Double Drop D is a variant of Drop D where you lower the 1st string by a whole step too, in addition to the 6th. Starting from standard EADGBE, you take the 6th string from E2 to D2 and the 1st from E4 to D4, giving you the tuning D A D G B D. The result is two D drones, one low and one high, framing the four middle strings that stay untouched.
In short: lower both the 6th and 1st strings to D. The tuning becomes D A D G B D, with two D's giving a full, modal sound.
What Double Drop D is
The name says it all: it's a doubled-up Drop D. In classic Drop D you only lower the lowest string, from E2 to D2. Here you do the same at the opposite end of the fretboard too, taking the 1st string (the highest) from E4 to D4.
The result is a distinctive symmetry: the lowest and highest strings both sound a D, two octaves apart. These are the two drones that give the tuning its recognizable character. The four middle strings (A D G B) stay identical to standard EADGBE tuning, so most of the shapes you already know still hold up.
How to tune it from standard
Compared to standard tuning, two strings change, at the outer edges:
- 6th string: from E2 (82.4 Hz) to D2 (73.4 Hz), a whole step down.
- 1st string: from E4 (329.6 Hz) to D4 (293.7 Hz), a whole step down.
Strings 5 through 2 (A D G B) aren't touched. For an accurate tune, use a tuner: play the open string and lower it slowly until the display reads D, checking you're at the right octave (D2 on the 6th, D4 on the 1st). With EasyGuitarTuner, a chromatic tuner that runs in your browser, you can play each string and bring it to the target note without installing anything.
A practical tip: dropping the pitch loosens the string, so after tuning both, double-check the 6th again — the change in tension across the neck can shift the intonation slightly.
String frequencies in Double Drop D
| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 6th | D2 | 73.4 Hz |
| 5th | A2 | 110.0 Hz |
| 4th | D3 | 146.8 Hz |
| 3rd | G3 | 196.0 Hz |
| 2nd | B3 | 246.9 Hz |
| 1st | D4 | 293.7 Hz |
How it differs from Drop D
It's just one string of difference, but it changes the sound quite a bit. In Drop D you only change the bass and keep the 1st string at E4: ideal for power chords and heavy riffs. In Double Drop D you also lower the 1st string, and that second, high D transforms the timbre.
- Drop D: D A D G B E, one string changed, a dark, powerful sound.
- Double Drop D: D A D G B D, two strings changed, a full sound that resonates both high and low.
If you already know Drop D, the switch is quick: you just need to lower the high E string a whole step too.
Sound and uses
The two D drones make the guitar ring out every time you play a D or G chord. Many open chords sound immediately rich, with a modal, slightly suspended color, because the 1st string no longer gives you the major third or leading tone you'd normally take for granted in standard tuning.
That's why Double Drop D is much loved in folk fingerstyle and acoustic rock: it leaves room for open strings ringing under the melody, perfect for arpeggios and open rhythm parts. Among guitarists, Neil Young uses it often, for example in Cinnamon Girl.
If this kind of open, modal sound intrigues you, it's worth exploring DADGAD too, another D-based tuning widely used in fingerstyle.
How to go back to standard
Just raise the two strings you lowered back up a whole step: the 6th from D2 to E2 and the 1st from D4 to E4. In under a minute you're back in EADGBE. Here too, after raising the tension on both, give the intonation of all the strings one last check.