Chords and Scales – Virtual Fretboard
How to use the virtual fretboard: Select a root note from drop-down menu 1. Next select a scale from drop-down 2, or a chord type from drop-down 3. When selecting either a scale or chord you can also display intervals (a color-coded display of the intervals included in either the chord or scale selected). Lastly, when selecting a chord, you can also select different chord voicings, using the ‘voicings’ buttons. If at any time you wish to return to the default fretboard with all notes showing, simply select ‘none’ from drop-down menu 1.
Drop D Tuning is a common alternate tuning that involves lowering the 6th (E) string a whole step down to D, resulting in a D-A-D-G-B-E string order. It extends the range of the guitar incorporating a deeper, more resonant bass due to the lowered sixth string. The broader tonal palette and ease of chord transitions (namely power chords) make it an excellent alternate tuning for genres such as rock, and metal. It’s also a great tuning for fingerstyle players who can take advantage of the droning bass note on the sixth string, which can add a rich, continuous bass line to melodic patterns
Quick Tips:
- In Drop D Tuning, the D chord takes on a fuller, more vibrant sound. Normally, in standard tuning, the open D major chord utilizes just 4 strings and can have less impact than other open chords that incorporate all 6 strings. But with Drop D Tuning, all 6 strings come into play since the open 6th string is altered to become the root note (D), providing a richer harmonic foundation. This also positions the root note as the lowest tone in the chord, deepening the resonance of the chord.
- Drop D Tuning also opens up the creative possibility of using the 6th string as a continuous drone. Experiment with this technique by playing scales like the D minor pentatonic, minor, or major, and weave in the 6th D string as a droning base note. This approach adds a consistent harmonic backdrop.
- Lastly, Drop D Tuning improves the playability and speed of transitioning between power chords. This is due to the vertical alignment of the root note and the perfect fifth interval on the fretboard. The alignment simplifies power chords, allowing them to be played with just one finger across the bottom 2-3 strings, making it ideal for quickly chugging out riffs. See below for an alternate, richer version of the power chord in Drop D Tuning.
How to Tune to Drop D
| String No. | Standard Tuning | Drop D Tuning | Tuning Action | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th | E | D | Tune low E string down to D | D (octave lower) |
| 5th | A | A | Match the fifth fret of the 6th string (now D) to open A | Open A |
| 4th | D | D | Match the fifth fret of the 5th string to open D | Open D |
| 3rd | G | G | Match the fifth fret of the 4th string to open G | Open G |
| 2nd | B | B | Match the fourth fret of the 3rd string to open B | Open B |
| 1st | E | E | Match the fifth fret of the 2nd string to open high E | Open high E |
String Gauges and Setup
Being a low-tension tuning (1 or more strings are tuned to a lower pitch than standard tuning, resulting in decreased string tension) there are no special requirements for playing in Drop D.
* Ensure all strings are in tune relative to each other. This process adjusts only the 6th string for Drop D Tuning, while the rest remain as per standard tuning.
Best Key to Play in Drop D
D Major (and Minor) & A Minor
Drop D Tuning matches the D major (and minor) key’s root note directly on the lowest string, enhancing resonance and depth. See below for chord charts, or use the virtual fretboard at the top of the page to explore different voicings.
| Degree | Chord Name | Chord Type |
|---|---|---|
| I | D | Major |
| II | E | Minor |
| III | F# | Minor |
| IV | G | Major |
| V | A | Major |
| VI | B | Minor |
| VII | C# | Diminished |
Additional Keys
G Major: G major works well in Drop D Tuning because the open G (3rd string) and D (4th string and 6th string) strings can be used as drones.
A Minor: As A is the fifth of D, A minor is another key that works well with Drop D. It enables the player to use the open A (5th string) along with the D strings.
B Minor: B minor, the relative minor of D major, allows for interesting chord shapes and easy transitions between chords using the open D strings as a pedal tone.
Open Position Chords – Key of D
Useful (moveable) Chord Shapes
Power Chords
In Drop D Tuning, playing power chords becomes very straightforward. By lowering the 6th string a whole step, the 6th (root), 5th (fifth), and 4th (root) strings are vertically aligned, allowing for power chords to be played by simply fretting the bottom 3 strings using one finger.
But, we can make our humble power chord sound even better. To enhance the richness of power chords in Drop D, we can double the root and fifth intervals.
This is achieved by fretting the 3rd string two frets higher up from where your fingers are positioned on the bottom strings, and then adding an additional note by placing your pinky one fret further up on the 5th string.
Major Chords
Another useful shape you can use effectively in Drop D Tuning is the major chord shape shown in the accompanying diagram.
This is a root-6 barre chord, meaning the root note is found on the 6th string. If you know your major scale on the 6th string you can easily navigate to different major chords.
Think of this shape as starting from the power chord shape introduced earlier, except we are moving the doubled root note previously found on the 4th string 4 frets (2 whole steps) higher up the neck to add the major 3rd, thus making it a major chord. While it does involve a bit of a stretch, especially when playing in lower positions on the neck, it doesn’t take long to become accustomed to.
Minor Chords
We can also build a moveable minor chord shape using the same logic we used to build our major chord shape in the previous example.
As per the major chord example, start from the power chord shape introduced earlier, and in this case move the doubled root note found on the 4th string up 3 frets to add the minor third, thus making the chord minor.
We can also add another perfect 5th at the 7th fret of the 2nd string to create more depth.
Sus2 Chords
If you know your music theory, you’ll also know how simple it is to take the same logic we applied for building our major and minor chord examples and forming a moveable sus2 chord shape.
Sus2 chords are built on the root, major 2nd (one fret lower than a minor 3rd), and perfect fifth.
Suspended (sus) chords are great in rock and metal (2 genres ideal for Drop D Tuning) for their ability to create tension which invites a powerful release when resolved back to a major or minor chord.
7th Chords
Starting from our power chord base again, this time we’ll build a dominant 7th chord.
A dominant seventh chord combines the root, major third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh intervals, creating a combination of both major and minor, that can sound both stable and tense.
We can find our major 3rd on the 1st string 2 frets higher than our root, and our minor 7th interval one fret higher than our root on the 2nd string.
Minor 7th Chords
Knowing our Dominant 7 moveable shape, we can then easily build a minor 7th chord by lowering the major 3rd found on the 1st string one step to a minor 3rd interval.
Be aware though, that you will need to change your fingering from the dominant 7th shape to form this chord.
Scales
Major Scale
Natural Minor Scale
Pentatonic Minor Scale
Pentatonic Major Scale
Songs in Drop D
| Song Name | Artist |
|---|---|
| Everlong | The Foo Fighters |
| Black Hole Sun | Soundgarden |
| Moby Dick | Led Zeppelin |
| Schism | Tool |
| 46 & 2 | Tool |