Drop D Tuning

Drop D tuning is great for getting deep, bassy riffs and chords on your guitar. You’ll find it across a wide range of styles—from folk and country fingerpicking to heavy power chords in rock and metal.

How to Tune to Drop D

Switching to drop D tuning couldn’t be easier. All you do is drop your low E string down a whole step (two frets) to D.

Standard tuning: E-A-D-G-B-E
Drop D tuning: D-A-D-G-B-E

That’s it—just one string changes. To get it in tune, match your low 6th string to the D on your 4th string—they should be exactly one octave apart. You’re dropping that E string one tone lower, which is the equivalent of two frets.

Understanding the String Relationship Change

Here’s something important that a lot of players miss: when you drop that low E to D, you’re changing the relationship between your strings.

In standard tuning, E to A is a perfect fourth (four notes apart). Same with A to D, and D to G. But now that you’ve dropped the E string to D, the interval from the 6th string to the 5th string changes from a perfect fourth to a perfect fifth.

D to A is a fifth interval—and that’s exactly what makes power chords so easy in drop D. Instead of the usual two-finger power chord shape you use in standard tuning, you can just bar straight across the bottom three strings with one finger. This makes fast chord changes much easier and gives you a fuller, heavier sound.

The “Cheater Bar” Power Chord Technique

For metalheads and rock players, this is where drop D really shines. You know how it looks like the heavy guys are barring the whole guitar neck? They’re not—they’re just barring the top two or three strings.

In standard tuning, if you wanted to play an A power chord, you’d put your first finger on the 5th fret of the E string and your third finger on the 7th fret of the A string. But in drop D, the A note that used to be at the 5th fret of the E string has moved to the 7th fret (because you dropped the string a whole step). Now you can just bar straight across at the 7th fret and you’ve got your A power chord—easy as that.

This “cheater bar” technique works all the way up the neck for any power chord you want to play using the bottom strings.

Drone Notes for Country and Folk

Country and folk players love drop D for a different reason—that low D works beautifully as a drone note. When you’re playing in the key of D, that open low D string rings out underneath your fingerpicking patterns and creates this rich, full sound.

Try playing a D chord and letting that open 6th string ring out. Then try some fingerpicking patterns while keeping that bass note going. It’s a completely different vibe than standard tuning and sounds fantastic for open, droney folk tunes.

Adjusting Your Chord Shapes

When you first switch to drop D, remember that your usual chord shapes won’t work the same way anymore on the 6th string. Any chord that includes the low E will need adjustment.

For example, your standard E chord shape now produces a D chord (since the low string is now D instead of E). The D chord sounds great because you’re playing the root note on that low string. But chords like G and A will need different fingerings if you want to include the 6th string.

Famous Songs in Drop D

You’ve probably heard drop D tuning in tons of songs without even realizing it:

• “Heart-Shaped Box” by Nirvana
• “Moby Dick” by Led Zeppelin
• “Everlong” by Foo Fighters
• “Spoonman” by Soundgarden
• “Killing in the Name” by Rage Against the Machine

Getting Started with Drop D

The easiest way to start is by experimenting with power chords and simple riffs on the lower strings to get comfortable with the new layout. Don’t worry about mastering complex chord shapes right away—just play around with those power chord bars and get used to how the intervals have changed.

Drop D tuning opens up a whole world of different fingerings and note combinations because of that low D string. If you get stuck or want to dive deeper into alternate tunings, there’s a lot more to explore.