Guitar in DADGAD tuning

DADGAD is a tuning developed by Davy Graham in the early 1960s. To change your guitar from normal tuning EADGBE just do the following:

Tune strings 1, 6 down from E to D. You can use string 4 (D) as a reference note.

Then tune string 2 down from B to A : reference note is open string 5 (A). That's it.

My new hub Guitar in DADGAD Tuning- chords has chord pictures for this tuning, and more info added.

First, try to forget about normal tuning chord shapes, they won't work. String numbers: string 1 is the thinnest string, string 6 is the thickest.(and lowest in pitch)

Play fret 2 (string 3) and fret 4 (string 4) with all the other strings open = D chord.

Play fret 2 strings 5 and 6, all others open = Em chord (same as normal Em but across one string)

Play fret 5 strings 5 and 6 with fret 4 string 3, others open = G chord. Move everything up 2 frets for an A chord. Tip: I think of this as a kind of E shape, but mangled. You could get away with two notes, leaving out the 5th string, or muting it.

D major scale: 0 2 4 5 (string 6) 0 2 4 5 (string 5)

Try using these elements together, using open strings as much as possible.

It should start sounding Celtic and enchanting!

The link below is for subscription to Acoustic Guitar magazine - a highly recommended publication that I'm an affiliated to - there is a back catalogue of lessons on DADGAD that is well worth studying.

Many guitarists use this tuning, and it's very common in Irish music as it enables you to play melody and chords together, as in Pierre Bensusan's piece on the video. He's such a great player but French - nobody's perfect. Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) uses it on acoustic tracks.

Personally, I think DADGAD is really useful and use it as much as open G - which is covered in my other hub, Guitar in open G tuning. Both tunings are great for coming up with new ideas for compositions, partly because they force you to think about guitar in a different way, partly because the sound is so nice and brings out the tone from acoustics.

Joni Mitchell uses a similar tuning: D A D Fsharp A D. As you can see, only the third string is different, and is tuned down one semitone. This is a nice tuning, used for Both Sides Now and other songs. Try the jmdl.com website, where there is a wealth of information about Joni and her many tunings, and lots of chord charts for her songs.

It's a great website and a fantastic resource for guitarists and songwriters.

You could take some easy songs (such as Hey Jude) and work out how to play them in this tuning. It's a great way to get a handle on it. Then work out how to play a harmonised scale of D:

D   Em  F#m   G  A  Bm  C#m7flat 5   D       (Chord grids are on the other hub)

Which gives you the building blocks of songwriting - 3 major and 3 minor chords, plus a strange left-over one!

NB Chord pictures for DADGAD Tuning are now in my hub Guitar in DADGAD Tuning: Chords