I’ve written a full article explaining the ins and outs of DADGAD tuning, you can read it here if interested.
It is particularly well suited to Celtic music (hence being referred to as Celtic Tuning). For those unfamiliar with DADGAD tuning, it’s an alternate tuning that shares many of the same intervals (distance between notes) as double drop D. I’ve mentioned DADGAD tuning a couple of times above. In the case of open D, the guitar is tuned to play a D major chord (requiring the notes D, A, and F#) when all strings are played open. Open tunings are tunings where the guitar is tuned to a specific chord. Is double drop D anything like open d tuning? It’s no surprise a lot of Irish music is written in the key of D. For example, if you don’t usually write in D, drop D, double drop D and DADGAD (Celtic Tuning) offer up tasty open note drones that will lead you directly to writing in this key. Tuning to double drop D may also force you out of your usual comfort zone creatively. However, much like drop D retaining the four strings, 2 through 5 provide a level of familiarity, facilitating simple runs during chord progressions.
Like drop D, double drop D removes some of the basic foundations we are accustomed to, forcing a more ‘out-of-the-box approach’, particularly if unfamiliar with the tuning.Īnd along with drop D may also facilitate a more electric approach to the acoustic guitar as power chords and expanded power chords become more accessible due to the root and 5th lining up vertically on the fretboard. In my experience learning more elaborate tunings and remembering their structure becomes a lot easier when you have ‘stepping stone’ tunings such as double drop D to work from.Īnyone with experience playing in alternate tunings understands how powerful alternate tunings are for songwriting. If you already know drop D, it’s relatively easy to slip between standard, drop D, and double drop D allowing you to take advantage of each tuning and the advantages each might offer with regard to specific chord voicings or availability of an underlying open string drone.ĭouble drop D can also serve as a stepping stone to more sophisticated tunings such as Celtic tuning ( DADGAD) as the second string is the only string changed, moving up a whole step from B to A. In fact, detuning the A string a whole step to G will result in the guitar being tuned to open G tuning (DGDGBD) which is just a half step away from open D tuning (DADFAD) A simple tuning to rememberīut, perhaps the biggest benefit to double drop D is its accessibility from standard tuning. However, it’s also a tuning that provides an open tuning feel, when utilizing the top four strings (which form a G chord) as these intervals are also present in open G tuning. However due to the construction of the tuning the benefits of drop D are very much still on offer with regard to richer sounding power chords and accessible drone notes due to the interplay between the 4th and 6th strings. Like drop D, double drop D is a great tuning to experiment in offering a more folksy vibe than perhaps the more rock orientated drop D. It did, and I’ve been a fan since, predominantly playing in standard, drop D, and double drop D from that day on. I was already playing in drop D, as I almost always did, but as the song we were playing was in the key of Dm, he suggested this small tweak might add a little extra to what I was playing. It was during a rehearsal that an old friend and one of the most talented guitarists I have known suggested I detune my 1st string to D. Why Double Drop D is such an effective tuning This is a great example of why alternate tunings can be so useful for guitarists, as there’s no other way to generate such a rich, full-sounding D5 chord in standard tuningĪnd, if you like, you can still play a D major by placing your pinky on the fourth fret of the 6th string instead of playing the open string. The additional root notes (6th string - D, 1st string - D) along with the 4th string D, spread across three octaves give the chord more width between frequencies, resulting in a fuller, more expansive sound, despite technically being a power chord (which technically isn’t a chord at all) due to being constructed from the root and 5th note of the scale only. But hold up a second, the chord isn’t a D major triad anymore, it’s now an open D power chord or D5.
You should now hear a rich, full-bodied chord. Once in tune, strum an open D shape hitting all strings, but leave the 1st string open.
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