Help me Make a D Chord

[Reelistic]

I am just starting up again after 20 or 30 years of down time. I am having a really hard time fretting a D chord. The position is as follows: index finger on the third string at the 4th fret, middle finger on the first and second strings at the 5th fret, and ring finger on the fourth string at the 7th fret.

The book I got says to cover the first and second strings with the tip of the middle finger, not the side, but there appears to be no way get my fingertip to cover both of them. It's one or the other.

Help! Is there a trick to this?

[Jordan Ramsey]

The trick to getting two courses with one fingertip is to place the center of your callous directly in between the two courses of strings. Don't worry about catching every single string, you'll most likely mute any string not sounding.

For your current D chord situation, though, just leave off the E string note (if you're after a chop sound):

D Chop:

E x
A 5
D 4
G 7

Much easier to fret without barring that fifth fret, and you still get the "woof" out of the chop. If you're looking for a shape that you can strum, use these options:

D Major:

E 2
A 0
D 0
G 2

or

E x (2)
A 5
D 4
G 2

Watch Braid Laird around the 3:10 mark in this video for a demonstration of the three-string C and D chop chords. No need to play the E if that's the sound you're after.

[dusty miller]

I don't fret the first string I mute it with my little finger.

[fentonjames]

7 4, 5, X (ie: make a c chord and move it up 2 frets.)

[Reelistic]

So the fiend who wrote this book was deliberately torturing me?

[fentonjames]

http://4stringchords.com/

[Charles E.]

So the fiend who wrote this book was deliberately torturing me?

Yes

[Reelistic]

Yes

Now things make more sense.

[AaronVW]

If you are intent on a 4 string chord you could also fret it as follows:
E - 2 (index finger)
A - 5 (ring finger)
D - 4 (middle finger)
G - 7 (pinky)

This is a pattern that is commonly used going from a I to a V chord - in this case you would go from a four finger G chord to this four finger D chord. It is a reach for sure but with practice should become pretty natural.