Beginners often struggle to grasp this crucial foundational shape for playing guitar. Achieve complete proficiency at this shape requires practice and confidence in manipulating its two lowest strings as part of effective muting techniques.
There are easier versions of the D shape to help beginners progress toward mastery of its full chord correctly.
Barre Chord
Barres allow you to form almost any major or minor chord shape with ease. Simply place your index finger across all frets except the nut, forming an E, A or Am shape underneath the bar made by your index finger and complete your creation!
Once you are comfortable with this shape, experiment by moving it around the neck in different positions. At first it may sound unsatisfying but with some effort you should soon have all your strings playing clearly and the perfect sound coming through.
Be mindful that precision is more essential than speed when it comes to barre chords. Like everything in guitar playing, mastering these shapes takes practice – but once mastered they can be extremely powerful tools in your musical arsenal! As Conor McGregor famously stated “Precision beats power every time.” So don’t hesitate to take your time when learning them!
Open String
This open chord is similar to a regular D chord, except it leaves the bottom string barred and only strums the middle and top strings. Mastering these open chords will add variety to your chord progressions.
This chord shape is easy to play, but requires independence of your pinky finger. Practice will bring this independence out, so don’t rush things – be patient.
In this example, press fret 2 of the G string with your index finger for note A, while using your ring finger to press fret 3 (and therefore F#). Typically speaking, leaving out the bottom string won’t add anything meaningful to this chord’s soundscape.
Dsus4
Suspended chords offer an intriguing way to add texture and variation to your chord progressions, by swapping out third interval for second or fourth. Although they can be tricky to finger, suspended chords tend to only differ marginally from major or minor chord shapes you already understand.
Start with a D major chord, and place your index finger on the second fret of the third string; your ring finger on the third fret of the second string; and pinky on second fret of first string – remember only strum thin strings!
Fingering this chord will yield a Dsus4. For other variations on this chord, check out ChordBank’s Chord Coach app – it listens as you play and guides every finger! Plus it’s completely free.
D7
The D7 chord is a beloved staple in blues music, and can add a funky, energetic tone to otherwise morose songs. Additionally, this chord can provide energy-charged pop tunes. Country musicians often employ it – Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight” is an example of its use to provide an upbeat transition during slow and reflective songs like her “Walkin’ After Midnight”.
To play this chord, move all the way up to the 10th fret and bar all strings except the top string. Place your index finger on string 1’s first fret while your middle finger places itself at string 3’s second fret; use part of your thumb to muffle out its 5th string so it doesn’t ring out too loudly.
Experiment with different fingerings of this chord to find one that works for you. Practice quickly moving your fingers so they become proficient at creating chords without constantly looking at a chart.