Hey Friend,

We're rolling through these chords! D minor is the fourth chord in the key of A minor.

I tend to think primarily in major keys, so it's a little odd to be calling the IV chord minor. Of course, it's all relative to the key you're working in, so I just need to get used to it! 

Dm was the IIm chord in the C major key, and now its the IVm:

We continue to see how the harmonic scale simply shifts two positions, backward for relative minor keys and forward for relative major keys.

D minor uses the notes D, F and A in its construction, but as always, we use the key that the chord is named after to show us the notes, not the key whose notes happen to coincide with the chord's notes.

For minor chords, you CAN look at the major key and scale to line out the notes  but it's probably easier to just use the minor key/scale. Honestly  I've always looked at the major scale (so D major) to tell me the notes for a triad, but the minor key is actually easier. Check it:

To get a D minor chord, I'd select D, F# and A, but that's a D major chord. I'd still have to flatten the F# to F to make the chord minor. But if I use the D minor scale (from the key of D minor), it gets easier:

Look Ma, no note changes! D, F and A are right there, ready to go. 

See what happens when you open your awareness just a tiny bit? I made a realization that "duh," a minor scale lays out chord construction just as well as a major scale.

Seriously, I'm pretty sure I "knew" that in the back of my mind, and may have even learned it in the past. But obviously I wasn't ready for it at the time I learned it. 

My mental pain is your gain...

Anyway, here are the exercise files for D minor:

Triad Positions:

And its barre chords:

Once we get through each of these, we;ll look at some practical applications. Review the exercises, practice them, make your fingers obey. 

Peace~

Dave