having to avoid the low E.

D major G shape barre

Image

1

of

3

How to play the D chord on guitar (23)
How to play the D chord on guitar (24)
How to play the D chord on guitar (25)

Finally, try another barre shape, this time based on a partial G shape. Barre the 7th fret with your first finger (you only need to barre the top four strings, D to high E), and add your fourth finger to the high E string, 10th fret. This has a bright, open sound that’s useful in funk and R&B riffs.

Gear up with our beginner guitar guides

  • Take your first steps with the best acoustic guitars for beginners
  • Or plug in with the best beginner electric guitars
  • Start them young with the best guitars for kids
  • Essential guitar accessories for beginners
  • Give you playing a boost with the best online guitar lessons

How to play the D chord on guitar (26)

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**

Join now for unlimited access

US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year

UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year

Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

How to play the D chord on guitar (27)

Join now for unlimited access

Prices from £2.99/$3.99/€3.49

Get The Pick Newsletter

All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!

Jonny Scaramanga

More lessons

“I think of the guitar as the singer, and the emotive qualities inherent in the human voice should be exhibited in the single-note lines”: How to connect melodic phrases using chromaticism and string bending, with Andy TimmonsSurf guitar is on the rise thanks to guitarists like Khruangbin's Mark Speer, and it can teach you a lot about attitude and note choice – Arianna Powell shows you how your playing can benefit from catching the wave

Latest

“I wouldn’t be able to play the technical stuff while wearing the mask. I’ve almost passed out a few times”: Slipknot’s original bassist Paul Gray on holding the middle ground in metal’s most extreme band
See more latest►

Most Popular
“The most well-known user of this instrument was universally beloved for having one of the heaviest guitar tones of all time”: Joe Bonamassa explains why you can rule the world with one pickup
He taught John Lennon to fingerpick, shaping future Beatles classics, while the ’60s music press compared him to Bob Dylan – why Donovan is an under-appreciated acoustic guitar great
The guitar riff changed the course of popular music in the 1950s and remains a powerful force today – we chart its development over the decades, and what you can learn from its evolution
“A relentless speed and accuracy rarely heard before on the electric guitar”: Al Di Meola’s peerless alternate-picking style changed the landscape of guitar playing – just ask John Petrucci and Nuno Bettencourt
Dimebag Darrell wrote the book on the art of shredding – but his rhythm style took metal riffing to a new level
“Some of the phrases here are played at breakneck speed”: Grammy-winning virtuoso Ardeshir Farah is a nylon-string acoustic wizard who fuses Iranian and Western music – and his techniques will expand your solos’ horizons
Dan Auerbach is one of Ohio’s greatest guitar players, bringing blues roots to the mainstream with a major-league soloing and riffing style
Using a voice-leading approach is a surefire way to make your guitar solos more melodic – Andy Timmons, a master of the craft, shows you how
5 weird chord shapes that will add mystery, suspense and drama to your songwriting
The guitar greats describe a good solo as a “song within a song” – here’s how to make it happen and craft a solo that makes a statement
Struggling to get the right feel in your fusion licks? This John Scofield-inspired lesson will teach you how to make your jazz playing strut
How to play the D chord on guitar (2024)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Fr. Dewey Fisher

Last Updated:

Views: 6069

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (62 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Fr. Dewey Fisher

Birthday: 1993-03-26

Address: 917 Hyun Views, Rogahnmouth, KY 91013-8827

Phone: +5938540192553

Job: Administration Developer

Hobby: Embroidery, Horseback riding, Juggling, Urban exploration, Skiing, Cycling, Handball

Introduction: My name is Fr. Dewey Fisher, I am a powerful, open, faithful, combative, spotless, faithful, fair person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.