# AI Wiki - Music - Alternate Tunings ## Concept Standard tuning is E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4, low to high: perfect fourths with one major third between G and B (see [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Fretboard Navigation]]). An alternate tuning changes one or more strings. Changing the tuning changes three things at once: - **the chords available as open strings** (an open tuning strums a full chord with no fingers down), - **the fingerings** of everything you know (shapes stop working on the retuned strings), - **the range and resonance**: lower strings, more open strings ringing, drones. There are three families: 1. **Drop tunings**: one string (usually the lowest) lowered. Drop D. 2. **Open tunings**: the open strings form a major chord. Open G, open D, open E. 3. **Modal or suspended tunings**: the open strings form a chord with no third. DADGAD. Plus **transposed standard tunings**, where every string moves by the same amount and all shapes stay the same: half-step down (Eb). ## Summary table | Tuning | Strings (low to high) | Changed from standard | Open strings sound | |---|---|---|---| | Standard | E A D G B E | — | a stack of fourths (Em11), not a usable chord | | Half-step down | Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb | all six down 1 semitone | same shapes, a semitone lower | | Drop D | D A D G B E | 6th down 2 semitones | D5 on the bottom three strings | | DADGAD | D A D G A D | 6th, 2nd, 1st down 2 semitones | Dsus4 | | Open G | D G D G B D | 6th, 5th, 1st down 2 semitones | G major | | Open D | D A D F# A D | 6th, 2nd, 1st down 2; 3rd down 1 | D major | | Open E | E B E G# B E | 5th, 4th up 2; 3rd up 1 | E major | ## Drop D (D A D G B E) The low E string goes down a whole step to D. Fender's article calls it the most frequently used alternate tuning and one of the easiest. Wikipedia: "In drop D, the three open bass strings form a D5 power chord", so one finger flat across the bottom three strings plays any [[AI Wiki - Music - Power Chords|power chord]]. The top five strings are unchanged, so chords with their root on the A or D string are fingered as usual; chords using the low string need the 6th-string note two frets higher than in standard. It suits songs in D major or D minor, where the low D adds a bass root an octave below the open D string. Early uses Wikipedia names include The Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and Led Zeppelin's "Moby Dick" (both 1969); it later became a staple of grunge and metal. Metal also goes lower (D standard, Drop C, seven- and eight-string guitars): see [[AI Wiki - Music - Metal Music]]. **Tuning it**: lower the 6th string until its 12th-fret harmonic (or its fret 12) matches the open D string, or until its 7th fret matches the open A string. ```chord tuning: Drop D columns: 4 --- symbol: D5 frets: 000xxx title: D5 (open) --- symbol: G5 frets: 555xxx fingers: 111xxx title: G5 (one finger) --- symbol: D frets: 000232 fingers: 000132 title: D (with low D) --- symbol: G frets: 520003 fingers: 310004 title: G (6th string at fret 5) ``` ## DADGAD (D A D G A D) The 6th, 2nd and 1st strings go down a whole step. The open strings form Dsus4: D, G and A with no third, so the tuning is, in Wikipedia's words, "neither intrinsically major nor minor". The third comes from the fretting hand (F# for D major, F for D minor) or is left out, which gives the tuning its open, droning sound. Popularised by British folk guitarist Davey Graham, it is also called "Celtic tuning" because moveable shapes keep open strings ringing as drones, like the voicings of Scottish and Irish pipe music. Jimmy Page used it on "White Summer" (The Yardbirds) and "Kashmir" (Led Zeppelin). **Tuning it**: start from drop D. Lower the B string to A (match the G string at fret 2), then the high E string to D (match the new A string at fret 5). ```chord tuning: DADGAD columns: 4 --- symbol: Dsus4 frets: 000000 title: Dsus4 (open) --- frets: 000200 fingers: 000100 --- frets: 550000 fingers: 230000 --- frets: x04200 fingers: x03100 ``` The diagrams name themselves: the open strings (Dsus4), D5 with the G string at fret 2, Gsus2 with the bottom two strings at fret 5, and D/A with the F# on the D string. Keys that fit: D major, D minor and D modal music, plus G (Gsus2 shapes). DADGAD is also a favourite of [[AI Wiki - Music - Percussive Fingerstyle|percussive fingerstyle]] players, because its ringing open strings leave the hands free for hits. ## Open G (D G D G B D) The 6th, 5th and 1st strings go down a whole step; the open strings form a G major chord. Wikipedia: open G "allows a G-major chord to be strummed on all six strings". One finger across all strings at a fret then gives the major chord a fret's distance away: fret 5 is C, fret 7 is D, so I–IV–V in G is three one-finger chords. This is why open tunings are the standard for slide guitar and resonator blues. Slide technique, from intonation over the fret wire to a first open-G lick, is in [[AI Wiki - Music - Slide Guitar]]. Keith Richards plays open G on a five-string guitar (the low string removed: G D G B D) for "Honky Tonk Women", "Brown Sugar" and "Start Me Up". **Tuning it**: lower the 6th string to D (an octave below the open D string), the 5th string to G (an octave below the open G string), and the 1st string to D (match the B string at fret 3). ```chord tuning: open G columns: 3 --- symbol: G frets: 000000 title: G (open) --- symbol: C frets: 555555 fingers: 111111 title: C (fret 5) --- symbol: D frets: 777777 fingers: 111111 title: D (fret 7) ``` Every G [[AI Wiki - Music - Chord Tones and Improvisation|chord tone]] (R, 3, 5) in open G, labelled by [[AI Wiki - Music - Intervals|interval]]. Every open string and every note at fret 12 is a chord tone, which is why a straight barre at any fret plays a major chord. ```fretboard chord: G tuning: open G frets: 0-12 labels: intervals ``` ## Open D (D A D F# A D) and open E (E B E G# B E) Open D (also "Vestapol") lowers the 6th, 2nd and 1st strings a whole step and the 3rd string a half step. Open E has the same intervals one whole step higher, and is reached by **raising** the 5th and 4th strings a whole step and the 3rd a half step. Both are standard slide tunings. The Allman Brothers Band's "Little Martha" uses open D raised a half step (open Eb). The same one-finger logic applies: in open D, fret 5 is G and fret 7 is A; in open E, fret 5 is A and fret 7 is B. ```chord columns: 3 --- symbol: D frets: 000000 tuning: open D title: D (open D) --- symbol: G frets: 555555 fingers: 111111 tuning: open D title: G (open D, fret 5) --- symbol: A frets: 777777 fingers: 111111 tuning: open D title: A (open D, fret 7) ``` Open E puts extra tension on three strings. Wikipedia warns that higher tunings increase string tension "until playing the guitar requires significantly more finger-strength and stamina", and tuning up risks breaking strings or stressing the neck. A common alternative: tune to open D and put a [[AI Wiki - Music - Capo and Transposition|capo]] at fret 2, which sounds as open E with less tension. **Tuning open D**: lower the 6th string to D; lower the B string to A (match the G string at fret 2, before retuning the G); lower the G string to F# (match the D string at fret 4); lower the high E to D (match the new A string at fret 5). ## Half-step down (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb) Every string goes down a semitone. All shapes, scales and fingerings stay the same; everything sounds a semitone lower. An open E-shape chord sounds as Eb. ```chord tuning: half step down columns: 3 --- frets: 022100 fingers: 023100 title: E shape, sounds Eb --- frets: 320003 fingers: 210003 title: G shape, sounds Gb (F#) --- frets: x02220 fingers: x01230 title: A shape, sounds Ab (G#) ``` Reasons players use it: it suits a singer's range, the lower tension makes bends and vibrato easier ([[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Lead Techniques]]), and the tone is slightly darker. Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Van Halen are commonly cited users. To [[AI Wiki - Music - Playing with Backing Tracks|play along]] with recordings in this tuning in standard, transpose everything down a semitone, which usually means [[AI Wiki - Music - Barre Chords|barre chords]] instead of open shapes. ## Practical notes - **Guitar hardware**: a floating tremolo bridge shifts when the tension changes, detuning the other strings. A fixed-bridge guitar is easier for experimenting. - **Intonation**: in tunings far below standard, fretted notes can go sharp; heavier strings help for low tunings. - **Retune in order and check twice**: changing several strings changes the tension on the neck, so the first strings drift. Go through all strings again. - **Keep shapes separate in your head**: an E-shape chord in drop D needs the 6th string two frets higher; the top five strings are unaffected. - **A second guitar** for the tuning you use most avoids retuning in the middle of practice. ## How to practise 1. Start with drop D: play D5 and one-finger power chords, then the D chord with the open low D. Try a song in D. 2. Open G or open D: strum the open chord, then I–IV–V with one finger (frets 0, 5, 7). Add a slide if you have one. 3. DADGAD: let the open strings ring while moving one or two fingers; look for sus2 and sus4 sounds. 4. Tune back to standard and check that each string is stable. 5. Log which tuning each song uses, together with its capo position (see [[AI Wiki - Music - Capo and Transposition]]). ## Key Points - Drop D lowers only the 6th string: one-finger power chords and a low D root. - DADGAD gives Dsus4 open: no third, droning and modal; Celtic and folk standard. - Open G, D and E strum a major chord open; a one-finger barre at frets 5 and 7 gives IV and V. - Open E raises strings (tension); open D plus capo 2 is the gentler alternative. - Half-step down keeps every shape; everything sounds a semitone lower. ## Open Questions - Which songs on Sébastien's list use non-standard tunings? - Is his guitar's bridge fixed or floating, and how stable is it across retunings? - Which tuning to explore first after drop D: open G (blues, slide) or DADGAD (fingerstyle)? ## References - Wikipedia, "Drop D tuning": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_D_tuning - Wikipedia, "DADGAD": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DADGAD - Wikipedia, "Open tuning": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_tuning - Wikipedia, "Open G tuning": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_G_tuning - Wikipedia, "Standard tuning": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_tuning - Guitar.com, "An introduction to alternate tunings: drop D, open G and DADGAD for electric guitar": https://guitar.com/features/an-introduction-to-alternate-tunings-drop-d-open-g-and-dadgad-for-electric-guitar - Guitar World, "11 alternate and open tunings every guitarist should know": https://guitarworld.com/lessons/11-alternate-tunings-every-guitarist-should-know - Fender, "Tune like a rock star": https://www.fender.com/articles/how-to/tune-like-a-rock-star ## Related - [[AI Wiki - Music - Power Chords]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Capo and Transposition]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Fretboard Navigation]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Fingerpicking]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Lead Techniques]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Suspended and Added-Tone Chords]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Blues Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Folk Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Open Chords]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Rock Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Transcription and Playing by Ear]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Fretboard Interval Shapes]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Slide Guitar]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Metal Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Percussive Fingerstyle]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Electric Guitar]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Fingerstyle Arranging]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Setup and Maintenance]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Harmonics]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Metal Rhythm Guitar Techniques]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Reading Guitar Tab]]