D Guitar Chord | The 14 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) - Lessons.com (2025)

Table of Contents

D Guitar Chord How to Play D Guitar Chord D Major Guitar Chord - Alternate #1 D Major Guitar Chord - Alternate #2 D Major Guitar Chord - Barre #1 D Major Guitar Chord - Alternate #3 D Major Guitar Chord - Barre #2 D Major Guitar Chord - 9th Fret #1 D Major Guitar Chord - 9th Fret #2 D Major Guitar Chord - 9th Fret #3 D Major Guitar Chord - 10th Fret Barre D Major Guitar Chord - Non-Barre #1 D Major Guitar Chord - Non-Barre #2 D Major Guitar Chord - Open #1 D Major Guitar Chord - Open #2 Practice Like You Mean It FAQs

Written by

Dwight H.

April 7, 2023

Fact-checked by

Paul Mazzola

D Guitar Chord

D Major, which consists of the notes D, F#, and A, is another one of those "essential" chords you need to know, regardless of what style of music you enjoy playing.

It's just as likely to pop up in an old James Brown tune as it is a Radiohead classic or the latest metal tune you're hooked on, so it's a must have for the arsenal.

Thankfully, there are more ways to play D Major than you can shake a stick at, so you'll have plenty of options deciding which voicings to use. Let's take a look, shall we?

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How to Play D Guitar Chord

We'll begin with the standard, open-position that every guitarist and their mother can show you how to play. It's simplicity at its finest:

D Guitar Chord | The 14 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) - Lessons.com (1)

Place your 1st finger on the 3rd string/2nd fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 1st string/2nd fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string/3rd fret
Play string 4 open
Mute strings 5 and 6

D Major Guitar Chord - Alternate #1

Now, what every guitarist and their mother usually don't tell you about this version of D Major is that you can beef it up using your other fingers for a fuller sound, like this:

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D Major Guitar Chord - Alternate #2

You can also play a version of D Major that's vaguely reminiscent of the open G Major shape:

D Guitar Chord | The 14 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) - Lessons.com (3)

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Place your 1st finger on the 4th string/4th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 5th string/5th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 1st string/5th fret
Mute strings 2, 3, and 6

D Major Guitar Chord - Barre #1

Obviously, you'll have to have good command of how to mute the strings to pull off this chord voicing. Be sure to practice slowly to ensure you're hitting the strings you want and deafening the strings you don't need to hear before you go full blast. Now, near the 5th fret, you have two options for D Major, the first of which is a barre chord:

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Use your 1st finger to bar the strings at the 5th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 4th string/7th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd string/7th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 2nd string/7th fret
Mute string 6

D Major Guitar Chord - Alternate #3

There's also a trickier, two finger, three string version you can try:

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D Guitar Chord | The 14 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) - Lessons.com (5)

Place your 1st finger on the 1st string/5th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string/7th fret
Play string 4 open
Mute strings 3, 5, and 6

D Major Guitar Chord - Barre #2

Again, muting will be a chief concern here, but won't be as much as an issue when you try the D Major barre chord on the 7th fret. Now, you'll have to worry about making some big stretches:

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Use your 1st finger to bar strings 2, 3, and 4 at the 7th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 5th string/9th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 6th string/10th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 1st string/10th fret

D Major Guitar Chord - 9th Fret #1

Now, if you want to talk about awkward finger positions, the D Major variants on the 9th fret will provide plenty of conversation fodder:

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Place your 1st finger on the 5th string/9th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 6th string/10th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string/10th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 3rd string/11th fret
Play string 4 open
Mute the 1st string

D Major Guitar Chord - 9th Fret #2

D Guitar Chord | The 14 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) - Lessons.com (8)

Place your 1st finger on the 5th string/9th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 6th string/10th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string/10th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 1st string/10th fret
Mute strings 3 and 4

D Major Guitar Chord - 9th Fret #3

D Guitar Chord | The 14 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) - Lessons.com (9)

Place your 1st finger on the 5th string/9th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 6th string/10th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string/10th fret
Mute strings 1, 3, and 4

D Major Guitar Chord - 10th Fret Barre

That last variation mind end up sounding a bit "wimpy" for your tastes, but you need a lighter, airier take on the D Major chord, it's the voicing you'll want to go with. Now, at the opposite end of the spectrum, this bold sounding barre chord on the 10th fret:

D Guitar Chord | The 14 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) - Lessons.com (10)

Use your 1st finger to bar the strings at the 10th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string/11th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 5th string/12th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 4th string/12th fret

D Major Guitar Chord - Non-Barre #1

You'll also find two non-barre variations at the 10th fret:

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Place your 1st finger on the 6th string/10th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd string/10th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd string/11th fret
Mute strings 1, 4, and 5

D Major Guitar Chord - Non-Barre #2

D Guitar Chord | The 14 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) - Lessons.com (12)

Place your 1st finger on the 2nd string/10th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string/11th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 4th string/12th fret
Mute strings 1, 5, and 6

D Major Guitar Chord - Open #1

Bringing things full-circle, there are two ways to play D Major using the open-position fingering further up the fretboard:

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Place your 1st finger on the 4th string/12th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string/14th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 1st string/14th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 2nd string/15th fret
Mute strings 5 and 6

D Major Guitar Chord - Open #2

D Guitar Chord | The 14 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) - Lessons.com (14)

Place your 1st finger on the 3rd string/14th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 1st string/14th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string/15th fret
Play string 4 open
Mute strings 5 and 6

Practice Like You Mean It

There are a lot different ways for you to play D Major, and it will likely take a while to commit these all to memory, so start practicing now and work through the entire list until you can play each voicing without referring back to the chart. As always, good luck, and happy practicing!

D Guitar Chord | The 14 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) - Lessons.com (2025)

FAQs

What is the alternative way to play the D chord on A guitar? ›

An Alternative Barre Chord Version

Index finger on the 5th fret of the A (5th) string.
Ring finger on the 7th fret of the D (4th) string.
Ring finger on the 7th fret of the G (3rd) string.
Ring finger on the 7th fret of the B (2nd) string.

How to play D on guitar easily? ›

Put your first finger on the second fret of the third string. Put your second finger on the second fret of the first string. Put your third finger on the third fret of the second string. Strum only the thinnest four strings.

How do you make A D chord sound good? ›

The best way to play a good sounding D chord is to play only the four highest strings or use drop D tuning. If you're playing with a bass player, the four highest strings will be a good idea.

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Why can't I play the D chord on guitar? ›

The D chord on guitar is very difficult for beginners because you have to use three 'split' fingers (they're not bunched together in an easy or compact group) and secondly you must avoid playing 2 strings. (See those X symbols on the chord box? They mean “don't play this string”.)

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What is the hardest technique to learn on the guitar? ›

A technique popular in genres like metal and rock, sweep picking is just as challenging as it sounds. It requires the guitarist to 'sweep' their pick across the strings in a smooth, rapid motion while maintaining perfect timing and synchronization. It's a real test of your speed, precision, and control.

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What is the basic D major chord? ›

D major chord (or Dmaj) have the notes D, F#, and A. The seventh (Dmaj7) can add the note C#.

When playing the D chord which strings do you not play? ›

For the D chord, you should NOT play the thickest two strings. Remember, the X means that you don't play that string. Have a go now and strum down with your pick from the fourth string down (towards the ground), remembering that the sixth string is the thickest string.

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What is the easiest chord to play? ›

One of the easiest chords for beginners to learn is the C major chord. The full version of this open chord requires three fingers, but gives a clear, distinctive sound as it rings out when strummed. Here's how to play the C major chord on guitar in open position: Index finger on the 1st fret of the B (2nd) string.

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What strings do you strum for a D chord? ›

To play the D chord, we only strum the first four strings starting from the bottom. If you're comfortable reading chord boxes? You'll notice that, in the diagram, the 4th string is marked with an O. This means we play the string, but there are no fingers on it - it's an open string!

What makes a chord sound happy? ›

A simple 'major' chord is made from the first, third and fifth notes of a major scale. This is reliably identified by Western adults and children as a happy chord.

Read The Full Story ›

What are the other chords for D? ›

The D Major chords are: Dmaj, Em, F#m, Gmaj, Amaj, Bm, and C# diminished.

What is the alternative to the D minor chord on a guitar? ›

A very simple alternative to the D minor guitar chord is to simply use a standard D chord. It's not ideal, but it's a quick-fix that's passable. Unlike other major/minor variants, you can actually use a D major in place of D minor without too much damage to the song. Give it a try.

How to substitute chords? ›

The easiest kind of substitution is to swap a major chord with its relative minor, or a minor chord with its relative major. These pairs of chords are, as the names suggest, related: they have two of their three notes in common.

Keep Reading ›

What chord sounds like D? ›

A single note such as “D” is monophonic because it only has one pitch. A chord is “homophonic” because it has multiple voices. The chord that would sound most like the note “D” would be a D Major chord.