Drop D Tuning

TUNINGS

Using alternate tunings can freshen up your fingerpicking and guitar sound. Drop D Tuning is the perfect place to start.

DROP D TUNING

CHORDS in the key of E

Fingerpicking feels instantly fuller and more resonant in Drop D tuning.

Lowering the 6th string from E down to D unlocks a deeper bass note, wider chord voicings, and patterns that fall comfortably under the fingers. This tuning is especially powerful for solo acoustic playing because it gives you:

Why Drop D Tuning Works for Fingerpicking

A stronger low-end – the low D acts like a built-in drone, perfect for folk and acoustic patterns.
Simpler alternating-bass movements – your thumb can pedal between open D (6th string) and open A (5th string) without stretching.
Richer harmony – many chords gain extra “color” with open-string ringing.
Natural patterns – the hand barely shifts; most motion is in the melody fingers.

How to tune your guitar

Only one string changes – every string says the same except the low E or thickest string.
Use a tuner – if you have a guitar tuner, you can use it or you can use an online tuner.
Ring the D string – the way I get into this tuning is to let the open 4th string (D string) ring out and then tune down the low E string until both sound ‘in tune’.

DROP D TUNING eXERCISES

Below are six progressive exercises. Each one features steady thumb control on the bass while the fingers add melody on top.

EXERCISE 1

Here we use the thumb to play two different open strings – the first, the second, the first, the second – a technique we know as alternating bass. It’s nice though because this is all open strings so you can just focus on the thumb movement of the right hand.

Goal: build a reliable, even alternating-bass foundation. Keep the thumb relaxed and the timing consistent. See if you can play this without looking at your right hand!

Exercise 1 Audio

EXERCISE 2

We introduce melody notes on the beat / same time as bass notes. This is the easiest way to add notes to our bass. This is also called a “pinch”.

Goal: introduce melody on the high strings while the thumb continues its job. That is the key. Can you play these notes without stopping that regular thumb-played bass rhythm? At first, obviously not but it comes very quickly!

Keep the melody slightly louder than the bass.

Exercise 2 Audio

EXERCISE 3

Here we just add more melody notes both on and off the beat.

The first melody note at the very beat (3rd fret of the B string) is a pinch – on the beat.

The next melody note (2nd fret of G string) is between bass notes – this makes the piece more interesting and creates the sense of two lines. Keep steady bass above all else.

Exercise 3 Audio

EXERCISE 4

This is a very similar exercise to exercise 3 – but we add a hammer-on at the start of bar 2.

This adds a lot of musicality and is also a bit of a physical challenge if you haven’t done it before – as in it’s a bit tricky to perform this hammer-on and keep the bass going. Practice makes perfect

Exercise 4 Audio

EXERCISE 5

Now we play a similar melody but changing the bass. The low E string at the 5th fret is a G chord and the open A string is an A chord.

This is a I-IV-V chord progression and we could play a nice blues in this way, but for now we focus on adding bass movement to our existing melody.

Exercise 5 Audio

summary

The Drop D tuning is an easy tuning to tune into.

It opens up new sounds on the guitar and offers an easy way to get D bass notes on the lowest string.

It offers unique fingerpicking opportunities and these exercises will get you going.

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