Drop D Tuning: How to Tune to Drop D (Plus Chords, Riffs, and Songs)

July 2, 2026by OpenFret Team

Drop D is the alternate tuning almost every guitarist tries first, and it's the easiest one to reach: you only change a single string. Standard tuning is E-A-D-G-B-E; Drop D is D-A-D-G-B-E. You just drop the lowest string down a whole step. That one change unlocks heavier riffs, easier power chords, and a deeper low end.

How to tune to Drop D

Take your thickest string (the low E) and loosen it until it reads a D, one whole step lower. The fastest reference: fret the 7th fret of that low string and match it to the open A string above it, or just use a chromatic tuner. The free OpenFret tuner is chromatic, so it reads whatever note you play and shows you how sharp or flat you are, which is exactly what you need when the target note is no longer standard. Tune down slowly and check the other five strings haven't drifted.

Why Drop D is worth it: one-finger power chords

In standard tuning a power chord takes two or three fingers. In Drop D, the bottom three strings (D-A-D) are already a power chord shape, so you can barre one finger straight across them and slide it up and down the neck for instant riffs. That's the whole reason rock and metal players love it: fast, heavy, movable power chords with almost no left-hand effort, which frees you up to play them faster and palm-mute harder.

What changes (and what doesn't)

Only the low string moves, so every chord shape that doesn't use the 6th string is untouched. Your A minor, C, and D shapes all still work. What changes are chords that rely on the low E: a standard E or G shape now has a different bass note on that string, and you either skip it or fret the 6th string two frets higher than you used to. For soloing, nothing about the pentatonic shapes on the top strings changes.

Famous songs in Drop D

You've heard Drop D more than you realize. “Everlong” by Foo Fighters, “Killing in the Name” by Rage Against the Machine, “Heart-Shaped Box” by Nirvana, and huge chunks of the Tool, Soundgarden, and metalcore catalogs all live here. It's also common in modern acoustic fingerstyle, where the low D adds a fuller bass under the chords.

Getting back to standard

Just tune the low string back up a whole step to E. If you keep a few guitars, OpenFret's guitar inventory lets you note which guitar is parked in which tuning so you're not retuning constantly. And once Drop D feels natural, the other alternate tunings (DADGAD, Open G, Open D) are the logical next step. Want to internalize the fretboard so alternate tunings stop feeling foreign? That's what Guitar Quest drills.