Drop tuning

Retuning one or more strings downward by a fixed interval across the whole guitar, so familiar shapes transpose but keep their fingering.

The classic case lowers the lowest string by a whole tone, leaving the rest standard, which turns a two-finger power chord into a heavier, lower one and gives riffing an open low note. Dropping every string by the same amount keeps the interval structure intact, so all chord shapes work exactly as they did, just lower and with less string tension. Lower tunings need thicker strings or a longer scale to keep tension usable.

Example: dropping the lowest string to D turns the standard power chord shape from E into D, which is the foundation of a great deal of heavy riff writing.

Drop tuning

See also