Dm7 Chord

**Vangel** · 08-15-2021, 08:55 PM

Does anyone have a tip for the fingering for this chord ? I seem to always have at least 1 string muted when I play it .. I use my index as a bar but the only way to get a clear voicing is when I have a death grip on the neck which I know is a bad habit. Any constructive advice would be appreciated.

**pcjazz** · 08-15-2021, 09:48 PM

Don’t use a barre. Use one finger per string.

By the way, a Dm7 chord has four notes: D F A C. The order of the notes may not be important, depending on context. There are many ways of voicing this chord, and many places to find it on the fretboard. Don’t confuse the chord with any particular way of voicing it or any particular position on the neck.

**bako** · 08-15-2021, 10:34 PM

Perhaps not all as easy as you might be hoping for but here's a selection to consider

X X 0 2 1 1

X 5 7 5 6 X

10 12 10 10 X X

X 5 X 5 6 5

10 X 10 10 10 X

X 5 3 5 6 X

10 8 10 10 X X

X X 12 10 13 13

X X 3 5 3 5

X 8 10 7 10 X

X X 7 7 6 8

X 12 12 10 13 X

5 5 3 5 X X

X X 10 10 10 10

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 08-15-2021, 10:44 PM

I'm a bit of a mind reader, so I know you're talking about this grip:

10.x.10.10.10.x

Am I right?

**Vangel** · 08-16-2021, 06:39 AM

Originally Posted by pcjazz

Don’t use a barre. Use one finger per string.

By the way, a Dm7 chord has four notes: D F A C. The order of the notes may not be important, depending on context. There are many ways of voicing this chord, and many places to find it on the fretboard. Don’t confuse the chord with any particular way of voicing it or any particular position on the neck.

I like your advice, one finger per string makes for a tricky transition from a Cmaj7 but maybe its a matter of getting used to it. I am using the voicing in Dirks chord progressions material but maybe I ought not be so anal about that. Thanks and feel free to comment back.

**garybaldy** · 08-16-2021, 02:51 PM

These days on a m11 I can just about manage
X3536X to X3534X
but doing X1314X to X1312X is a near impossibility.

**rpjazzguitar** · 08-16-2021, 06:05 PM

consider:

xx0211
xx0213
x5x565 (one finger per string, no barre)
x5x567
xx7768
10 x 10 10 10 10
10 x 10 10 10 12

That's seven voicings. They aren't all Dm7. One has an added 4. Another has an added 6. But, with these you can get any note of the scale on top.
D F A C goes to G B D F. So, to make the move to the dominant, drop the C to a B and the A to G. But if there's bassist, he's probably going to play the G, so you can keep the A.

You can do the same thing with voicings like 5x353x, x5355x and so forth. x5556x is another that works.

When things get difficult to finger, a good solution is to play fewer notes. Consider omitting the roots and natural fifths. The bassist usually has the root and the string playing the root will have a 5th as a harmonic, often surprisingly audible. Two for one deal. Surprisingly, nobody seems to complain about the guitarist playing fewer notes in his chords.

**pauln** · 08-16-2021, 06:41 PM

Originally Posted by Vangel

Does anyone have a tip for the fingering for this chord ? I seem to always have at least 1 string muted when I play it .. I use my index as a bar but the only way to get a clear voicing is when I have a death grip on the neck which I know is a bad habit. Any constructive advice would be appreciated.

This usually comes from laying the finger "flat" on the finger board. But the underside of the finger is not flat - it has joint creases, and it's kind of weak in that orientation. Try rolling the finger to use more of the side strength and flatness...

When you use the index finger to barre, roll it toward the head stock so more of the side of the index finger (the side closest to the thumb) is the part laying on the finger board... this will form a stronger "seal".

When you use your third finger to barre in a chord, roll it the opposite way toward the bridge so the side closest to the pinky takes more of the load... will also form a stronger seal.