Open Dm tuning

Guitar with open Dm tuningThe open Dm tuning (DADFAD) gives a lot of interesting prospects and easy ways to create lovely music on the guitar. If you strum all open strings, you will get a D minor chord.

When you retune your guitar, it's important that you turn the tuning pegs in a direction that decrease the string tension and not the opposite.

To get the open Dm tuning on your guitar you tune it like this: D A D F A D.

More info

Including an octave perspective, the tuning is written D2-A2-D3-F3-A3-D4, meaning that the lowest string is a D note on the second octave, the second lowest string is a A note on the second octave and so on. Standard tuning reference: E2-A2-D3-G3-B3-E4.

Open chords

Dm

  • Dm chord diagram

Dm7

  • Dm7 chord diagram

Dmadd2

  • Dmadd2 chord diagram

Em11

  • Em11 chord diagram

Em7b5

  • Em7b5 chord diagram

Fmaj7

  • Fmaj7 chord diagram

F6

  • F6 chord diagram

Gm

  • Gm chord diagram

A7

  • A7 chord diagram

Bb

  • Bb chord diagram

C

  • C chord diagram

C9

  • C9 chord diagram

Comments

In addition to the presented D minor chord, it can be played as 000003. two other choices in open position are Dm6 (000020) and Dm11 (032203). Notice that Dm6 is atonal (the B note aren't part of the D minor scale).

The Em11 chord is more correctly written as Em11/A (notice that the 5th is omitted). It can also be written as A7sus4.

The Fmaj7 chord is more correctly written as Fmaj7/D (which also can function as a Dm9 chord). Notice that it can also be played as 000002 with the 5th omitted (which is similar to the Dmadd2).

The Gm chord is more correctly written as Gm/Bb. Notice the similarity with the Em7b5.

The A7 chord is played with an omitted 3rd and can also be written A7(no3). If the D-string is played open (X00202) it would be an A7sus4.

The C chord is more correctly written as C/D. A regular C major without an alternative bass note can be created with the fingerings X3223X. Another choice is C/E as XX2232. The C9 (C6 shape) becomes as C7 if it's modified to X3221X.

Additional open chords in this tuning:

Dm6/9: 020002
Dsus4: 000200
Gm/D: XX0210
Gm/F: XX3210
G6/A: X02220
Fmaj7add11/D: 000012
Bbmaj7(#13): X10300

See below for pdf chord chart ("Essential Chords in Open Dm Tuning ebook") for many more voicings, progressions etc.

Movable one-finger (or slide) shapes

Dm

  • One finger bar chord diagram 1

Gm

  • One finger bar chord diagram 2

Am

  • One finger bar chord diagram 3

Comments

Dm, Gm and Am represent the diatonic chords in the D minor scale. But obviously you can play others as well with one finger. For example, Em as 222222 and Bm as 999999.

Other possibilities for one-finger chords in Open D minor tuning:

Dm/A: X00000
Dm: XX0000
Gm/D: X55555
Gm: XX5555
Am/E: X77777
Am: XX7777

Barre chords

Gm7

  • Gm7 chord diagram

Gm2

  • Gm2 chord diagram

F

  • F chord diagram

Fsus4

  • Fsus4 chord diagram

Comments

These chord shapes are movable. Gm7 will therefore result in an Am7 if the whole shape is moved two frets up.

There are often many options to play certain chords (especially minor chords) with barre shapes since five of the strings are tuned to the two notes. For, example, Gm7 can also be played as 555585 or 588555.

Other possibilities for barre chords in Open D minor tuning:

Gm6: 575555
Gm9: 587555
Gm11: 557855
F7sus4: 333563


An option is to place a capo on the second fret, which results in the Open Em tuning.

If you want to go more into depth of this particular guitar tuning including get ideas for progressions, check out the free ebook: Essential Chords in Open Dm Tuning.

This was an introduction to chords in Open Dm tuning, see also Open D tuning and Open Gm tuning.

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