D major chordson the mandolin

Main chords: D (I), G (IV), A (V)

The scale: D E F♯ G A B C♯

Drones: Open D and A ring in D major; G and E fit the key too. The courses are G D A E, low to high.

Print it: D major on one page (PDF), or the session pack: the chord chart and a page for each session key.

Common progressions

• I – IV – I – V: D – G – D – A (a plain backing for many reels and jigs)
• I – V – I: D – A – D (polkas and simple tunes)
• I – vi – IV – V: D – Bm – G – A (a B part that wanders, or a song)

Basis: DADGAD Guitar blog (2009), the Chiff & Fipple forum, and common session practice: most major-key tunes use I, IV and V; vi now and then.

The seven chords in D major

1. I D2 0 0 2
2. ii Em0 2 2 0
3. iii F♯m2 4 4 2
4. IV G0 0 2 3
5. V A2 2 4 0
6. vi Bm4 0 2 2
7. vii° C♯dim0 2 4 0

Other modes on D

Other major keys

D major in other tunings

All Mandolin GDAE chords · D major sheet (PDF) · Printable chart (PDF) · The app