Learn › D Minor Triad Inversions on Guitar: 12 Shapes
New Released in April 2026
D Minor Triad Inversions on Guitar: 12 Shapes
The D minor triad on guitar does not need six strings. Three notes, D, F and A, on three strings give you Dm anywhere on the neck, in root position, 1st and 2nd inversion.
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- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
What an inversion changes
An inversion just reorders D, F and A. Bottom note D: root position. Bottom note F: 1st inversion. Bottom note A: 2nd inversion.
Darker than major: the middle note of the major shape moves down one fret.
From one shape to the next
Walk up the G-B-e strings through 2nd inversion (fret 3) → root position (fret 7) → 1st inversion (fret 10), then back down. The top notes F, A, D change while the chord stays Dm.
Around fret 7, without moving the hand: G-B-e strings 7-6-5; D-G-B strings 7-7-6; A-D-G strings 8-7-7; E-A-D strings 5-5-3.
Where Dm sits on the neck
Play only the three strings shown. Inside each set the three shapes follow each other up the neck: when one ends, the next begins.
G-B-e strings
2nd inversion
Root position
1st inversion
D-G-B strings
1st inversion
2nd inversion
Root position
A-D-G strings
Root position
1st inversion
2nd inversion
E-A-D strings
1st inversion
2nd inversion
Root position
A short Dm triad routine
- Learn the three shapes on the top strings first, slowly, saying the bottom note each time.
- Connect the shapes up and down the G-B-e strings, four strums per shape.
- Pick one fret area, around fret 7, and find Dm on every string set without moving your hand far.
- Last, switch between Dm and another triad in the same area of the neck.
Learn one string set per week and in a month the whole neck is yours.
Fret chart for Dm triads
| String set | Root position | 1st inversion | 2nd inversion |
|---|---|---|---|
| G-B-e strings | x x x 7 6 5 | x x x 10 10 10 | x x x 2 3 1 |
| D-G-B strings | x x 12 10 10 x | x x 3 2 3 x | x x 7 7 6 x |
| A-D-G strings | x 5 3 2 x x | x 8 7 7 x x | x 12 12 10 x x |
| E-A-D strings | 10 8 7 x x x | 1 0 0 x x x | 5 5 3 x x x |
Frets from the low E string to the high E string; x = string not played.
Play Dm in a game
The game shows chord symbols, not diagrams, so you choose the shape: any inversion of Dm counts, as long as the microphone hears the right notes.
Play the demoCommon questions
What are the inversions of Dm on guitar?
Root position (D at the bottom), 1st inversion (F at the bottom) and 2nd inversion (A at the bottom). On the top three strings: 2nd inversion 2-3-1; Root position 7-6-5; 1st inversion 10-10-10.
Which Dm triad shape is the easiest?
Usually the lowest one on the top strings, 2-3-1, because it sits near the nut.
What does a Dm triad sound like?
Darker than major: the middle note of the major shape moves down one fret.
Can I practise Dm with a game that listens to my guitar?
Yes. ChordRunner hears your guitar through the microphone and checks the chord in any shape or inversion. A USB MIDI keyboard works too.
Your instrument is the controller.
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
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