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How to Play The D Minor Chord on Bass
The most common way to play the D minor chord on bass is at the 5th position of the fretboard, on the E, A, and D strings. Play it with your ring, pinky, and index fingers. Here’s how to place your fingers:
- Ring finger (3) on fret 5 of the E string
- Pinky finger (4) on fret 5 of the A string
- Index finger (1) on fret 3 of the D string
The root note, D, is on the 5th fret of the A string, which you can see in the chord diagram below.
You can also play D minor as a dyad, which means playing it with only the 2 primary intervals: the root (D) and the minor 3rd (F).
You can use this D minor arpeggio bass diagram to visualize and construct the D minor chord in any position on your fretboard.
Other names for D Minor
The D minor chord can be written in several ways, including:
- D Minor
- Dmin
- Dm
These notations all represent the same chord, built from the notes D, F, and A.
Practicing the D Minor chord on bass
The D minor chord is the root chord in the D natural minor scale, so use it in a 1-4-5 progression in the key of D minor. This gives you the chords Dm – Gm – Am.
The D minor chord also sounds great as the minor vi chord in the F major scale, and the minor ii chord in the C major scale. Use it in an F major chord progression, such as F – Dmin – Bb – C, or a C major chord progression, such as C – Amin – Dmin – G
