D guitar chord
D (D major) is built from D, F# and A, the degrees 1–3–5. On guitar, the main shape is x x 0 2 3 2, the first diagram, marked with the star.
A room full of friends, somebody borrows a guitar, and the first sound out is almost always a chord like this. D major is half the world's starting point. Tap the player below.
Hear D before you play
Why D sounds this way
Now listen to the arpeggio, one note at a time. There are only three: D, F# and A. The middle one is the one that matters. That's the major third, and it's what gives this chord its wide-open-day face — remember the name, because in a minute we'll move exactly that note and you'll hear the weather change.
How to play D on guitar
On the guitar, six strings give the chord room to breathe — some positions use them all, others ask you to mute the lowest ones. So start with the first position below — it uses 1 open string, so the guitar does half the work for you — it's the main shape — that's why it carries the ⭐. Before you get discouraged for nothing: play the notes one by one before strumming. If one sounds muffled, a finger is touching the next string. Adjust, try again. It bugs you for a week and then it's automatic.
In the app: 29 D shapes on guitar
With the fingering and audio of each one, free. In the app, the arpeggio of each shape is part of Pro.
Precision Tuner: Get in tune before you play: chromatic tuner and reference tones, free in standard tuning · use it in Chord and Fret
The other positions are the same chord living on different floors of the neck. You don't need them today. But when a song asks for it higher and tighter, you'll know where it lives.
Left-handed? Mirror's right here
D notes and degrees
D stacks the root D, the major third F# and the perfect fifth A.
Where D shows up
So where does this chord show up in real life? Almost always as VII in E minor, VI in F# minor, III in B minor. Don't memorize that — just notice that the same shape plays different roles in different songs, the way a word changes meaning with the sentence.
Transpose & Capo: Need it in another key? Transpose the progression for free; finding the best capo is part of Pro · see it in Chord and Fret
Identify Chord: Found a shape on your fretboard? Mark it on the screen and the app names the chord, 5 times a day for free · open in Chord and Fret
Real songs pass through here: Sertanejo · pop axis · Sertanejo · caipira (Brazilian country) · Rock · classic Mixolydian · Reggae · major vamp · Forró · simple I-IV-V · Folk · three chords
Where D usually goes
Treating D as the home chord (I) of its key, it usually moves toward the pre-dominant (Em / G) or the dominant (A / C#°), and the dominant pulls back home. It's a tendency, not a law.
Going beyond D
When it's time to improvise over it, D Ionian (D E F# G A B C# · 1 2 3 4 5 6 7: the plain major scale, where everything starts); D Lydian (D E F# G# A B C# · 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7: the major scale with a raised fourth — one extra step of daydream) fit entirely. The swaps below are for when your ear gets bored of the obvious.
D Ionian
In the app: the 7 positions of D Ionian on guitar
With degree, note and finger labels on each one, free. Playing the whole scale is part of Pro.
The same D Ionian in its main shapes along the neck — pick whichever position sits under your hand. The rings mark the guide notes (the 3rd and 7th) that carry this chord's color.
Scale: The scale's positions across the neck, with degree, note and finger labels, free; playing the scale and the tempo-ramp exercise are part of Pro · try it in Chord and Fret
Scales to improvise over D
To improvise over D as home, the D Ionian scale covers it whole: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want. And when the dominant (A) pulls back, the leading tone C# is the note that wants to resolve home.
Swaps that work:
- Bm7Bm7Bm7Bm7 — Relative minor (vi) — same tonic function
- F#m7F#m7F#m7F#m7 — Mediant (iii) — tonic function
Reharmonize: Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize's Subtle and Medium levels are free; Bold and Jazz are part of Pro · try it in Chord and Fret
D is home. And home makes more sense once you step outside for a minute: D7 is the door — go see what's out there.
D chord questions
What notes are in the D chord?
The D chord is made of the notes D, F# and A.
How do you play D on guitar?
Form the shape from string 6 to string 1: x x 0 2 3 2. “x” means that string does not sound. “0” means play it open. The shape starts at fret 2.
What chord comes after D?
Treating D as the home chord (I) of its key, it usually moves toward the pre-dominant (Em / G) or the dominant (A / C#°), and the dominant pulls back home. It's a tendency, not a law.
What scale works over D?
To improvise over D as home, the D Ionian scale covers it whole: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want.