# D, the D major guitar chord

D major is bright and chiming, built on just the top four strings, and with G and A it drives a huge share of the songbook. Strum from the open D string down, because the low strings turn it muddy. And keep the ring finger from brushing the high E, or the chord loses its sparkle.

D

## How to play it

- Index finger on the G string (3rd), 2nd fret.
- Middle finger on the high E string (1st), 2nd fret.
- Ring finger on the B string (2nd), 3rd fret.
- Let the open D string (4th) ring.
- Don't strum the low E string (6th) and A string (5th). They stay silent in this shape.

## Changes to practice

Holding D still is the easy part. Songs need you to _arrive_ at it in rhythm, so in Strumhold you practice D as changes, alongside the rest of the Open Majors set:

- [D ↔ E](https://strumhold.com/chords/e-major/) D major to E major [Drill](https://strumhold.app/#/drill/pair/D.maj.D~E.maj.E)
- [D ↔ A](https://strumhold.com/chords/a-major/) D major to A major [Drill](https://strumhold.app/#/drill/pair/A.maj.A~D.maj.D)
- [D ↔ G](https://strumhold.com/chords/g-major/) D major to G major [Drill](https://strumhold.app/#/drill/pair/D.maj.D~G.maj.G)
- [D ↔ C](https://strumhold.com/chords/c-major/) D major to C major [Drill](https://strumhold.app/#/drill/pair/C.maj.C~D.maj.D)

## Same root, different color

- [Dm](https://strumhold.com/chords/d-minor/), D minor
- [D7](https://strumhold.com/chords/d-7/), D dominant 7
- [Dm7](https://strumhold.com/chords/d-minor-7/), D minor 7
- [Dmaj7](https://strumhold.com/chords/d-major-7/), D major 7

## Hear yourself get faster

Strumhold listens to your guitar through your device's mic, a headset, or a line-in from your audio interface. You drill a chord change to a metronome and it scores every single change. Free, no account, works offline.

[Drill D in the app](https://strumhold.app/#/drill/pair/D.maj.D~E.maj.E)