D Chord on Ukulele
D = D – F# – A (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th)
D major looks unusual on paper the first time a beginner sees it: the same fret, the second, is pressed down across the G, C, and E strings simultaneously with the index finger acting as a small barre, while the A string stays open. It's the ukulele's first taste of a partial barre technique, well before full barre chords show up further along. Some players avoid the barre entirely and instead use three separate fingers, one per string, which trades the barre's coordination demand for a different kind of precise, closely spaced finger placement.
D major is the V chord in the key of G, which makes the G-D pairing one of the most frequently reached-for two-chord relationships on the instrument, and D is also a common key center on its own — bright, slightly more tense-sounding than G because none of its notes sit on an open string except the A, so more of its energy comes from the fretted, damped part of the strings. That fretted, slightly tighter character makes D major a useful contrast chord in an otherwise open-string-heavy song in G or C, giving a phrase a bit more bite right where a progression wants it. D is also a favored key for solo ukulele arrangements pitched to sit well under a mid-range singing voice, since it's a whole step higher than C but doesn't demand the wider stretches some further-out keys need on this short-scale instrument.
Fingerings
Open Position
How to Practice It
The index finger needs to lie flat across three strings at a consistent angle rather than rolling toward its fingertip the way a single-string fret does — angle the finger so its side, not just the pad, contacts all three strings evenly, and listen for the E string in particular, which buzzes first if the finger isn't flat enough near the middle of its length. Because this shape reuses the same finger and fret for D7 (with the A string moving from open to the third fret), practicing D-to-D7 back and forth is a naturally efficient drill. If the partial barre proves frustrating at first, try the three-separate-finger alternative — index on the E string, middle on the C string, ring on the G string, all still at the second fret — until the barre technique itself feels more natural.
Common Progressions
- V – I (D – G, in the key of G)
- I – IV – V (D – G – A, in the key of D)
- I – V – vi – IV (D – A – Bm – G)
- IV – V – I (G – D – ... resolving elsewhere) as part of a G-major loop
FAQ
- Is the D major shape a real barre chord?
- It's a partial barre — one finger flattened across three strings at the same fret — which is a gentler introduction to barre technique than the full four- or six-string barres used elsewhere on stringed instruments.
- Why does D major sometimes buzz on ukulele?
- Almost always because the index finger isn't flat enough across all three strings — the middle string, E, is the first to choke or buzz if the finger rolls toward its fingertip instead of lying flat.
- Is there a non-barre way to play D major?
- Yes — using three separate fingers, one on each of the G, C, and E strings at the second fret, gives the identical notes without requiring the flat-finger barre technique, at the cost of a slightly more cramped hand position.
- Where does D major sit in relation to G and A?
- It's the V chord of G and, going the other direction, D itself is preceded by its own V chord, A — the three keys D, G, and A form a tightly linked cluster of neighboring fifths that ukulele players often learn together.
- Is D major a good key to sing along with on ukulele?
- Often, yes — it sits a whole step above C, which is high enough to suit many voices comfortably without requiring the wider left-hand stretches that keys further from the open strings can demand on a short-scale instrument.
- What's the quickest way to check a D major barre is properly flat?
- Strum the three barred strings alone, one at a time, listening for any dull or muted thud rather than a clear ring — a buzz or thud on any one of them means the barre needs a small angle adjustment.
D on other instruments: D on Guitar, D on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.