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Chords in the Key of D Minor on Ukulele

The chords in D Minor are Dm, Edim, F, Gm, Am, Bb and C. It has one flat (Bb), its relative major is F Major, and it is easy to play on a ukulele.

C Major on ukulele (the VII of D Minor) VII C G Major on ukulele G D Major on ukulele D A Major on ukulele A E Major on ukulele E B Major on ukulele B Gb Major on ukulele G♭/F♯ Db Major on ukulele D♭ Ab Major on ukulele A♭ Eb Major on ukulele E♭ Bb Major on ukulele (the VI of D Minor) VI B♭ F Major on ukulele (the III of D Minor) III F A Minor on ukulele (the v of D Minor) v Am E Minor on ukulele Em B Minor on ukulele Bm F# Minor on ukulele F♯m C# Minor on ukulele C♯m G# Minor on ukulele G♯m Eb Minor on ukulele E♭m Bb Minor on ukulele B♭m F Minor on ukulele Fm C Minor on ukulele Cm G Minor on ukulele (the iv of D Minor) iv Gm D Minor on ukulele (the i of D Minor) i Dm You are in D Minor
The outlined block is this key. Six of its seven chords always land in that shape: three along the outer ring and the three directly inside them. That is the whole trick of the circle of fifths. Slide the same block one step round and you have a different key, with the numerals landing on the same spots. Only the diminished chord sits outside it, and nobody plays that one anyway. Majors on the outside, their relative minors within. Gold rings mark the keys that are easiest on a ukulele. Tap any segment to open it.

The chords in D Minor

These seven are the whole family. Nearly every song in this key is built from them, in some order. Tap a diagram to hear it and flip through other shapes, or open its page for the full rundown.

iTonic
ii°Supertonic
IIIRelative major
ivSubdominant
vDominant
VISubmediant
VIISubtonic

Plus the chord that is not strictly in the key

The natural minor gives you Am as the v chord, but real songs in a minor key almost always reach for a major A or A7 instead. That raised third is what makes the ending feel like an ending. Use it and nobody will tell you off.

VDominant (harmonic minor)
V7Dominant 7th

Progressions that work in D Minor

Written out in this key so you can play them straight off the page. Each one is a pattern you have heard a thousand times, which is exactly why it works.

Minor four i - VI - III - VII
Dm Bb F C

The minor answer to the four chords. Melancholy but never heavy.

Andalusian i - VII - VI - V
Dm C Bb A

Walks down step by step into a major V. Flamenco, folk and film scores.

Minor blues i - iv - v
Dm Gm Am

The three-chord song in a minor key. Slow it down and it is a blues.

Minor cadence ii° - V - i
Edim A Dm

The strongest way home in a minor key. The major V does the work.

Lift to major i - III - VII - IV
Dm F C G

Borrows the Dorian major IV so the chorus opens up.

Ballad i - VI - iv - V
Dm Bb Gm A

Sad verse, strong landing. A capo and this one gets you a long way.

Chords worth borrowing

Chords from outside D Minor that still sound at home in it. One of these dropped into a plain progression is usually the difference between a song that sounds like a beginner exercise and one that does not.

  • A V Major instead of minor, straight out of harmonic minor. The strongest way home.
  • A7 V7 The same idea with a 7th. Almost every minor-key song uses it.
  • G IV The Dorian major IV. Brightens a minor key without leaving it.
  • C7 V7/III Points at the relative major for a lift in the chorus.
  • E7 V7/v Sets up the v chord and adds tension on the way.
  • Eb bII The Neapolitan. Dark, dramatic and worth one well-placed bar.
  • Dm7 i7 The tonic softened. Sits well under a vocal that needs room.

Other flavours of D

Same home note, different set of notes around it. Swapping the mode is the quickest way to change the mood of something without changing the key it sits in.

  • D Ionian The plain major scale. Bright and settled.
  • D Dorian Minor with a raised 6th. Minor, but hopeful.
  • D Phrygian Minor with a flat 2nd. Spanish and a little tense.
  • D Lydian Major with a raised 4th. Floaty and cinematic.
  • D Mixolydian Major with a flat 7th. The sound of rock and folk.
  • D Aeolian The plain natural minor. Sad in the usual way.
  • D Locrian Unstable by design. Rare outside metal and jazz.

About D Minor

A key is the family of notes and chords a song is built around, named after the chord it keeps coming home to. In D Minor that home chord is Dm, and the other six chords above are its relatives. Play them in almost any order and it will sound like music, because they all come from the same seven notes.

D Minor shares its key signature and all seven of its chords with F Major, its relative major. The only thing that changes is which chord feels like home. That is why a song can drift between the two without anything sounding wrong, and it is also why working out the key from the chords alone is not always possible. The last chord usually settles it.

Either side of it on the wheel sit G Minor and A Minor, which differ by a single note. Those are the easiest keys to move to if you want a key change, and the first place to look for a chord to borrow.

Frequently asked questions

What chords are in D Minor?

The seven chords in D Minor are Dm, Edim, F, Gm, Am, Bb and C. The ones you will use most are Dm, Bb and C, plus a major A borrowed from harmonic minor when you want a strong ending.

Is D Minor hard to play on ukulele?

It scores 34 on our playability scale, which puts it in the easy band. We work that out from the real shapes: how many strings each chord frets, whether it needs a barre and how far up the neck it sits, weighted so the chords you play all night count for more than the ones you touch once. No capo needed, the open shapes do the work.

What is the relative major of D Minor?

F Major. It uses exactly the same seven chords and the same key signature, just centred on a different home chord. That is why you can slip between them mid-song without anything sounding out of place.

What key signature does D Minor have?

One flat (Bb). It shares that signature with F Major.

Next stop: look up any shape on the chord diagrams, work out a chord you already know the shape of with the chord namer, run the scale up the neck on scales, or get in tune first with the tuner.

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