GuitarChords.net

D major guitar chord

Skip the two thick strings for D major. The notes are D, F sharp, and A. The first picture is the D most songs mean.

x means muted. 0 means open.

D major

Short code xx0232, thickest string first.

  1. Low E string: muted, do not play.
  2. A string: muted, do not play.
  3. D string: open, note D, 1st.
  4. G string: fret 2, index finger, note A, 5th.
  5. B string: fret 3, ring finger, note D, 1st.
  6. High E string: fret 2, middle finger, note F sharp, 3rd.

D major uses the notes D, A and F sharp.

This is a beginner grip.

People write "D" for "D major".

The first shape does not use a barre.

Another shape on this page uses a barre.

The next beginner chord on this site is E minor. Open the E minor page.

More D guitar chords.

Also D minor, D dominant 7, D major 7, D minor 7, D suspended 2, D suspended 4, D power chord, D diminished, D augmented.

D major, another shape

Short code x54232, thickest string first.

Barre fret 2 with the index finger on the G and high E strings.

  1. Low E string: muted, do not play.
  2. A string: fret 5, pinky finger, note D, 1st.
  3. D string: fret 4, ring finger, note F sharp, 3rd.
  4. G string: fret 2, index finger, note A, 5th.
  5. B string: fret 3, middle finger, note D, 1st.
  6. High E string: fret 2, index finger, note F sharp, 3rd.

D major uses the notes D, F sharp and A.

Why does the first D major skip the two thick strings?

The first picture is still D major: D, F sharp, and A. It mutes the two thick strings on purpose and rings the open D string as the lowest note. The second picture still mutes the thickest string, but it uses a barre at fret 2 and puts the lowest D on the A string. Same three notes. The second shape has a lower bass note, so it often sounds fuller.

If the D major in a song sounds fuller or lower than the first picture, try the barre picture lower on this page. It is still D major.

This site shows the chord. It does not play the recording. The first picture never plays the two thick strings. If a recording has extra low notes under D, that is a different way of playing it, or a capo (a clamp that raises every string), not a broken first picture. Changing too fast from G major will also make D sound messy. Check those before you decide your fingers failed.

F sharp is the note that makes this chord major instead of minor. On the first picture that F sharp is on the high E string, fret 2, middle finger. Play D minor after this D major. On D minor that note is F. Listen for F sharp turning into F.

You can play D major well and E minor well and still have trouble in a song that uses both. The hard part is moving from this first D shape to the first E minor shape without stopping. No finger stays on the same string and fret. Practice that change slowly.

Chords that go with D major

The matching minor chord is B minor. Open the B minor page.

This site also has G major and A major.

Progressions that start on D major

Play each line in order.

D major, G major, A major, D major

This is the campfire loop. D major (D) to G major (G) to A major (A) and home. Your ear already knows the last chord is coming, and that little click of "yes" is why beginners and church basements and country radio never get tired of it. It feels like a door shutting gently, not slamming.

D major, A major, B minor, G major

This loop is why so many pop songs feel like they have a plot. Bright, brighter, then B minor (Bm) makes it personal, then G major lets you keep going. Country-pop and adult contemporary use it too, not only Top 40. Good for a chorus people can feel on the first listen.

D major, B minor, G major, A major

D major to Bm is the first drop in the stomach. G major and A major walk you back the way a slow dance does. 1950s doo-wop and old love songs wore this path smooth. People hum it in the car before they know the words.

D major, A major, G major, D major

No minor chord, so no lump in the throat — only forward. 1970s rock, church-camp songs, anything that wants grit and a grin instead of a sad verse. You stomp. You keep going.

D major, E minor, A major, D major

E minor (Em) is a quieter color, not a tragedy. A major turns you around. D major is still home; you just took the long way. Jazz standards and softer pop from the 1930s on like that little wait before you land. It feels grown without getting hard.

Songs with D major

Listen for this chord, then use the grip on this page.

A Horse With No Name

D major sits in this America song. The recording is in E minor. It also uses E minor. The verse is E minor, D major.

D major is the other chord in the verse.

America put A Horse With No Name out in 1971. The song is in E minor. D major is the other chord. It is a little brighter than E minor. It is the step away from Em and back.

The first album was already underway. The band thought Gerry Beckley’s song I Need You would be the single. Dewey thought Desert Song was almost a novelty.

Warner Bros. Records, their label in London, asked if they had any more songs. They demoed four. When the label heard this one, they said they really liked it, and to record it.

They cut it at Morgan Studios in Willesden, London. The producer, Ian Samwell, said they must call it A Horse With No Name, not Desert Song. Dewey said sure.

He told that story to American Songwriter in 2020.

D major is the brighter chord that shows up, then you go back to E minor. The leftover they almost skipped is the song people know.

Three Little Birds

D major sits in this Bob Marley and the Wailers song. The recording is in A major. It also uses A major and E major. The chorus is A major, D major, A major. The verse is A major, E major, A major, D major, A major, E major, D major, A major.

D major is the other chord in the chorus, after A major.

Three Little Birds is an A major song. In the chorus you play A major, then D major. A major sits still. D major is warmer. It is the other color.

After the song was written, Marley started calling his backing singers his three little birds. Those singers were the I-Threes: Marcia Griffiths, Rita Marley, and Judy Mowatt.

After a show, the crowd wanted more. Marley would ask what his three little birds were saying. Griffiths told Vivien Goldman that for The Book of Exodus. She said the song was theirs.

D major is the warmer chord that answers A major in the chorus. Then you go back to A major. That is the extra voices coming in.