DADGAD with a low C tuning
DADGAD with the sixth string lowered a whole tone to C. The open bass note becomes the subtonic of D, so the sixth string can be used as a bVII drone under melodies in D.
- 1st D
- 2nd A
- 3rd G
- 4th D
- 5th G
- 6th C
- Notes, highest to lowest
- C G D G A D
- Notes, lowest to highest
- D A G D G C
- Strings
- 6
- Interval pattern
- 6th to 5th: 7 semitones; 5th to 4th: 7 semitones; 4th to 3rd: 5 semitones; 3rd to 2nd: 2 semitones; 2nd to 1st: 5 semitones
- Family
- modal
- Typical scale length
- 25.5–26.5 in
- Written use
- A documented variant of DADGAD for arrangements that need a C bass under a D-centred melody.
- Key of this tuning
- C
Strings
Each string of this tuning, with its scientific pitch, its MIDI note number (middle C is 60) and its distance above the lowest string.
| String | Note | Octave | MIDI | Semitones above the lowest | Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (highest) | D | 4 | 62 | 26 | Major second plus two octaves above the lowest string |
| 2nd | A | 3 | 57 | 21 | Major thirteenth above the lowest string |
| 3rd | G | 3 | 55 | 19 | Perfect twelfth above the lowest string |
| 4th | D | 3 | 50 | 14 | Major ninth above the lowest string |
| 5th | G | 2 | 43 | 7 | Perfect fifth above the lowest string |
| 6th (lowest) | C | 2 | 36 | 0 | the reference string |
Common chord shapes
The shapes below were found by searching this tuning's fretboard. The search prefers the lowest playable position, requires every chord tone, spans no more than four frets and allows no muted string between two sounding ones. Shapes in an altered tuning are not the standard ones: they are the shapes this tuning actually produces.
| Chord | Shape (lowest string first) | Notes | Degrees | Span | Sounding | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Csus2 | 0-0-0-0-x-x | C G D G x x | 1 5 2 5 x x | 0 | 4 | Suspended second |
| G | 2-0-0-0-2-0 | D G D G B D | 5 1 5 1 3 5 | 2 | 6 | Major |
| Dsus4 | x-0-0-0-0-0 | x G D G A D | x 4 1 4 5 1 | 0 | 5 | Suspended fourth |
| Dm | 2-2-0-2-0-3 | D A D A A F | 1 5 1 5 5 b3 | 3 | 6 | Minor |
| A | 1-2-2-2-0-2 | C# A E A A E | 3 1 5 1 1 5 | 2 | 6 | Major |
| F | 0-2-3-2-0-3 | C A F A A F | 5 3 1 3 3 1 | 3 | 6 | Major |
Diatonic chords in C
The seven triads built on the major scale of this tuning's home key, each as a playable shape in this tuning.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | Shape (lowest string first) | Sounding | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | C | C E G | 0-0-2-0-x-x | 4 | Major |
| ii | Dm | D F A | 2-2-0-2-0-3 | 6 | Minor |
| iii | Em | E G B | x-0-2-0-2-2 | 5 | Minor |
| IV | F | F A C | 0-2-3-2-0-3 | 6 | Major |
| V | G | G B D | 2-0-0-0-2-0 | 6 | Major |
| vi | Am | A C E | 0-2-2-2-0-2 | 6 | Minor |
| vii° | Bdim | B D F | 2-4-0-4-2-3 | 6 | Diminished |
What this tuning is used for
A documented variant of DADGAD for arrangements that need a C bass under a D-centred melody.
- GenreFolk
- GenreFingerstyle
Related tunings
- TuningDADGAD
- TuningDADGAD with a low B
- TuningOpen C
Related