8 Beautiful D Major Chord Shapes on Guitar … and How to Use Them – FINGERSTYLE GUITAR LESSONS (2024)

The awesome thing about playing guitar is that we can always come up with new ways of play chords. Just think about it for a second. The same chord shape can be played in many different positions and shapes.

In this guitar lesson, we are going to explore 8 beautiful D major chord shapes on guitar and how to use each chord shape in a chord progression. We will have a look at different chord families such as major 7th, as well as suspended, major 9th, and more.

For each chord shape, there will be a musical example that you can listen and learn.

But what’s a D major chord and how can we play it in different shapes?

The D major is a chord played with the notes D, F#, and A. On guitar, this chord has a triangle shape, and it’s played by fretting the G string on fret 3, the B string on fret 4, and the top E string on fret 2.

In this lesson we will learn:

• What’s a D major chord.
• How many chords can I play in the D major key?
• 1. The most simple D major shape for beginners.
• 2. The Dadd9 chord.
• 3. Dsus2 and Dsus4.
• 4. The Dmaj7 chord.
• 5. The Dadd11 chord.
• 6. The D major over F (D/F#).
• 7. The Dmaj9 chord.
• 8. The D major open triad.

What’s a D Major Chord?

The D major chord comes from the D major scale, and it’s played with the notes D, F#, and G (The root note, 3rd, and 5th).This chord is also called triad, which represents the purest form of chord we have in music.

To play the D major, major chord, select the I, III, and V degree of the D major scale and play the three notes simultaneously.

D major chord formula: 1 3 5 – D F# A

Now, we can’t use the D major chord in its basic triad form in a song because the shapes are not “Song friendly”. These are a few D major triad shapes that guitar players NEVER use for songs.

If we want to make the D major chord more “Guitar friendly” we will have to change its interval structure and repeat some of the notes of the chords.

This is one of the most common D major chord shapes on guitar which is played with the note D, A, D, and F# (Root, 5th, root, 3rd). The root note of the chord is played twice. The 5th is now played in the middle of the chord, and the 3rd is the singing note (the voicing) of the chord. A quite common way to make the basic triad “guitar friendly.”

How Many Chords Can I play in D Major Key?

All the chords in D major key come from the D major scale. If we can build the D major chord by selecting the I, III, and V degree of the scale than we can create another seven chords starting from each degree of the scale.

Here is how we build all the chords in the D major key.

To build all the chords in the D major key, select the I, III, and V degree starting from each degree of the scale. The 1st degree is the note D, which build the D major chord (D F# A), the 2nd degree is the note E which make the E minor chord (E G B), the 3rd degree is the note F#, which build the F# minor chord (F# A C#), etc.

Check the diagram below to learn all the chords available in the D major key.

Chords available in D major key: D major, E minor, F# minor, G major, A major, B minor, C# diminished.

1.The Most Simple D Major Shape for Beginners

What’s the most common D major chord shape on guitar?

If you ask this question to any guitar teacher out there, they will tell you that this is the most simple D major chord shape for beginners.

However, I think there is a way to simplify this chord even more and make it more beginner friendly. Of course, we will have to play the chords with the fingerpicking technique, which is a guitar approach that allows you to single out some of the notes of the chord.

Now, the D major chord can be played by plucking the D and B string only.

We can apply this concept to the other chords of the D major key. You can easily come up with a simple yet beautiful chord progression in D major.

Click on the PLAY button to listen to the example

Once you familiarize yourself with this simple shape, you can then play the full chord in a similar chord progression.

IMPORTANT! I like to practice chords with fingerstyle rather than strumming. I believe that the fingerpicking technique allows you to simplify chords easily.

Let me show you this very simple example using the basic D major chord shape.

2.The Dadd9 Chord

The Dadd9 is a chord played with the Root note, 3rd, 5th, and 9th. When we add additional notes to the basic triad, the chord becomes an “Extended chord.”

To build the Dadd9 chord select the I, III, V, and IX degree of the D major scale.

Dadd9 chord formula: 1 3 5 9 – D F# A E

FUN FACT! The 9th is the 2nd played one octave higher.

The Dadd9 Chord Shape

There are a lot of different Dadd9 shapes on the guitar. In this example, I am going to show you the one I use the most.

With this chord shape, the 9th is played with the top E string open.

Chord Structure: Root, root, 3rd, 9th – D, D, F# E.

Chord Progression with the Dadd9 Chord

The Dadd9 is indeed a beautiful chord that works perfectly with fingerpicking guitar.

We can write a beautiful chord progression by using a bunch of extended chords, including the, and a simple fingerstyle patter.

In the chord progression below I am going to play similar chord shapes with different bass notes.

Click on the PLAY button to listen to the example

3.The Dsus2 and Dsus4 Chord

The suspended chords are indeed the most some of the most popular chords on the guitar. They are very popular in folk, pop, and country music.

Simply put, the Suspended chord is a basic triad without the 3rd.

Sus2 chord formula: 1 2 5 – D E A Sus4 chord formula: 1 4 5 – D G A

The question is, “How can we play a chord without the 3rd?”

Let me show you how we play the Dsus2 and Dsus4 on the guitar.

• For the Dsus2 chord lower the note F# (the 3rd) down to the note E (the 2nd).
• For the Dsus4 chord raise the note F# to the note G (the 4th).

IMPORTANT! The Suspended chord only occurs when the 3rd is either raised (sus4) or lowered (sus2).

In the diagrams below I am going to show you the difference between the D major and the Suspended chords.

What’s The Difference Between Dadd9 and Dsus2?

We learned that the 2nd and 9th is the same notes. In the D major scale, the note E is on both the 2nd and the 9th degree.

If the 2nd and 9th is the same note, how can we tell the difference between the Dadd9 and Dsus2 chord?

We should analyze the notes of both chords.

• The Dsus2 is played with the D E A (Root, 2nd, and 5th).
• The Dadd9 is played with the D F#A E (Root, 3rd, 5th, and 9th).

Music Theory Tip! Even though the 2nd and 9th is the same note, it has a different harmonic function when played in the Add9 and Sus2. In the Add9 chord the 3rd and 9th work perfectly together. In the Suspended chord, the 3rd is omitted.

Chord Progression with the Dsus2 and Dsus4

The suspended chords are perfect if you want to create movement. Go from basic to suspended chords to create a simple melody within the chords.

In this example, the D major lasts for the entire measure. We can play the Dsus2 and Dsus4 to create movement beween the chords. I am also playing an Asus2 andthe A7 chord in the second measure.

Take a look at this simple example in which we keep changing between the D major and Dsus chords.

Click on the PLAY button to listen to the example

4.The Dmaj7 Chord

The Maj7 is a chord played with the Root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th. It can be either major or minor and belongs to the extended chord family just like the Dadd9 chord.

To build a Dmaj7 chord select the I, III, V, and VII degree of the D major scale.

Dmaj7 chord formula: 1 3 5 7 – D F# A C#

The Maj7 chords are very popular in Jazz music. It’s impossible to think of all the jazz songs written with this beautiful chord, as in some cases the entire songs are built upon the Maj7 and Min7 chords.

The Dmaj7 is one of the most simple chords on the guitar and can be easily played with a bar chord on the G, B, and top E string on the 2nd fret.

This chord sounds dreamy, and it works perfectly with chords such as Gmaj7, Em7, A13, Bm.

Chord Progression with the Dmaj7 Chord

Let’s take it up a notch with this beautiful Jazz chord progression in D major key.

The II V I progression (also 2 5 1) is one of the most famous Jazz chord progression. It takes its name from the chord degree is built upon, the 2nd, 5th, and 1st chord of the scale.

To write a II V I chord progression select the 1st, 5th, and 1st degree from the D major scale. You can make the chords sound Jazzy by playing Maj7, Min7, and Dominant 7th chords.

• The Em9 notes are E G B D F#
• The A13 notes are A C# G F
• The Dmaj7 notes are D F# A C

This is the Jazz chord progression in II V I.

5.The Dadd11 Chord

The Dadd11 is a basic triad played with the 11th. The 11th is the 4tf degree of the D major scale played one octave higher.

To play a Dadd11 chord select the I, III, V, and XI degree of the D major scale and play the notes simultaneously.

Dadd11 chord formula: 1 3 5 11 – D F# A G

How to Play The Dadd11 Chord Shape

Let me show you the most popular Dadd11 chord shape on guitar.

This chord is played with the notes D (root), F# (3rd,), G(11th), and D(root). If you have been playing guitar for a while, you should recognize this chord as it’s indeed one of the most loved chords on the guitar.

This is the chord shape.

FUN FACT! This chord has the same shape as a C major chord played a whole-step up.

Chord Progression with the Dadd11 Chord

In this chord progression, we are going to play an Em9 – Dadd11 – Cadd9 chord.

All these chords have a similar shape.

6.The D major over F# (D/F#)

Let me tell the number one questions I get the most every time this chord shows up on a guitar tab. “Why does this chord have two names and what’s the slash for?”.

The D major over F#, better named as the D/F#, is a slashed chord.

The slash chord is a chord played with a different bass note. Usually, we assume that the bass note of the chord is the root note, but occasionally a different bass note can be played over the chord. Some of the most popular slash chords are performed with the 3rd or 5th on the bass.

The D/F# is a D major chord played with the F# on the bass.

D/F# chord formula: 3 1 5 – F# D G

The D/F# Chord Shape

To play a D/F#, make the F# the lowest note of the chord. You can do so by playing a basic D major triad with 2nd fret on the low E string.

Chord Progression with the D/F# Chord

We use slash chords to emphasize a different bass note of a chord.

The different bass note has both harmonic and melodic function, and it can be used to connect the chords melodically.

If I am playing a chord progression such as G, D, and E minor I can use the D/F# to connect the three chords with a melodic bass line.

In the example below the bass note goes from G to F#, to E.

Once you embrace this concept, it becomes easy to use the slash chord almost everywhere.

Check this beautiful chord progression using the D/F# chord.

7.The Dmaj9 Chord

The Dmaj9 is another chord that falls into the Jazz family. This chord can also be played in Latin music a lot.

The Maj9 chord is a very rich chord played with the Root, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th.

To play a Dmaj9 chord select the I, III, V, VII, and IX degree of the D major scale. We usually leave out the 5th to make the chord “Guitar friendly.”

Dmaj9 chord formula: 1 3 5 7 9 – D F# A C# E

This chord can also be played with other extensions such as the 6th and 13th, but it should always have root, 3rd, 7th, and 9th.

The Dmaj9 Chord Shape

There are a lot of different chord shapes for this chord. In this example, we are going to learn one of the most popular shapes.

Check the diagram below.

Chord Progression with the Dmaj9 Chord

I love this chord. It’s easy to play and works perfectly with a ton of other chords.

In this chord progression, we want to emphasize the melodic side of the chord by changing the voicing a lot.

Each chord sounds pretty rich, and it can be overwhelming to memorize all the chord shapes. Just take it step-by-step and learn one chord at a time if you have to.

The fingerpicking pattern helps a lot as we single out the notes of the chords and melody.

The chord progression is straightforward and only played with the Dmaj9 and A major. Both chords sound beautiful.Let me show you how to play a chord progression with the Dmaj9 chord.

8.The D Major Played with the Open Triad

Last but not least the D major chord played with the open triad. We already talked about this chord in the 8 C major chord shapes I posted a while ago.

The 153 chord shape is essentially a triad played with a root note, 5th, and 3rd. It’s also called “Open triad” due to the interval structure of the chord.

Let me show you the difference between “Close triad” and “Open triad.”

D Major Open Triad Shape

This chord shape is simple to memorize and doesn’t use open strings. For this reason, it’s pretty simple to transpose this chord in a different position.

This is the chord diagram.

Chord Progression With D Major Open Triad

We can take advantage of this simple chord shape to create easy chord progression. Also, with the fingerpicking technique, it becomes easy to add rhythm and melody.

In this example the chord progression goes as follows: D | A/B | Bm | A | G | D/F# | G | A. All the chords are played as open triads.

Let’s Wrap This Up

The D major is indeed one of the most popular chords on the guitar. It can be played in a ton of different shapes and progressions.

I hope that with this lesson you can find the inspiration to create your ideas in D major. Remember to learn each chord explained in this lesson before writing your chord progressions.

Good luck.

Marco.