Chords in the key of D minor

Scale: D – E – F – G – A – B♭ – C

Quick answer: the seven chords in D minor are Dm, E°, F, Gm, Am, B♭, C. The strongest are Dm, Gm and Am (the i, iv and v); most songs in Dm lean on those.

The chords

DmiD F A

E°ii°E G B♭

FIIIF A C

GmivG B♭ D

AmvA C E

B♭VIB♭ D F

CVIIC E G

Progressions that sound good in Dm

AndalusianDm – C – B♭ – A (i VII VI V)
A falling bass line with Spanish drama.
Night driveDm – B♭ – F – C (i VI III VII)
Dark but moving forward; huge in film and alt-pop.

Playing in Dm with a capo

If the barre chords in Dm are a stretch, put a capo on and play easier open shapes. The song still sounds in Dm.

Capo	Play these shapes
Fret 5	Am, B°, C, Dm, Em, F (shapes from Am)

Related keys

D minor shares all its chords with its relative major, F major. Its closest neighbours are A minor and G minor, which share six of its seven notes and make easy key changes.

Frequently asked questions

What chords are in D minor?

Dm (i), E° (ii°), F (III), Gm (iv), Am (v), B♭ (VI), C (VII).

What is the relative major of D minor?

F major. It uses the same notes and chords, starting from F.