Guitar tuning

Double Drop D Tuning

D·A·D·G·B·D

Tonal centre D (a droning D on top and bottom) Also called DADGBD Difficulty Easy — only the two outer strings move

Open on the Canvas → Explore chords in the app

Double Drop D takes Drop D one step further: after lowering the 6th string to D, you also lower the 1st string to D. Both outer strings are now D, an octave apart, with the four middle strings left in standard tuning. Open chords in D ring with a D on the bottom and a D on top.

It is Neil Young’s tuning. “Cinnamon Girl,” “Ohio,” “The Loner,” “Cortez the Killer” — the heavy one-finger power chords on the bottom and the droning high D are the sound of his electric playing. Jimmy Page used it for “Going to California.” It gives you Drop D’s low weight and an open-tuning-style high drone at once, without leaving the shapes you already know.

How to tune to Double Drop D

From standard tuning:

6th (lowest) E → D (down a whole step)
5th A — unchanged
4th D — unchanged
3rd G — unchanged
2nd B — unchanged
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 Double Drop D does well

A D drone at both ends. Low and high strings are both D, so anything in D rings with the tonic above and below it.
Drop D on the bottom. The low string is still dropped, so one-finger power chords work exactly as in Drop D.
A familiar middle. The 5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd strings are unchanged, so most standard chord shapes still apply.
Big open D and G chords. With a D ringing on top, D, Dsus4, G and C shapes open into wide, chiming voicings.

Common chords in Double Drop D

Only the two outer strings change, so most standard shapes still work — the grid focuses on the chords the doubled D affects. Each is the first voicing the engine returns; tap to browse the rest.

D 0 0 0 x x 4 1 of 572 → Dsus4 0 0 0 0 x 0 1 of 864 → C x 3 2 0 x 2 1 of 224 → G 5 5 0 0 0 0 1 of 584 → F 3 3 3 2 x 3 1 of 209 → A x 0 2 2 2 2 1 of 86 → Em 2 2 2 0 0 2 1 of 325 → Bm 0 x 0 4 0 4 1 of 440 →

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

A progression to try

A D–C–G loop — the shape under “Cinnamon Girl”:

D→C→G→D

Songs in Double Drop D

Cinnamon Girl — Neil Young
Ohio — Neil Young / CSNY
Cortez the Killer — Neil Young
Going to California — Led Zeppelin

Players who use Double Drop D

Neil Young above all — it is his signature electric tuning — plus Jimmy Page, and folk and rock players who want a high drone without a full open tuning.

Open a Double Drop D 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

Double Drop D tuning FAQ

How do I tune to Double Drop D?

Tune both E strings — the 6th and the 1st — down a whole step to D. Leave the 5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd strings alone. The result is D, A, D, G, B, D from low to high.

Is Double Drop D just Drop D with the high string dropped?

Yes, exactly. Everything Drop D does on the bottom still works; you have added a droning high D on top.

Why did Neil Young use Double Drop D?

It gives him heavy one-finger power chords on the low strings and a ringing high D drone at the same time — the character of “Cinnamon Girl,” whose famous solo is a single repeated D that works because of the tuning under it.

Do my normal chords still work in Double Drop D?

Mostly. The four middle strings are unchanged, so shapes that do not rely on the outer strings transfer directly. Chords using the open 6th or 1st string change, usually for the better in the key of D.

Can I use a capo in Double Drop D?

Yes. A capo raises all six strings, keeping the two dropped D’s a whole step below the middle four. Open—Shape recalculates every shape for the capo position.

Related tunings

Drop D Drop C Drop C# Drop B Drop Bb Drop A