Dm69

Dm69 is D, F, A, B and E, a minor six-nine. The shape this page opens on is written x53200, lowest string first.

Also written Dm6/9, Dmin6/9 or D-6/9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 11 common shapes for Dm69 on the guitar, and 42 derived voicings in 5 families.

In which keys. Every note of Dm69 belongs to C major (the ii) and A minor (the iv).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x53200, x53450, x53455, x70767, 10-8-9-9-x-x, x-8-9-9-10-10, 10-x-9-10-10-12, 10-x-12-10-12-12, x-x-12-10-12-12, x-12-12-10-12-12, 13-12-12-14-12-12.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Dm69 has x5345x, 10-8-9-9-x-x, x-x-12-10-12-12.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Dm69 has x5345x, 10-8-9-9-x-x, x-x-12-10-12-12, 1524xx, xx2431, xx3757, 7737xx, x7976x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Dm69 has x5x451, 1x243x, 7x375x, x7x767, 10-x-9-9-6-x, x-8-x-9-12-10, 12-x-12-10-12-x, x-14-x-10-15-12.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Dm69 has xx2201, xx3455, x-8-9-9-10-x, x-x-14-14-12-13, x2x251, x2325x, x7746x, x7x465.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. Dm69 has 070465, 000067, x53000, 00300x, x03000, 7x0060.

Tensions. A shell of Dm69, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 11 (G).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.