D

D1F♯3A5

A major third and a perfect fifth over the root.

on guitar on piano the scale

Every fingering that fits a hand

Fig. 2

x220

moderate · barre

Fig. 3

7655

moderate

Fig. 4

765x

easy

Fig. 5

79a9

hard

Fig. 6

x225

moderate · barre · no 5

What is true of it

D is D, F♯ and A — 1, 3 and 5 counted from D.

On an instrument that cannot reach all 3, the 5 goes first, in that order.

The easiest of the 5 fingerings below is x220: one finger, one of them barring the 2nd fret, held at the 2nd fret.

None of them uses an open string, so this chord moves up the neck unchanged — the same shape 1 fret higher is the chord a semitone above.

2 of the 5 need a barre.

1 string stays silent.

Where its notes are on the neck

Fig. 7 — first 12 frets

The brass dots are D, the root. Everything else is a chord tone with its degree printed in it.

With a different note underneath

first inversion

D/F♯

x655

second inversion

D/A

2220

An inversion is the same chord with a different note lowest. The name changes to a slash name because the bass is what a listener hears as the foundation.

D in other shapes

Dmminor Ddimdiminished Daugaugmented D5power chord Dsus2suspended second Dsus4suspended fourth

C C♯D♭D♯E♭E F F♯all 374