Dm7 — the D minor 7 guitar chord

Dm7 is smooth and understated, a staple of bossa nova and soul. The index lies flat across two strings at the 1st fret, your first taste of a small barre. If the high E sounds dead, flatten the index a touch more. Keep the strum to the top four strings.

Dm7
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How to play it

  • Index finger flattened across the B string (2nd) and high E string (1st), 1st fret.
  • Middle finger on the G string (3rd), 2nd 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 Dm7 still is the easy part. Songs need you to arrive at it in rhythm, so in Strumhold you practice Dm7 as changes, alongside the rest of the Open Minor 7ths set:

Same root, different color

  • D — D major
  • Dm — D minor
  • D7 — D dominant 7
  • Dmaj7 — D major 7