Drop D tuning is an ultra cool, simple way to make your guitar more heavy sounding. Take the low E, tune it down to D (might even want to tune the high E down to D as well, though that’s not the norm…but it sounds great) and you’re there. Power chords can now be played with one finger because the root and 5th are on the same fret instead of a step apart. Use the open string power chord in any progression and the riffs write themselves…to me, anyway.
The other tunings annoy the crap out of me. My guitar students keep bringing in these modern metal bands that do seven string drop D, down ten steps or whatever, so the strings flutter all slack off the strings. They don’t even know how to use a tuner yet they want to return their guitar to play this stuff, which gives them the excuse not to practice their basics because they don’t know how to get it back in tune. Half the time I tell them to push the whammy bar of their Squiers as far down as they’ll go and strum the strings…same thing!
Alright, sounds like the grouchy teacher needs a cup of coffee and a workout. I actually love many of those bands and tunings…
Drop D is my teaching trick of keeping students at bay about wild tunings yet keeping them motivated at the same time. So I thought I’d create a list of tunes I often teach that are in drop D that I teach regularly. I’ll warn you now this list ain’t going to be comprehensive, so you’d better add something in the comment section!
–Nirvana used a lot of drop D in their songs. My favorite is “Heart Shaped Box”.
–Rage Against the Machine did too. “Killing in the Name” and “Testify” are my favorites.
–”Monkey Wrench” by the Foo Fighters. I think “Everlong” is too, gotta check.
–”Laid to Rest” by Lamb of God. Alright, I don’t know how famous this song is, but it’s in the Guitar Hero tab book and all the teens seem happy to learn that opening riff, which rocks, so there you go!
–”Slither” by Velvet Revolver has some choice Slash riffs in drop D.
–”Chop Suey!” by System of a Down still gets requested. I think it’s drop D down a whole step, but if you don’t mind being a step higher than the song, just lowering the low E down to D should work.
–”Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden. Actually, isn’t most of their stuff in drop D? “Outshined” is another good one.
–”Walk” by Pantera. Simple yet tricky, uber cool riff.
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Metallica “The Thing That Should Not Be”
Ozzy “No More Tears”
And I hate to say it but that lousy teen band Silverchair had some great drop D riffs in the 90′s.
Nirvana heart shaped box
Silverchair wasn’t so lousy. Check out Spawn Again. But basically anything after their first album showed serious song writing progress. It’s a shame mainstream radio didn’t notice. But, then again, if talent mattered then Brittany spears and Lady GaGa etc wouldn’t matter.
Alot fo Tool songs are in drop D, there are also some nice Deftones songs in drop D also.
Don’t forget Rage Against The Machine!
Some nice riffin’ there!
Walk is tuned 1.5 steps down not Drop D.
Chop Suey is in Drop C
Right on, thanks for the correction. Sometimes I lump together (inaccurately) any guitar involving drop D tuning. “Walk” sounds cool in drop D, though it’s transposed from the original recording, etc.
ya actually walk is drop D, I just played it as well as looked it up
Creed have some cool guitar in Drop D. Not the greatest band but pretty good guitarist. My Own Prison as well as Torn are great to play and sound great as acoustic!!!
Slither – Velvet Revolver was a great hit ,
And most of Billy Talents songs are dropped d
Devil in a midnight mass
Fallen leaves
devil on my shoulder
etc …
avenged sevenfold has most of their songs in drop D. I think all of them are in drop D, and they have some pretty sick songs. like Bat Country, Afterlife, Almost Easy, and a really good one, Gunslinger. you should check them out
Yeah, Avenged Sevenfold! One of my students has brought a bunch of their songs in to learn. The drop D part is no problem, but some of the riffs go past the 20th fret, where is guitar stops.
if your student wants an easy one from avenged sevenfold that is in drop d unholy confessions is my band covers it and it aalways goes over great and its fun to play
God Hates Us is another fun and easy A7X song
freak-silverchair easy yet sounds rly cool
All Nightmare Long- Metallica
My personal favorite in drop D
Metallica’s Sas but True and Some Kind Of Monster sound good.
Also try ST. Anger and the thing that should not be
Sad but true is in D standard
And most of the St. Anger album is in Drop C.
Theres one track in Drop D, but I can’t remember which.
Avenged Sevenfold for sure. A lot of their pretty popular songs are in drop d
Away From Me by Puddle of mudd definatley!
Moby Dick by Led Zeppelin I’m nearly positive…
One step Closer by Linkin Park and Bad girlfriend are some good dropped “D” songs . as well as Break stuff , My band cover these and they go over well…
does anyone know any songs in drop d that are finger picked and not metal?????????
Can’t think of any famous songs off the top of my head, but I’ve learned some cool drop D tunes from the Beginning and Intermediate Fingerstyle books put out by Alfred (the one with the woman on the cover strumming an acoustic).
Dust in the Wind-Kansas
Civil War-Guns n Roses
Landslide-Fleetwood Mac
Never Too Late by Three Days Grace is in Drop D aalso All Apologies- Nirvana, Cold-Crossfade, Something in the way- Nirvana and possible You know youre right but im not sure.
Actually, A7X’s album with just the black bat on the white background is entirely in Drop C# (drop D with another half step down on all strings, so C# G# C# F# A# D#). Other than that I’m pretty sure it’s all drop D. I personally love Unholy Confessions.
The only SOAD song in Drop D is Marmalade. Their first album, Toxicity, and Steal This Album! are in Drop C. Hypnotize/Mezmerize are all Drop C# except for Dreaming, which is Drop C.
Metallica’s All Nightmare Long is freaking sick.
Show Me How To Live by Audioslave is cool.
The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle and Monument by A Day To Remember can be played in Drop D.
Actually some of the songs on there like Afterlife is in Drop D. And most of A7X’s songs are in Drop D.
Yeah idk where you heard that Waking The Fallen was in Drop C but my band focuses on almost only Avenged Sevenfold Covers when were not writing our own music and ive never seen any of there music in Drop C maybe im just not looking to closely but yea we always play in Drop D of Standard
All the songs on A7X self titled album are in Drop D except Almost Easy and Scream. I would know this cuz I play ALOT of A7X.
Dear Prudence – Beatles
A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall – Bob Dylan
It’s Alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding – Bob Dylan
World Turning – Fleetwood Mac
Can’t Find My Way Home – Blind Faith (Eric Clapton)
Pretty sure “still…you turn me on” and “Lucky Man” by Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake, and Palmer) is tuned to drop d
The End by The Doors is
i guess nobody is a deftones fan, because the hole deftones ablum deftones is in drop d. my own summer, rickets, around the fur, be quiet and drive, and so on.
Most of the songs on that album are a halfstep down from that. My Own Summer, Be Quiet And Drive, Hexagram, and a few others are in Drop C#.
Mona Ray-Kottke Leo
Embryonic Journey-Jorma Kaukonen
Sunday street-Dave Van Ronk
You can get away with playing Bullet for my valentine in drop D
fully alive by flyleaf
Try Mokoma – Kasvot kohti itaa
Very fun to play and easy too
actually all BILLY TALENT is in drop D.
also some fun songs to play in drop d ; bulls on parade- rage against the machine. fallen leaves, this is how it goes etc -billy talent… now i have a request
can someone plz help me on thye matter “are the darkness playing in drop d? ” plz would appreciate it a lot
also, killing in the name
Let’s not forget the band Disturbed, that made some drop C tuned songs, like
Stricken.
By the way, Avenged Sevenfold has created a drop C tuned song. Radient Eclispe,
in the Waking the Fallen album.
LOVE A7X, BFMV AND DISTURBED !! :D:D:D
Neil Young has inspired many like Nirvana with his planty of Drop D songs.
My favorite is Harvest Moon. You can check others at: http://hyperrust.org/Music/NeilTunings.html#DADGBE.
Neil also uses many different tunings.
Viva Neil!
colors by crossfade
i stand alone by god smack. intro is so easy
:use distortion!
D ——-00——–00——-00——-00——-00——-00—— x6!
A ———–1212—–1313—-1313—-1212—-1313—1313
D ———————————————————————
G ———————————————————————
B————————————————————————
E————————————————————————
Unchained by Van Halen!
Someone somewhere by asking Alexandria is in drop d
amazing song! I love it 
Someone somewhere by asking Alexandria is in drop d . Amazing song
i love it
Home by Dream-theater.
Foo fighters have a few songs in drop d, most notably Everlong.
I’m pretty sure that Chopped Suey is played in drop C. I’ve played with both settings and drop C sounds better.
iron & wine-Naked as we came drop D tuning acoustic song finger-pick…great song.
17 girls in a row -steel panther
i miss you – incubus
lots of tool
i play it all the time
wow so many gay bands use drop d. heres some tough mothers that use drop d:
THE MELVINS – honeybucket, most of their houdini album
kyuss asteroid,n.o, and others are really fun to play technically its drop c or c# but whatever
superjoint ritual – oblivious maximus <FUCKING FUN!
alice in chains
old school sepultura use drop d are fair bit as well
Heh, heh…yeah, drop D attracts bands of all sorts.
“Stinkfist” & “The Pot” By TOOL.
To clear things up: Avenged Sevenfold’s only songs that are tuned other than Drop-D are as follows: Radiant Eclipse, Scream, and Coming Home. Every other work by Avenged Sevenfold is Drop-D.