Drop D Tuning: A Player's Guide

Drop D is standard tuning with one string changed, so you already know most of it. This guide covers the part that's new.

That's riffs first: one-finger power chords anywhere on the neck, a lookup table for them, and using the open D as a pedal under moving notes. Then the part most players skip: full chords in D with the low root underneath. There are 18 shapes built on the low D, 12 full-neck chord maps and 8 scale maps adjusted for the dropped string, plus three phrases in tab.

It's also honest about keys. If a song isn't in D, G or somewhere close, I'd usually tune back up.

16-page printable PDF, US Letter.