Chords
D Minor
D · F · A
The minor triad — a root, a minor third and a perfect fifth. Stable, but shaded.
Also written Dmin · D-
D Minor
D · F · A
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | D3 · F3 · A3 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
D Minor (Dm) contains the notes D · F · A, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built
Inversions
An inversion of D Minor puts a chord tone other than D in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales D Minor belongs to.
In which keys
D Minor is diatonic to 7 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
D Minor fits inside these scales, each built on D.
- D Minor PentatonicD · F · G · A · C
- D Major BluesD · E · F · F# · A · B
- D Minor BluesD · F · G · Ab · A · C
- D MinorD · E · F · G · A · Bb · C
- D Melodic MinorD · E · F · G · A · B · C#
- D Harmonic MinorD · E · F · G · A · Bb · C#
- D DorianD · E · F · G · A · B · C
- D PhrygianD · Eb · F · G · A · Bb · C
Understanding the D Minor chord
Names and symbols
Dm is the chord symbol for D Minor; it is also written Dmin, D-.
How it is built
On D the minor triad is D · F · A, stacking the intervals 1P · 3m · 5P. It is a major triad with its third lowered by a semitone, and that single change is the whole difference.
How it is used
It is the tonic of its own minor key and the ii, iii and vi of the relative major. The vi chord in particular is what makes the I–V–vi–IV progression work: it is the moment a bright progression turns inward without leaving the key.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Dm?
- Dm contains D · F · A. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- How do you build a minor chord?
- Stack a minor third and then a major third above the root — the reverse of a major triad.
- Why do minor chords sound sad?
- The minor third sits further from the simple overtone ratios than the major third, so the chord reads as darker. The association with sadness is learned, but the acoustic difference is real.
- What notes are in the D Minor chord?
- The D Minor chord contains the notes D · F · A: the root D with the intervals 1P, 3m, 5P stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally D, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the D Minor chord?
- Measured from D, the D Minor chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3m, 5P. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.