[3] X Research source As mentioned in the beginning, the D major chord in the open position is one of the foundational guitar chord shapes, along with the C, A, G, and E major chords. All Rights Reserved. E is the highest string and is tuned 2 octaves above the lowest string. Why am I holding the e string down on the D cord if I'm not going to even strum it? Two frets higher, for instance, makes a C major chord. Here is the common way to play a D major chord in the open position: Strum four strings down from the D string and let the notes ring out. Make sure that your fingers are as centered as possible between the frets, and that none of your fingers are accidentally muting other strings. A barre chord means using one finger to fret multiple strings. Experiment with variations. I can always depend on it to help me somehow for everything.". This chord will also be easier to play on an electric guitar because of the lighter string tension. There is no reason why you can't play any chord with a different root note - ask yourself how it sounds to you. high E: the first, thinnest, and highest-pitched string. This article has been viewed 164,989 times. If a particular note doesn't sound clear, shift your finger around until you can play it crisply. Be the first to know about new products, featured content, exclusive offers and giveaways. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Two steps lower makes an E major chord. The two biggest problems beginners have with the D chord are getting the shape confidently under your three fingers and muting the bottom two strings. You're going to run into this chord constantly. D major chord attributes: Interval positions with respect to the D major scale, notes in the chord and name variations: Scale intervals: 1 - 3 - 5; Notes in the chord: D - F# - A; Various names: D - D Major - Dmaj As for the 5th string, if you do accidentally strike it, don't worry about it too much because an A is part of the D major chord, so it won't sound bad. So after you've mastered this one, you can also add other chords like C, E, and F major (among many others) to your repertoire. Nate Savage is a professional guitarist with over 16 years of experience teaching guitar to students around the world. It helps to press just hard enough on the strings that are not supposed to be played to mute them, then it doesn't matter how you strum the strings because the muted strings wont be heard over the other strings. There are several ways to play the D major chord. Take care with your fingering, and practice often! Because of the way music theory works, these chords are frequently found next to each other in chord progressions. [1] X If you move these barre chord shapes up and down the fretboard, you can play any chord. Yes, there is an A note in the D chord - if you play the A string you would call it a D/A chord (meaning D with an A note in the bass). GB are the next two strings, like "GIRL" and "BOY". If you are a bit more advanced, then there are two ways to play D major as a barre chord. It is tuned two octaves above low E. B: the second string, directly above high E, A: the fifth string and the second-thickest string, directly above D. low E: the sixth, thickest, and lowest-pitched string. This article was co-authored by Nate Savage. His YouTube channel, Guitareo, has over 450,000 subscribers. Nate Savage is a professional guitarist with over 16 years of experience teaching guitar to students around the world. For example, "Desire" by U2, "Let It Go" by Demi Lovato (which was also featured in the film Frozen), and "My Best Friend's Girl" by the Cars all use the D major chord. Last Updated: January 12, 2020 The middle finger is making the F# note. % of people told us that this article helped them. Press the strings firmly, but try not to tense up! By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Research source But you will need to get to a point where the low E and A strings are muted so that low D string really rings out. If you know one barre chord shape you can play many different chords all over the fretboard just by sliding up and down to change the root note. This article was co-authored by Nate Savage. It only uses three fingers, and you place those fingers in a comfortable spot, on the first three strings (remember, we count our strings from the thinnest to … Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 164,989 times. Take it slow at first and clean playing will come with time. When you play an open D major, try placing your pinkie finger on the fourth fret of the fourth (D) string to add an extra F# note to the mix. A common alternative to playing the D major chord in the open position is to use the barre chord version. As mentioned in the beginning, the D major chord in the open position is one of the foundational guitar chord shapes, along with the C, A, G, and E major chords. If you're not a member yet, sign up for a free Fender Play trial! How are the strings numbered on a guitar? From top to bottom (assuming you are right-handed and using a right-handed guitar), they are E, A, D, G, B, and then E again. To help with the fingering, you can practice transitioning from a G major chord or A major chord to the D shape and back again. The below diagrams show you how to play the D major chord in various positions on the fretboard with suggested finger positions. To play the D barre chord in the 5th position: Strum four strings down from the A string, which is the root note. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. If you play the 6th string, here, then it won't be a D major chord. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/3a\/Play-a-D-Major-Chord-on-the-Guitar-Step-1-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Play-a-D-Major-Chord-on-the-Guitar-Step-1-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/3a\/Play-a-D-Major-Chord-on-the-Guitar-Step-1-Version-4.jpg\/aid138176-v4-728px-Play-a-D-Major-Chord-on-the-Guitar-Step-1-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":259,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"410","licensing":"