Guitar tuning

DADGAD Tuning

D·A·D·G·A·D

Tonal centre D (modal — no third) Also called Celtic tuning, D modal Difficulty Easy to start, different to master

Open on the Canvas → Explore chords in the app

DADGAD takes standard tuning and lowers three strings a whole step, leaving the open strings spelling a D suspended 4th chord — two D’s and an A on the bottom, then G, A and a high D on top. There is no third anywhere, so nothing sounds committed to major or minor until you put it there. Struck open, it rings like a drone waiting for a melody.

The guitarist Davey Graham brought it to Western playing in the early 1960s, adapting it from the oud music he heard travelling in Morocco. Jimmy Page used it for “Kashmir” and “Black Mountain Side”; Pierre Bensusan has played almost nothing else for forty years. It became the house tuning of Celtic and British folk fingerstyle, and it turns up anywhere a part wants to ring and stay open.

How to tune to DADGAD

From standard tuning:

6th (lowest) E → D (down a whole step)
5th A — unchanged
4th D — unchanged
3rd G — unchanged
2nd B → A (down a whole step)
1st (highest) E → D (down a whole step)

Open—Shape’s tuner listens for one string at a time and tells you which string it is and how far off — including in alternate tunings like this one.

What DADGAD does well

Drones. Three of the six strings are tuned to D. Let them ring and the tuning holds a pedal tone under everything you play.
Suspended ambiguity. With no third in the open strings, a strummed chord sounds unresolved and spacious — the sound most people mean by “that DADGAD sound.”
One-finger chords. Because the open strings already form a chord, most shapes need only one or two fretted notes. Several need none at all.
Modal keys. D, G and A all sit naturally, and so do their modes — Mixolydian and Dorian colours come almost for free.

Common chords in DADGAD

Each shape below is the first voicing Open—Shape’s chord engine returns for that chord in DADGAD, low string on the left. Tap any one to open it in the app and browse the rest.

Dsus4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 of 1215 → D 0 0 0 x 0 4 1 of 773 → Dsus2 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 of 621 → Dadd9 0 0 2 2 0 4 1 of 582 → G 0 2 0 0 2 0 1 of 469 → Gadd9 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 of 668 → A x 0 2 2 4 2 1 of 114 → Asus4 x 0 0 2 0 2 1 of 621 → Am7 x 0 2 0 3 2 1 of 476 → Bm x 2 0 4 2 4 1 of 310 → Em7 2 2 0 0 2 0 1 of 552 → D5 0 0 0 x 0 0 1 of 429 →

Numbers read low string to high; 0 is open, × is muted.

A progression to try

A plain DADGAD loop that shows off the open ring — the sus4 opens it, a G that keeps the D on top, an A, and home to D:

Dsus4→Gadd9→A→D

Songs in DADGAD

Kashmir — Led Zeppelin
Black Mountain Side — Led Zeppelin
Black Water Side — Bert Jansch
She Moved Through the Fair — traditional
Much of Pierre Bensusan’s catalogue, and most Celtic fingerstyle repertoire

Players who use DADGAD

Davey Graham (who introduced it), Jimmy Page, Pierre Bensusan, Martin Carthy, Laurence Juber, Andy McKee, Kaki King, Artie McGlynn.

Open a DADGAD canvas — a tuning module already set, wired to a starter progression, every shape recalculated for you.

Open on the Canvas → Explore chords in the app

DADGAD tuning FAQ

What key is DADGAD tuning in?

DADGAD is built on D, but it has no third in the open strings, so it is neither major nor minor until you add one. That is why it sits so easily in D, G and A at once, and in their modes — the tuning stays out of the way and lets the music decide.

Why is it called DADGAD?

The name spells the six open string notes from lowest to highest: D, A, D, G, A, D. Standard tuning by the same logic would be “EADGBE.”

How do I tune to DADGAD from standard tuning?

Lower three strings by a whole step each: the 6th string E goes down to D, the 2nd string B down to A, and the 1st string E down to D. Leave the 5th, 4th and 3rd strings (A, D, G) where they are. Open—Shape’s built-in tuner listens for each string.

Is DADGAD hard to learn?

Not really. Standard chord shapes do not transfer, so there is a short relearning period, but most chords in DADGAD need fewer fingers than in standard tuning — many need only one, and several need none at all.

What is DADGAD good for?

Droning open strings, suspended “neither major nor minor” ambiguity, and one-finger chords. It is the standard tuning of Celtic and British folk fingerstyle, and it turns up across rock, film music and singer-songwriter writing.

Can I use a capo in DADGAD?

Yes. A capo at the 2nd fret gives E B E A B E — the same intervals a whole step up. Open—Shape recalculates every chord shape for the capo position automatically.

Related tunings

American Football (FACGCE) Nashville (high-strung) High Strung New Standard (Fripp) All Fourths All Fifths Major Thirds