D-/?

A coworker inspired this post, and that means that I now have a reader. Let's see if I stay on point. No, I choose now at the outset to go off point all over the place as usual. Look!

D-
X[0]0231

OK, you may have seen this one before. The hyphen should be pronounced as "minor"; this is a standard minor chord that you can find in any book. That zero in the brackets indicates a semi-optional note; it might be fine to let that fifth in the bass ring, depending on the context. It gives a grittier sound and should be called a D-/A.

You may already know the chord; now you have to decide on a fingering. Your choice of fingering should depend on what you want to do with the finger you have left. Using your index, middle, and ring fingers leaves your little finger, and allows for an easy

Dsus4
X[0]0233

but not much else. If you're playing, "What It's Like" by Everlast, then index, middle, ring is the fingering for you. I haven't found many other uses for it. Another option is to use your index, middle, and little fingers, leaving you to do what you like with your ring finger. I've always played D- this way ever since my guitar teacher Greg Norgaard called it the more "professional" way sometime back in 2002. Here are the chords you can play easily with this approach, by merely placing your ring find on the third fret of strings 4, 5, or 6.

D-/F
X[0]3231

This is the first inversion of the original D minor. It's not terribly interesting by itself, but if you take your index finger off and let that open first string ring out, you get this:

D-(add 9)/F = FΔ13 = B♭Δ7#11 (no root)
XX3230

And I *love* that chord. OK, placing the ring finger on the 5th string, you get this:

D-7/C
X3X231

This is just the third inversion of a D-7 chord. I left out the open 4th string in order to make a clear statement in the bass. I prefer not to have two bass notes ringing at the same time unless they are octaves or fifths, i.e. a power chord. Hammering on that C note from the open 5th string get's you the first beat or so of the unplugged version of "Layla" (I still haven't heard the third version) Finally,

D-/G = G9 (no 3rd) =F6/9 (fourth inversion) = B♭Δ13 (sixth inversion, no root)
3X0231

This is a "modal" dominant 9th voicing, meaning it has a root, ♭7th, and 9th, but no third. It could be played in place of a G-9 or a G9, but not a GΔ9 or G-Δ9, should you have misfortune of seeing G-Δ9 (e.g. X(10)(8)(11)(10)X) on a chart. The F6/9 and B♭Δ13 are more theoretical names for the chord, both being profound violations of the low interval limits on their respective bass notes. In short, you usually don't play a 9th or a 13th in the bass of a chord.

Good luck with "Layla" and "Time in a Bottle"