The D guitar chord is a great chord for beginners to learn. It’s easy enough to play, and with a little practice becomes second nature.

I have put together a few chord charts of D in open position as well as a few other positions on the neck. Knowing all of these variations of D will make you a better play, so get to practicing!

Playing the D Chord

This is the first position version of the D chord. It’s common that this is one of the first chords you learn on guitar.

This version of the D chord is played by playing the open d string, 1st finger on the 2nd fret 3rd string, 3rd finger on the 3rd fret 2nd string, and 2nd finger on the 2nd fret 1st string. You do not strum the 5th and 6th string for this chord.

Once you get this chord down, try placing your 4th finger on the 1st string 3rd fret. This is a Dsus4 chord. Next you can also pick up your 4th and second finger and play a D5.

D chord guitar First position

Bar Chord Variations

This version of D is played as a bar chord on the 5th fret. To play this D chord, bar across the 1st thru 5th string with the first finger at the 5th fret, then bar across the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th string at the 7th fret with your 3rd finger.

Do not strum the 6th string. Also, careful not to bar the 1st string with the 3rd finger as well.

It’s a little tricky. This is a common chord shape on guitar, move it up to frets to play an F, and down two frets to play a C.

D chord guitar variation

Another D chord can be found at the 10th fret. This uses a common bar chord formation.

To play this D, bar all strings with the 1st finger at the 10th fret. Then place your 3rd finger on the 5th string 12th fret, 4th finger on the 4th string 12th fret, and 2nd finger on the 3rd string 11th fret.

If this chord formation is new to you, it will likely seem very hard. But like all guitar chords, with practice, they become second nature.

D chord guitar variation

More Challenging Version

After you’ve mastered the D chords I’ve listed above, here is one last version to challenge you.

To play it, place your 4th finger on the 5th string 5th fret, your 3rd finger on the 4th string 4th fret, your 1st finger on the 3rd string 2nd fret, and your 2nd finger on the 2nd string 3rd fret. This version of D has a less bright sound to it.

This is another shape that can be used in other places on teh neck. Can you make any other chords with this shape by moving it up the neck?

D chord guitar variation

Songs to Play

Now that you know the D chord, you can play many beginner-friendly songs! Here are just some examples of popular songs from a variety of musical genres:

For more tips, see how to make your guitar chords easy to play. Also, learn more about guitar chords for beginners including how to take the chords you just learned and move them around the fretboard for new and exciting sounds.