Tuning a Guitar to Drop D : One Simple Step Unlocks Many Possibilities

Drop D tuning is a great tuning technique for all guitarists to have in their repertoire. It can help musicians overcome the impossibilities of playing certain chords that sound great but can't be reached by normal human hand spans. Drop D tuning has been used since the 1960's in songs such as the Beatles' "Dear Prudence" from the renowned "White" album. The tuning variation experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 1990's during the Seattle "Grunge" movement and has become quite possibly the most common alternative tuning in modern rock.

Tuning a guitar to Drop D requires simply loosening the 6th string down a whole step from E to D. This can be achieved with a tuner or by comparing it to the in-tune 4th string Open D. When comparing the open 4th string to the 6th string, players will note that the 6th string will sound an octave lower than the 4th string. For more exact Drop D tuning, guitarists will want to play the 4th string open and then play the 12 fret harmonic on the 6th string of the guitar. They should then tune the harmonic note down a whole step until it matches the open 4th string. In the case of electric guitar, using distortion will help the tuning process. Using this technique when tuning a guitar to Drop D will allow a guitarist to hear better the way the notes clash when they are not in tune, and similarly, the pleasant ring that occurs when the two D's finally merge. With drop D tuning, the six strings become "D A D G B E."

Perhaps the greatest benefit of Drop D tuning is that it makes one-fingered power chords easy, which is probably what attracted bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam to it in the first place. Nivana's famous "All Apologies" is a perfect representation of what can be achieved through Drop D tuning, along with many songs by the currently popular band Nickelback. Drop D tuning allows a guitarist to play a fat and ringing D power chord using only the bottom two or three strings. But there are many other perks associated with Drop D tuning, including the following interesting sounds:

Bends on certain strings when alternated with open strings will produce a unique sound and produce some powerful combinations.
String stops will sound more resonant and create some dramatic activity during rests and transitions than in other tunings.
Muting chords will create a dramatic dynamic effect unlike that which can be created with standard tuning.

The best way for a guitarist to find his/her own style is by listening to a lot of songs that use Drop D tuning. Musicians can then learn the basic techniques and chord fingerings of Drop D and practice them for implementation in their original songs.