Rock in D minor — strumming pattern
The same rhythmic pattern as the E minor and A minor versions, this time over the Dm-Am-G-C grid. Dm is the only genuinely new chord in this family of progressions: unlike Am, G and C, already met elsewhere in the catalogue, Dm gathers three fingers on the G, B and high E strings (frets 1 to 3), with the D string left open in between — a tighter shape that requires the hand to close in more than on the more familiar open chords in the rest of the grid.
Tips
Isolate Dm on its own before working it into the grid: place the index on the high E string (fret 1) first, then the middle and ring fingers on the G and B strings (frets 2 and 3), with the D string left open in between.
The other three chords (Am, G, C) are already familiar from other grids in the catalogue: focus most of your practice on the transitions that involve Dm, the rest should already be solid.
Keep the picking hand perfectly steady even while the fretting hand is hunting for Dm: a slightly late chord beats a rhythm that hesitates to wait for it.
Chord progression — Dm
Chords
Related sheets
- Rock in B minor — strumming pattern (Level 2)
- Rock in D minor (variant) — chord change (Level 2)
- gallop pedal power riff — A (Level 2)