D Minor Piano Chord & Inversions: dm, dm/f, dm/a - (2024)

A classic minor chord to learn is D minor! The D minor piano chord is is a truly melancholy chord. D minor is on the mellower side, being a flat key rather than a sharp key. The good news is that it is also very easy to learn if you’re a beginner!

Before learning the D minor chord, make sure you learn the D major chord. It is always good to learn the major version of the chord first, so you have a clear picture of how the chord changes when it becomes minor!

In addition, it wouldn’t hurt to know a few other chords before trying Dm: I recommend learning G minor, Bb major, and C major first.

What is the D minor chord on piano?

The D minor chord is a minor triad without any flats or sharps. It is formed just like any other minor chord—by taking the major chord and lowering the third a half step. If that sounds tricky now, don’t worry! The diagrams and tips I have for you should help.

How do you play D minor on the keyboard?

You will play a D minor chord simply by pressing down the 3 notes in the triad simultaneously. See below for a diagram on which notes are included.

Notes in a D Minor Chord

In it’s simplest form (root position) the D minor chord includes 3 notes: D, F, and A. D is the root of the chord, F the minor third, and A the perfect fifth. Below you can see D minor on the keyboard!

D Minor Piano Chord & Inversions: dm, dm/f, dm/a - (1)

Dm Chord Piano Finger Position

Next, you need to make sure that you are putting the right fingers on these notes! Fingering is highly important when learning anything new on the piano. Definitely don’t skip this step!

The nice thing is that thefingerings for minor chords are always the same.And even better, the fingering is the same as major chords! Even though the number of flats and sharps vary, the fingering remains the same.

Right hand fingering: 1 – 3 – 5
Left hand fingering: 5 – 3 – 1

Don’t forget that finger 1 is your thumb, finger 3 your middle finger, and finger 5 your pinky.

Dm Piano Chord Inversions

After you learn the basic D minor triad, the next step is inversions! Inversions are basically just the same notes in the triad but mixed up in a different order— but you should know that if you’ve already learned your major chords!

Dm/F – First Inversion Chord

D minor first inversion is known as Dm/F. This is because the F is now on the bottom, followed by A, and then D on the top.

D Minor Piano Chord & Inversions: dm, dm/f, dm/a - (2)

Right Hand fingering: 1 – 2 – 5
Left hand fingering: 5 – 3 – 1

Dm/A – Second Inversion Chord

D minor second inversion is known as Dm/A, for the same reason as the previous chord. This time, the A is on the bottom, followed by D, and F on top.

D Minor Piano Chord & Inversions: dm, dm/f, dm/a - (3)

Right hand fingering: 1 – 3 – 5
Left hand fingering: 1 – 2 – 5

Now that you’ve learned the basics of inversions, you want to practice them a lot! Start by doing your hands separately. Do the basic D minor chord, then go up the inversions until you reach another basic D minor chord. Then, come back down. You can do this in both hands separately, and then put them together when you’re comfortable enough!

D Minor Inversions on the Staff

It is a good idea not only to play the D minor inversions, but to see what they look like written out on the staff. The more you study this, the easier it will be to recognize D minor chords and inversions in an actual piece of music!

D Minor Piano Chord & Inversions: dm, dm/f, dm/a - (4)

What chords are in the key of D Minor?

While D minor is a specific chord, it also is a key with other chords in it too! In fact, a chord can be built off of every single note in the D minor scale. All of these chords work well together with D minor when used in chord progressions (see farther down for more info).

Here are all the chords in the key of D minor (from the natural minor scale):

  • i – D minor
  • iidim – E diminished
  • III – F major
  • iv – G minor
  • v – A minor
  • VI – B flat major
  • VII – C major

Another chord you will commonly see in D minor is A major. This is because another version of the D minor scale, harmonic minor, has the C# included! Transitioning from a major V chord to a minor i chord is very common, espeically in classical music. Try playing the A chord and then the Dm chord, and you’ll see it sounds very good and resolute!

D Minor Chord Progressions

The best way to use those chords listed above is to put them into a chord progression! This is simply an order of playing a few chords that is often repeated multiple times. Here are a few of my favorite D minor chord progressions. Note that these stay within the natural minor scale.

  • Dm – Bb – F – C (i – VI – III – VII)
  • Gm – F – Dm – C (iv, III, i, VII)
  • Dm – F – Gm – Bb (i, III, iv, VI)

More Questions About D Minor

Is D minor the saddest key?

Yes, a lot of people do believe that D minor is the saddest key. Each minor key has a slightly different “feel” or “mood” and D minor is definitely among the most melancholy of them all. It was very often used for lamentations, dirges, etc. For years, composers and songwriters have turned to D minor to produce ultra sorrowful music.

What does D minor resolve to?

When you’re playing chord progressions in D minor and you want to resolve, the most common resolution is to go back to the i—D minor itself. The most common minor resolution is actually a V7 to the i. So in this case, A7 to D minor makes for a great resolution

Is D minor the same as F major?

No, D minor is not exactly the same as F major. While they have the same key signature (1 flat), they are still not the same key. Instead, they are known as relative major and minor chords/scales.

Is D minor the same thing as D major?

No, D minor is also not the same as D major. D major is spelled D, F#, A, so it has a raised third while D minor has a lowered third.

What mode is D minor?

Good question. D minor is often used in the mode of Dorian, which is technically a mode in the C major scale. In this form, D dorian has all white keys, so the Bb normally in the Dm scale becomes a B natural.

Conclusion

D minor is a sad, sorrowful key, and the d minor chord is just one part of that bigger picture. Thankfully, it is not hard to learn at all! Start with the basic chord, pay attention to fingerings, and of course try inversions and chord progressions too. With a little practice, you’ll soon have a good grip on the D minor chord. You got this!

D Minor Piano Chord & Inversions: dm, dm/f, dm/a - (2024)

FAQs

What is the inversion of the D minor chord? ›

The 2 inversions to the D minor triad are F A D and A D F. The D minor 7th chord, abbreviated as Dm7 or Dmin7, has the notes D, F, A and C. The 3 inversions to the D minor 7th chord are F A C D, A C D F and C D F A. The intervals of the D minor chord are the root (D) , minor third (F) and perfect fifth (A).

Does Dm mean D minor? ›

The D minor chord (often written as Dm) is a chord that evokes a sense of melancholy and contemplation on the negative side of situations.

What are the notes in the D minor chord on the piano? ›

The D minor chord is a triad formed from a root (D), a minor third (F) and a perfect fifth (A).

What is the chord progression for D minor? ›

D Minor Chord Progressions

The original Fantastic Four are C, G, F, and Am. They all belong in C Major as the I, V, IV, and vi diatonic chords, respectively. But there's a version of these four chords in all keys. In D Minor, your magical four chords are Dm, B♭, Gm, and A.

Is D minor the saddest chord? ›

It's the key, some people say, which often triggers immediate weeping. When we turn to the scholars over the centuries and ending in this one, among many musicologists, composers, songwriters, there is an ever-expanding consensus that D minor leads all others in its evocation of melancholy.

What is an inversion chord example? ›

A chord (triad, seventh chord, or any other chord) with the third scale degree in the bass and the root somewhere above is said to be in first inversion. For example, a C major chord instead of being played C-E-G, would be played E-G-C (3-5-1), or E-C-G (3-1-5).

Are F and D minor the same? ›

For example, F major and D minor both have one flat in their key signature at B♭; therefore, D minor is the relative minor of F major, and conversely F major is the relative major of D minor.

Is D minor the same as F major? ›

D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B♭, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major.

What does D minor look like on piano? ›

In order to play D minor on piano in the root position all you have to do is press on the the keys D(above middle C), F and A. with the 1st, 3rd and 5th fingers. The minor chord shares the same mellow and melancholic sound as the other minor chords (I explained this follow when I showed how to play the A Minor Chord.

What 3 notes are in D minor? ›

The magic number

It also tells us that D Minor consists of three notes: D, F and A.

Is D minor A hard chord? ›

The D minor chord is one of those essential beginner chords you should learn early on in your guitar playing career. In terms of difficulty, it's right in the middle of the pack—not as easy as E minor but nowhere near as hard as F major or B major.

What are the 4 chords in D minor? ›

Chords In The Key Of D Minor
  • i – D minor, D minor seventh (Dmin, Dmin7)
  • iidim – E diminished, E minor seventh flat five (Edim, Em7b5)
  • III – F major, F major seventh (Fmaj, Fmaj7)
  • iv – G minor, G minor seventh (Gmin, Gmin7)
  • v – A minor, A minor seventh (Amin, Amin7)
  • VI – B flat major, B flat major seventh (Bbmaj, Bbmaj7)

How do you write D minor first inversion? ›

Dm/F – First Inversion Chord

D minor first inversion is known as Dm/F. This is because the F is now on the bottom, followed by A, and then D on the top.

How do you find the inversion of A chord? ›

The bass is the lowest note, which might be the root, third, or fifth. A triad is in “ root position ” when the root is the lowest note, “ first inversion ” when the third of the chord is the lowest note, and “ second inversion ” when the fifth of the chord is the lowest note.

What is the inversion of A minor scale? ›

An inversion is when you play all the notes in a triad but don't play the root note in the bass. A first inversion puts the third in the bass, while a second inversion puts the fifth in the bass. So an C Minor triad in first inversion would be spelled E♭-G-C, and second inversion would be spelled G-C-E♭.

References

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