• From: San Antonio, Texas
  • Registered: 2007-06-12
  • Posts: 353

Topic: Drop Tuning

Hey all

I'm trying to decide what purpose the drop tuning does ... I know from researching that alot of guitarists drop tune (for example the drop "D" tuning) ... what makes it different then leaving it in Standard tuning?

An article I read in Guitar World talked about the Drop D tune (D, A, D, G, B, E) and how you can bar the bottom three strings (I'm thinking G, B, E?) and you have a powerchord that you can move anywhere up and down the fret

Is this a sound that is standard to keep in or do they specifically use it for one or two songs and then switch back to standard tuning?

Electric:  Gibson Les Paul Studio, Schecter Omen 6, PRS SE Custom
Acoustic:  Fender Talman, Yamaha
Amp:  Fender Super Champ XD/Line6 Spider III 75

Tim0473's Website

  • From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
  • Posts: 3,336

Re: Drop Tuning

You tune to drop D when you have a song in D that you want to have a heavy bottom to it.   Tuning to drop D changes the interval of the 1st and 2nd strings to a perfect 5th, which is a "power chord,"  so in that regard, it is easier to play them, as you can barre the 1st and 2nd strings and have your interval with one finger.

Other open tunings are used when you're using a bottle neck or a slide.

Someday we'll win this thing...

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jerome.oneil's Website

  • From: San Antonio, Texas
  • Registered: 2007-06-12
  • Posts: 353

Re: Drop Tuning

So they were correct what they said about barring the 1, 2, 3 strings ... I've never used the drop D tuning ... I know with my schecter it's already a deep heavy tone ... for the most part I'm pretty well off just leaving it in standard tuning correct?

Electric:  Gibson Les Paul Studio, Schecter Omen 6, PRS SE Custom
Acoustic:  Fender Talman, Yamaha
Amp:  Fender Super Champ XD/Line6 Spider III 75

Tim0473's Website

  • From: Renfrewshire, Scotland
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 1,359

Re: Drop Tuning

A lot of rockers use it because of the ease of power chords and it's great for playing those heavy riffs rockers love.

Is anything really made up of zeros and ones??

alvee33's Website

  • From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
  • Posts: 3,336

Re: Drop Tuning

Tim0473 wrote:

So they were correct what they said about barring the 1, 2, 3 strings ... I've never used the drop D tuning ... I know with my schecter it's already a deep heavy tone ... for the most part I'm pretty well off just leaving it in standard tuning correct?

Yup. They were correct.  You barre the 1st three strings, and it gives you the tonic, the 5th, and the octave in one finger.

P.J. Harvey's "50 ft Queenie" is one of my favorite drop D songs.

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

jerome.oneil's Website

  • From: San Antonio, Texas
  • Registered: 2007-06-12
  • Posts: 353

Re: Drop Tuning

Wow ok ... it's weird because I bar the 1, 2, 3 strings and it sounds like crap ... unless I'm just used to the standard 5/6 string powerchord

Electric:  Gibson Les Paul Studio, Schecter Omen 6, PRS SE Custom
Acoustic:  Fender Talman, Yamaha
Amp:  Fender Super Champ XD/Line6 Spider III 75

Tim0473's Website

  • From: UK
  • Registered: 2007-09-16
  • Posts: 369

Re: Drop Tuning

Tim0473 wrote:

Wow ok ... it's weird because I bar the 1, 2, 3 strings and it sounds like crap ... unless I'm just used to the standard 5/6 string powerchord

Have you tuned the guitar properly? One thing I tend to do is tune the 6th string down one fret instead of two, which sounds horrible. It has to be two frets lower.
You've probably tuned it properly but I know it's easy to tune it incorrectly.

If you want heavy try tuning the guitar a tone (2 frets) lower, then dropping the 6th string by another 2 frets. Sounds great on a Les Paul copy. big_smile

8 Reply by Tim0473 (edited by Tim0473 2008-01-18 22:42:27)

  • From: San Antonio, Texas
  • Registered: 2007-06-12
  • Posts: 353

Re: Drop Tuning

Tibernius wrote:
Tim0473 wrote:

Wow ok ... it's weird because I bar the 1, 2, 3 strings and it sounds like crap ... unless I'm just used to the standard 5/6 string powerchord

Have you tuned the guitar properly? One thing I tend to do is tune the 6th string down one fret instead of two, which sounds horrible. It has to be two frets lower.
You've probably tuned it properly but I know it's easy to tune it incorrectly.

If you want heavy try tuning the guitar a tone (2 frets) lower, then dropping the 6th string by another 2 frets. Sounds great on a Les Paul copy. big_smile

Thats what I mean ... how do you tune a single string down one fret, etc?  That's the part I dont understand on how to do

I know the standard EADGBe ... I haven't tried the down-tuning but am curious in how it is and how it sounds

Electric:  Gibson Les Paul Studio, Schecter Omen 6, PRS SE Custom
Acoustic:  Fender Talman, Yamaha
Amp:  Fender Super Champ XD/Line6 Spider III 75

Tim0473's Website

  • From: Renfrewshire, Scotland
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 1,359

Re: Drop Tuning

Tune the E string down until it sounds  the same as the D string but 1 octave lower.

Is anything really made up of zeros and ones??

alvee33's Website

  • From: San Antonio, Texas
  • Registered: 2007-06-12
  • Posts: 353

Re: Drop Tuning

Ahhh ok got it!  Thanks!

Electric:  Gibson Les Paul Studio, Schecter Omen 6, PRS SE Custom
Acoustic:  Fender Talman, Yamaha
Amp:  Fender Super Champ XD/Line6 Spider III 75

Tim0473's Website

  • etc_04
  • Senior Member
  • Offline
  • From: OHIO
  • Registered: 2007-07-25
  • Posts: 204

Re: Drop Tuning

No, the bottom 3 strings you will be barring are the Low E (now a D) the A, and the D. Remeber that EAD are "bottom" strings and GBE are "top" strings

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  • From: UK
  • Registered: 2007-09-16
  • Posts: 369

Re: Drop Tuning

alvee33 wrote:

Tune the E string down until it sounds  the same as the D string but 1 octave lower.

Or you can tune the 6th string down so that the 6th string at the 7th fret sounds the same as the open 5th string.

  • From: San Antonio, Texas
  • Registered: 2007-06-12
  • Posts: 353

Re: Drop Tuning

K thanks guys!  That's a big help!

Electric:  Gibson Les Paul Studio, Schecter Omen 6, PRS SE Custom
Acoustic:  Fender Talman, Yamaha
Amp:  Fender Super Champ XD/Line6 Spider III 75

Tim0473's Website