Double Drop D string notes
Low to high: D, A, D, G, B, D. Both E strings come down to D, and the four strings between them stay exactly as they are in standard tuning (E, A, D, G, B, E).
| String | Standard (E-A-D-G-B-E) | Double Drop D |
|---|---|---|
| 6th (low) | E | D |
| 5th | A | A |
| 4th | D | D |
| 3rd | G | G |
| 2nd | B | B |
| 1st (high) | E | D |
The gaps are a perfect fifth, a perfect fourth, a perfect fourth, a major third and a minor third, the same as Drop D except at the top, where a minor third from B to D replaces a fourth. D rings on the 6th, 4th and 1st strings, the same note in three octaves, so there is a drone at both ends of the range, and the top three open strings, G, B and D, are G major on their own.
How to retune from standard
Bring both E strings down a whole step to D and leave the 5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd strings alone.
Tune the 6th against the open 4th string, which is the same note an octave higher, then the 1st against the open 4th string, the same note an octave lower. With both done, the 6th and 1st strings are the same D two octaves apart.
Already in Drop D? Bring the 1st string down a whole step, E to D, and you are there.
What Double Drop D is good for
A folk-rock favorite for open, ringing chord voicings.
It works in G as readily as in D. Fret the 6th string at the 5th fret and the 5th string at the 2nd and you have a full six-string G major with two fingers, because the 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st strings are already D, G, B and D. Every open string belongs to both the key of D and the key of G, so the open strings suit either.
Famous songs in Double Drop D tuning
Neil Young used it for several of his best-known songs, Cinnamon Girl among them.
- Ohio — Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
- Cinnamon Girl — Neil Young
- Cortez the Killer — Neil Young
More on String Warrior
- Drop D — the same low string, with the high E left alone
- All alternate tunings
- How to tune your instrument — standard tuning and tuning basics
- Guitar chord library
- Music theory