The most famous and best-documented song in DADGAD is Kashmir by Led Zeppelin: Jimmy Page wrote the riff in this very tuning. DADGAD appeals to so many guitarists because the open strings form a suspended D, a drone-rich sound that suits folk, Celtic music, and fingerstyle alike.
In short: DADGAD tunes the strings to D A D G A D, producing an open Dsus4 that's neither major nor minor. The most solid attribution is Kashmir by Led Zeppelin; beyond that, it's beloved territory for Celtic music and fingerstyle players.
Why DADGAD sounds like this
The secret is in the notes of the open strings: D A D G A D. The third of the D chord (F#) is missing, so the open chord is neither major nor minor: it's a Dsus4, a suspended, open sound that fits both major and minor contexts.
That's where the two qualities that make this tuning so recognizable come from:
- D drones. You have three D's (D2, D3, D4) and two A's (A2, A3) that can ring open while you play the melody. These drones recall the bagpipe and the bouzouki, which is why DADGAD immediately evokes Celtic atmospheres.
- Open strings that ring out. Even fretting just a few strings gives you full, ringing chords, because the open strings add overtones and support. It takes just a couple of fingers to move whole chords along the fretboard.
This modal ambiguity is exactly why DADGAD is called a suspended tuning: it doesn't lock you into a major or minor key, but leaves you room to build whatever atmosphere you want.
The most solid attributions
Kashmir is the textbook example. Jimmy Page recorded the famous cyclical riff in DADGAD, and it's one of the most widely documented attributions in rock. It's also proof that DADGAD isn't just folk material — it works beautifully for hypnotic, powerful riffs too.
Among guitarists, the name most tied to this tuning is Pierre Bensusan, who plays steadily in DADGAD to the point of having made it his sonic signature. Davy Graham is often cited too, generally credited as the guitarist who popularized DADGAD in the folk scene of the early 1960s.
Beyond these solid references, it's worth being cautious: many songs get associated with DADGAD by word of mouth, but the attribution isn't always verified. Better to trust solid sources and, for everything else, listen with your own ears. If you're curious about the styles of the masters, check out famous guitarists' tunings.
DADGAD, Celtic folk, and fingerstyle
More than to a single hit, DADGAD owes its fame to an entire tradition. In Celtic and folk music, the D drones imitate traditional instruments and support modal melodies; in fingerstyle, the ringing open strings let you weave bass, accompaniment, and melody together with just a few fingers.
That's why you'll often find it among fingerstyle tunings: it enables full arrangements without complicated barres and gives you that open tone that's hard to reach in standard. If you love instrumental pieces and suspended atmospheres, it's almost a required stop.
DADGAD frequencies
Here are the notes and frequencies of the six open strings:
| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 6th | D2 | 73.4 Hz |
| 5th | A2 | 110.0 Hz |
| 4th | D3 | 146.8 Hz |
| 3rd | G3 | 196.0 Hz |
| 2nd | A3 | 220.0 Hz |
| 1st | D4 | 293.7 Hz |
How to try DADGAD
Starting from standard EADGBE, you need to lower three strings by a whole step:
- 6th string: from E2 to D2
- 2nd string: from B3 to A3
- 1st string: from E4 to D4
The 5th, 4th, and 3rd strings (A D G) stay identical to standard. With a chromatic tuner like EasyGuitarTuner, you play each open string and bring it to the target note shown in the table, right from your browser. For details on setup, chords, and how to use the tuning, head to the dedicated guide to DADGAD.