Double Drop D tuning

Guitar with Double Drop D tuningThe Double Drop D tuning is the beautiful land of drone-like voicings.

Here is how you tune the guitar: DADGBD, which is almost similar to the Drop D tuning. The Double Drop D is suitable for a style somewhere between rock and singer-songwriting, for example, in the neighborhood of Neil Young, whereas Drop D is often used in rock context.

Chords

As you can notice, many chord diagrams are centered round the D tone and the key of D. But also playing in the key of G and Em would include most of the chords. The D minor key on the other hand do not partner well at all.

D

  • D chord diagram

Dsus4

  • Dsus4 chord diagram

Dmaj7

  • Dmaj7 chord diagram

D6

  • D6 chord diagram

Dmaj9

  • Dmaj9 chord diagram

Em7

  • Em7 chord diagram

Em7/B

  • Em7/B chord diagram

G

  • G chord diagram

Dm

  • Dm chord diagram

Dm7

  • Dm7 chord diagram

Dm9

  • Dm9 chord diagram

A/D

  • A/D chord diagram

Aadd4

  • Aadd4 chord diagram

Amadd4

  • Amadd4 chord diagram

F#m/D

  • F#m7/D chord diagram

Bm/D

  • Bm/D chord diagram

Comments

Concerning the G chord (5X005), notice that the three open strings actually create the G chord by their own, and therefore you could experiment by moving the lowest and highest notes. For example, 3X0003 would be a G7/F and 7X0007 would be a G/A and 9X0009 would be a G/B. As a consequence, 0X0000 would result in G/D.

Apart from the presented diagram, there is unsurprisingly many more ways to play various D chords. One example is Dm that also could be played 003230.

A more problematic chord among those often used in D major key progressions is the F# minor. There is hardly any easy fingerings at all for this chord.

A major chords in this tuning will, in general, produce a somewhat dissonant sound when the highest and/or lowest strings are included (because of the clash between C# and D notes). This is extra noticeable in chords such as Amaj7/D (002120).

For more chord charts in pdf, see Essential Chords in Double Drop D Tuning ebook linked to below.

Progressions

Some suggestions of chord progressions in this tuning:

D - Dsus4 - D - Dsus4 - D

It will sound cool if you just strum the highest strings when playing Dsus4. Dsus2 could by the way be played as 000232 or, which may sound better, as 002232.

An idea with a movable shape including F and G vicings:

D5 (000230) - F6/D (000560) - G5/D (000780)

Some other progressions based on chords presented above:

Amadd4 - Em

F#m/D - Em7

Bm/D - G - Em7

This tuning is not particularly associated with blues, but here is a simple idea:

D7 (054530) - G7/D (0 10 9 10 8 0) - A7/D (0 12 11 12 10 0)

or

D7 (004530) - G9/D (0 0 9 10 8 0) - A7/D (0 0 11 12 10 0)

More chords

Here is some additional chords in the Double Drop D tuning listed in short notation:

Dm6: 003200 / 000203
Asus4: X02232
C: X3201X
C/D: 032010
D5: 000230
D7: 000214
F: XX321X
F6: XX3210
Gm/D: XX0335


If you want to go more into depth of this particular guitar tuning, see the Essential Chords in Double Drop D Tuning ebook with over 100 chord diagrams.

This was an introduction to the Double Drop D tuning on the guitar, see also Drop C tuning.

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