Guitar chord · Triads
D major chord on guitar
xx0232 · Open position
All 6 shapes, tab & fingering ↓
6 ways to play D on guitar, with finger positions, tabs and step-by-step instructions.
Bright, stable and resolved — the foundation of most songs.
D is the I chord in D major, IV in A major and V in G major. In minor keys: III in B minor, V in G minor, VI in F♯ minor and VII in E minor.
- Notes
- DF♯A
- Formula
- 135
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th
Guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E) · 6 voicings · E string on the left · Other tunings →
How to play it · Open position
- 6th string (low E): don’t play — mute it
- 5th string (A): don’t play — mute it
- 4th string (D): play open D
- 3rd string (G): 2nd fret, index finger (1) A
- 2nd string (B): 3rd fret, ring finger (3) D
- 1st string (high E): 2nd fret, middle finger (2) F♯
Tablature
e|--2---| B|--3---| G|--2---| D|--0---| A|--x---| E|--x---|
Top line is the high E string. x = don’t play, 0 = open string.
Every D note on the guitar neck
Bright dots are the selected voicing — the rest are other places you can find the same chord tones.
Tips for playing D on guitar
Only the top four strings are played (xx0232), so start your strum on the open D string. Your fingers form a small triangle: index on the G string, middle on the high E, ring on the B string one fret higher.
You’ll find D in common progressions such as D–A–Bm–G (the pop progression in D major), D–G–A–G (three-chord rock in D major) and D–Bm–G–A (the ’50s progression in D major).
Learning guitar? D is part of stage 4 (“D major”) of our first guitar chords path.
