Guitar · 6 STRINGS

Guitar D-A-D-G-A-D Tuning

A suspended fourth tuning that is neither major nor minor, with three strings tuned to D ringing under whatever you play.

How to tune

Getting into D-A-D-G-A-D

Work down the list in order — each string's tension moves the ones already set.

  1. Allow microphone access

    Asked once. Detection runs on your device; nothing is uploaded.

  2. Play one string at a time

    Let it ring open. A strummed chord gives the detector several pitches.

  3. Centre the needle

    Sharp means loosen, flat means tighten. Inside three cents is in tune.

  4. Work up from string 6, one at a time

    The lowest string carries the most tension, so setting it first means the rest hold. The panel below lists every target in that order.

  5. Run through every string once more

    Setting one string drifts the rest; the second pass makes it hold.

Changing from Standard

3 strings a whole step down

The other 3 strings keep their standard pitch.

Standard
1String 1 goes a whole step down, from E4 to D4, 293.66 hertz.E4 → D4
2String 2 goes a whole step down, from B3 to A3, 220.00 hertz.B3 → A3
3String 3 stays at G3, 196.00 hertz.G3
4String 4 stays at D3, 146.83 hertz.D3
5String 5 stays at A2, 110.00 hertz.A2
6String 6 goes a whole step down, from E2 to D2, 73.42 hertz.E2 → D2

Each bar shows how far that string sits from standard tuning. Select a string in Note Locking above to hold the tuner on it while you turn the peg.

About this tuning

About D-A-D-G-A-D Tuning

DADGAD lowers the first, second and sixth strings a whole step from standard. The open strings spell a Dsus4 — no third, so the chord refuses to commit to major or minor. That ambiguity is the whole point: the same open shape sits comfortably under a modal Irish tune, a minor melody and a major one.

Davy Graham brought it back from Morocco in the early 1960s, and it spread through the British folk revival from there. Jimmy Page carried it into rock on "Black Mountain Side" and "Kashmir". Today it is close to a default for Celtic and Irish traditional guitar, where the drones do the job an uilleann pipe regulator would.

Practically, the payoff is that most tunes need one or two fretted fingers. The open D strings supply the bass and the ringing top, so a melody played on the middle strings arrives already harmonised. The cost is that standard chord shapes are useless and you are learning the neck again.

Also known as

  • Celtic tuning
  • D modal
  • Dsus4 tuning
  • DADGAD tuning

Used in

  • Celtic and Irish traditional
  • Folk fingerstyle
  • Acoustic rock
  • Modal and drone-based playing

Played by

  • Davy Graham
  • Jimmy Page
  • Pierre Bensusan
  • Martin Simpson

What it buys you

  • Neither major nor minor, so it fits any mode
  • Two D drones and an A under every melody
  • One- and two-finger shapes cover most traditional tunes
  • Long, ringing sustain from the doubled D strings

Note frequencies

D-A-D-G-A-D string frequencies

The 6 open strings of Guitar D-A-D-G-A-D, lowest first, at A4 = 440 Hz. Each one is the pitch the tuner is listening for — D2 is D in octave 2.

NoteAlsoSolfègeFrequency
D2—Re73.42 Hz
A2—La110.00 Hz
D3—Re146.83 Hz
G3—Sol196.00 Hz
A3—La220.00 Hz
D4—Re293.66 Hz

Sharps and flats share a pitch on a tuner: C♯ and D♭ are the same frequency, and which name you use depends on the key you are in, not on what the meter reads.

Songs in this tuning

Recorded in D-A-D-G-A-D

Load one of these up and check your tuning against the record — it is the fastest way to hear whether you landed on the right pitch.

  1. Black Mountain SideLed Zeppelin · 1969
  2. KashmirLed Zeppelin · 1975
  3. She Moved Through the FairDavy Graham · 1963

Questions

D-A-D-G-A-D tuning, answered

A suspended fourth tuning that is neither major nor minor, with three strings tuned to D ringing under whatever you play. The 6 strings are tuned D2 A2 D3 G3 A3 D4, from the lowest-pitched string up.

It moves string 1 from E4 to D4, string 2 from B3 to A3, string 6 from E2 to D2. The remaining 3 strings stay at standard pitch.

Neither. The open strings spell D–A–D–G–A–D, a Dsus4 with no third at all. The melody you play over it decides whether the passage reads as major or minor, which is why the tuning suits modal music.

A standard set reaches the pitch but goes slack at it. Dropping the lowest string a whole step down costs enough tension that the string starts flapping against the frets and the intonation drifts sharp when you dig in. On a 25.5" scale, moving from a .010 set to .011 or .012, with a wound low string to match, is the common answer.

No. The neck is built for the tension of standard tuning, and lowering the strings only reduces it. What changes is the relief: less pull straightens the neck slightly and lowers the action, which is what causes buzzing rather than any damage. If you keep the instrument in D-A-D-G-A-D permanently, a truss rod and action setup fixes it. Switching back and forth harms nothing.

Yes. The tuner on this page listens through your device microphone and compares what it hears against the exact frequencies for D2 A2 D3 G3 A3 D4. Play one string at a time in a quiet room, and let the note ring rather than strumming.

No. This D-A-D-G-A-D tuner runs in your browser — there is nothing to download, nothing to install and no account to create. Allow microphone access when the browser asks and the tuner starts listening. It works the same way on a phone, a tablet and a desktop.

Related tunings

Where to go from D-A-D-G-A-D

Each one is described as the move from D-A-D-G-A-D, so you can see how far away it is before you commit to turning a peg.

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