Drop D Bar Chords (Easy 3 string chords!)

[Saz]

Other bands that drop:

- Sevendust
- Machine Head
- Stuck Mojo
- Fear factory

It's not always done for simple playing purposes! This way of tuning makes it possible to play chords, which else could not be played.

Like double powerchords:

----------------
---6------8----
---5------7----
---3------5----
---3------5----
---3------5----

Or for example:

--------------------------
--(3)-----5-------6-----
---5------5-------5-----
---5------3-------3-----
---3------3-------3-----
---3------3-------3-----

And many other options.

What this tuning also does for example, is lowering the root by 1 whole step, while KEEPING the "harmonics" of the "normal" tuning. Some songs can not be played if all the strings are detuned, because the natural(??) harmonics have lowered as well.

Machine Head's "Davidian" [burn my eyes] is a great example. You hear a dropped "C" chord, immediately followed by harmonics, which are only to be played in dropped tuning.

And that song does not sound that "simple", or would any of you guys start feeling "embarresed" for Rob Flynn for playing dropped, even if it's done to create possibilities? I don't think so..

 

[Outlaws]

My God.................stupid NuMetal...................discredits everything..........

Neil Young uses Drop D on his acoustic. I don't see people laughing at him.

 

[Saz]

And Satriani as well on "Friends" [the Extremist]

 

[Chris Tondreau]

A few thoughts here.... if it sounds good, do it. You have to remember that 95% of any given audience are NOT musicians and won't know or care what you're doing anyway. To them, if you sound good, you are good. Musicans judge you through other filters, though... that is true.

As far as dropped-D and other alternate tunings and stuff go, that idea has been around for AGES longer than anyone has referenced as yet. It's not how you tune - it's what you do with it.

It is pretty common practice - especially in baroque, renaissance, and modern compositions - for classical guitar players to tune to drop-D. Check out any recordings of "Allemande" (John Dowland - a Renaissance lute player/composer), or number of movements from Bach's lute suites (Baroque period) are transcribed for classical guitar in dropped-D tuning. Look especially for players like Andres Segovia and John Williams (not JW the composer of Star Wars... a different JW). You won't find anyone anywhere who will dispute the greatness of either player. Many modern guitar composers, like many modern composers for any instrument (non-pop) are always finding new ways of challenging the limitations of both players and their instruments. Alternate tunings are only the tip of the ice-berg.

The reason that transcriptions of lute pieces are often in drop-D, (and/or even played with a capo) is to be as true to the original composition as possible. One of the things that killed the lute as a viable instrument was that there was little to no standardized tuning for the instrument (nor even standardized construction, but that's a whole other matter....), but it typically exceeded the guitar in range, as it had more strings. Drop-D tuning was one means of accommodating the extra range somewhat.

Lutes also sounded "thinner" or "tighter" than guitars (gut strings in those days...), so using a capo at the second or third fret was one way in order to achieve this different tonal characteristic to make the performance more true to what the composer may have first idealized.

Sorry for a bit of a rant, and a bit of a history lesson, but there are too many guitar techniques/approaches to playing, etc., that are considered new, but are really very old. There has really been little innovation in guitar in the last 50 years, contrary to the perception of those who think that rock music has changed the whole approach to guitar playing. Same tricks in new contexts, mostly.

Oh, yeah.... and a lot of the original blues artists tuned their guitar to a COMPLETELY open chord (E B E G# B E, for example) so they could bar ALL the strings and play chords. This also allowed for easy slide playing too.

Chris

 

[Bill Assumpcao]

Nickleback uses dropped D for "How you Remind me". I don't, but they do.
Steven Stills uses a lot of dropped D.
I use the dropped D to turn his "4+20" into a 7or 8 minute jam with myself. Of course, I sing it as "2+50"

 

[Rocket Boy]

jimmy eat world is another popular band that plays basically exclusively in drop d. its fine, if thats how you want to play its fine. i mean... it'll sound cool cus your low string will be more bassy and stuff and that sounds cool. i tried it... but im just sort of more comfortable in standard tuning... actually Eb tuning... but you know what i mean.

 

[Neil Ogilvie]

Whatever. If you feel embarrassed about the guitarist, then the song he is playing isnt obviously worth a crap because you are focusing on the wrong thing.

Drop D is done by many acceptible guitarists. Jerry Cantrell and Kim Thayil did a hell of a lot more than wank around on the first three strings. I would certainly not call either of them crap players.

In fact, dissing Drop D is just as bad as dissing players who tune to entire chords. If anything, alternate tuning simply opens up a whole new world for the guitarist to experiment in.

Cy

Very true, the guy couldn't sing and was a crap player anyway.

I personally use a lot of the two finger power chords when playing heavier stuff, just for the clean punch it gives.

One of my favourite songs of all time is Everlong by Foo Fighters. Thats in drop D.

So although my previous post seems to suggest I'm very against drop D tuning, I actually think it can be pretty useful at times, just not if your a crap player. But then again, couldn't you say that about anything?

Neil