Alternate guitar tunings

The four tunings at a glance

Strings are listed from lowest (6th) to highest (1st). Names like "DADGAD" simply spell out the open strings in that order.

Good news: all four only loosen strings.

Switching tunings without the hassle

1. Start from a guitar in tune in standard tuning (see how to tune a guitar).
2. Go a little too low, then come back up to the target note. A string tuned upward holds better.
3. Go around one more time. Loosening three strings changes the tension on the neck: the others move slightly. Two passes are usually enough.

Fredon's tuner offers all four tunings: it draws the guitar's headstock, lights up the string you're playing and tells you to tighten or loosen it.

In the charts below, fingerings are written string by string, from the 6th to the 1st: a number for the fret, 0 for an open string, x for a string you don't play.

Drop D: D A D G B E

How to get there

Only the 6th string goes down, from E to D. Ear check: the 6th string at the 7th fret should match the open 5th string (A). Or simpler: played open, it sounds an octave below the open 4th string.

What it's good for

The three low strings form a power chord (D-A-D). One finger laid across those three strings, at any fret, gives you a power chord: 2nd fret for E, 5th fret for G, 7th fret for A. It's the king of heavy rock, grunge and metal tunings. You'll hear it in Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name" or Led Zeppelin's "Moby Dick." On the folk side, the Beatles' "Dear Prudence" uses it for its deep D bass.

Basic chords

Every chord that doesn't use the 6th string stays the same. Only the ones that lean on the low bass change:

• D: 0 0 0 2 3 2, the usual D with two extra open bass notes;
• G: 5 x 0 0 0 3, the bass moves up to the 5th fret;
• A: x 0 2 2 2 0, unchanged;
• Em: 2 2 2 0 0 0, one extra finger on the 6th string.

DADGAD: D A D G A D

How to get there

Lower the 6th string a whole step (E → D), the 2nd (B → A) and the 1st (E → D). The open 2nd should sound like the 5th an octave up, and the 1st like the 4th an octave up.

What it's good for

Played open, the guitar sounds a Dsus4, neither major nor minor. That ambiguity suits the modal melodies of Celtic music, Irish, Scottish or Breton, and fingerstyle playing: the open strings drone while your fingers play the melody. British guitarist Davy Graham popularized it, and Pierre Bensusan made it his signature. On the rock side, Jimmy Page uses it on "Kashmir" and "Black Mountain Side."

Basic chords

• Dsus4: 0 0 0 0 0 0, all strings open;
• D: 0 0 4 2 0 0, the F♯ is on the 4th string;
• Dm: 0 0 3 2 0 0, the same fingering, one fret lower on the 4th string;
• G: 5 5 0 0 2 0;
• Asus4: x 0 2 2 0 0, which naturally pulls back to D.

Open G: D G D G B D

How to get there

Lower the 6th string a whole step (E → D), the 5th (A → G) and the 1st (E → D). Strings 4, 3 and 2 stay put. Ear check: the 5th string should sound like the 3rd an octave lower.

What it's good for

Strummed open, the six strings give you a G major chord. It's the tuning of slide blues and a big part of the Rolling Stones' sound: Keith Richards plays "Honky Tonk Women," "Brown Sugar" and "Start Me Up" in open G, often with the 6th string removed. The 5-string banjo is also tuned to an open G chord, which is why they sound related.

Basic chords

One finger laid across all the strings gives a major chord at every fret. With three positions, you can play the I, IV and V in the key of G:

• G: all strings open;
• C: barre at the 5th fret;
• D: barre at the 7th fret.

With a slide, just hold it over the 5th, 7th or 12th fret (G, an octave up). Minor chords take more fingers: start with the major ones.

Open D: D A D F♯ A D

How to get there

Lower the 6th string a whole step (E → D), the 2nd (B → A) and the 1st (E → D), then lower the 3rd by just a half step (G → F♯). It's DADGAD with the 3rd string a half step lower: if you're already in DADGAD, you only have one string to change.

What it's good for

Played open, the guitar rings out a big, deep D major chord. You'll find it in slide blues, folk and fingerstyle. Open E, a slide favorite, has exactly the same layout a whole step higher: everything you learn in open D carries straight over.

Basic chords

• D: all strings open;
• G: barre at the 5th fret;
• A: barre at the 7th fret.

Tips and traps

• A capo works here too. Open G with a capo at the 2nd fret gives you open A; drop D with a capo at the 2nd fret gives you drop E. The shapes stay the same (see the capo guide).
• A slacker string buzzes more. Strum the 6th string a little softer, especially in drop D.
• Don't carry over your standard shapes. The shapes you know no longer give the same chords on the retuned strings. Fredon's chord library shows fingerings in the tuning you pick, from easiest to hardest.
• Write with it. An unfamiliar tuning forces you to search by ear and sparks ideas you'd never have had in standard.

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