If you’re looking to add depth and weight to your guitar playing without venturing into completely unfamiliar territory, DGCFAD tuning, often referred to as D Standard tuning, might be the perfect choice. This tuning offers a heavier, darker tone compared to standard tuning while maintaining the chord shapes and scale patterns you already know. Favored across genres, particularly in metal, D Standard provides a sonic edge that can inspire new riffs and broaden your musical palette.
DGCFAD tuning is essentially Standard E tuning (EADGBE) but lowered by a whole step. This seemingly simple change unlocks a different sonic character and feel on the guitar. In this guide, we’ll delve into how to tune your guitar to DGCFAD, explore the advantages of this tuning, and highlight some iconic songs that utilize D Standard.
Guitar neck showing tuning pegs
Understanding DGCFAD Tuning: A Step Down from Standard
To fully grasp DGCFAD, it’s crucial to understand its relationship to standard tuning. Standard tuning, EADGBE, is the most common tuning for guitar. D Standard tuning, DGCFAD, takes each string of standard tuning and lowers its pitch by a whole step, or two semitones. Think of it as shifting the entire sonic range of your guitar downwards.
This downward shift has several notable effects. Firstly, it lowers the overall pitch of your guitar, resulting in a deeper, richer tone. Secondly, it reduces the string tension, which can make bending strings feel slightly easier and contribute to a slinkier playing experience. Crucially, because it’s a uniform shift across all strings, the relative relationships between the strings remain the same. This means that all your familiar chord shapes, scales, and patterns remain consistent; they simply sound lower.
How to Tune Your Guitar to D Standard (DGCFAD)
Tuning to DGCFAD from standard tuning is a straightforward process. You will need a guitar tuner, either a physical tuner or a tuning app on your smartphone. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
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Start with the Low E String (Thickest String): Normally, the thickest string is tuned to E. Using your tuner, downtune this string until it reads D. You’ll hear the pitch drop. At this stage, you’ve essentially achieved Drop D tuning (DADGBE).
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Tune the A String: The next string down is usually tuned to A. Downtune this string until your tuner indicates G.
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Tune the D String: This string is normally D in standard tuning. Downtune it to C.
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Tune the G String: This string is normally G. Downtune it to F.
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Tune the B String: This string is normally B. Downtune it to A.
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Tune the High E String (Thinnest String): The thinnest string, usually E, needs to be downtuned to D.
After completing these steps, strum a chord to ensure your guitar sounds in tune in DGCFAD. You can use a tuner app to check each string individually again to fine-tune if necessary.
For players frequently using D Standard, some opt for heavier gauge strings. The reduced tension in D Standard can sometimes result in slightly looser strings, especially with lighter gauges. Heavier strings can compensate for this, maintaining a similar feel to standard tuning and potentially improving tone, particularly for lower frequencies. However, this is a matter of personal preference and not strictly required to play in DGCFAD.
Screenshot of a guitar tuning app
Why Choose DGCFAD Tuning? Exploring the Benefits
DGCFAD tuning offers several advantages that make it a popular choice for guitarists across various genres:
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Heavier and Darker Tone: The most immediate benefit is the deeper, more resonant tone. Lowering the pitch of all strings adds weight and thickness to your sound, making it particularly well-suited for heavier styles of music like rock, metal, and blues.
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Familiar Chord Shapes and Scales: One of the most appealing aspects of D Standard is that it doesn’t require learning new chord shapes or scale patterns. Everything you know in standard tuning translates directly to DGCFAD. This ease of transition makes it a very accessible alternate tuning.
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Vocal Range Compatibility: Singers often find that certain keys are more comfortable for their vocal range. DGCFAD can shift the key of songs down, making them easier to sing for vocalists with lower registers. This is why some songwriters downtune – to better suit their vocal melodies.
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Versatility Across Genres: While often associated with heavier music, DGCFAD’s deeper tone can also be beneficial in genres like blues, alternative rock, and even some styles of acoustic music, adding a unique flavor to your playing.
Songs You Can Play in D Standard: A Diverse Playlist
DGCFAD tuning opens up a vast catalog of songs across genres. Here are some notable examples to explore:
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Metallica – “Sad but True”: Metallica is renowned for their use of downtunings, and “Sad but True” is a prime example of their powerful, chugging riffs in D Standard. This song showcases the heavy, impactful sound achievable with this tuning.
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Nirvana – “Come As You Are”: This iconic grunge anthem features Kurt Cobain’s signature riff played in D Standard. It demonstrates how DGCFAD can contribute to a darker, moodier atmosphere in rock music. Notably, Nirvana also sometimes played this song in Eb Standard, highlighting the subtle variations within downtunings.
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The Beatles – “Yesterday”: While seemingly unexpected, “Yesterday,” one of the most covered songs of all time, is played in D Standard. This example illustrates how downtuning isn’t just for heavy music; it can also be used to subtly shift the key and timbre of gentler songs, potentially to better suit a vocalist or instrument.
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Jimi Hendrix – “Voodoo Child”: Though Jimi Hendrix is more famously associated with Eb Standard, “Voodoo Child” from Electric Ladyland is performed in D Standard. This epic track demonstrates the versatility of DGCFAD, even within the context of Hendrix’s blues-rock virtuosity.
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Elliott Smith – “Between the Bars”: Elliott Smith, known for his intricate and often melancholic guitar work, frequently utilized alternate tunings, including D Standard. “Between the Bars” exemplifies how DGCFAD can lend itself to delicate and expressive fingerstyle guitar playing.
This is just a small selection, and many more songs across genres utilize D Standard. Exploring music by bands like Black Sabbath, Soundgarden, and numerous modern metal acts will reveal a wealth of material playable in DGCFAD.
Guitarist tuning up his electric guitar
DGCFAD vs. Other Tunings: A Quick Comparison
While DGCFAD is a popular alternate tuning, it’s helpful to understand how it compares to other common downtunings:
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Drop D Tuning (DADGBE): Drop D only lowers the lowest E string to D, leaving the rest in standard tuning. This is primarily used to create a heavier bass note and power chords on the lower strings while maintaining standard tuning shapes on the higher strings. DGCFAD, in contrast, lowers all strings for a consistent shift.
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Eb Standard Tuning (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb): Eb Standard is tuned a half step down from standard, and a half step higher than D Standard. It’s another common tuning, particularly in rock and metal, offering a slightly less drastic shift in pitch than D Standard. Choosing between D Standard and Eb Standard often comes down to subtle tonal preferences and vocal key considerations.
Conclusion: Expanding Your Guitaristic Horizons with DGCFAD
DGCFAD tuning is a powerful and accessible tool for guitarists seeking a heavier sound, a different tonal color, or simply a fresh perspective on their instrument. Its beauty lies in its simplicity: it alters the sonic landscape of your guitar without requiring you to relearn fingerings. Whether you’re a metalhead seeking crushing riffs, a songwriter searching for the perfect key, or simply an explorer of sonic textures, D Standard tuning offers a rewarding avenue to expand your guitar playing and musical creativity. Experiment with DGCFAD, explore the vast repertoire of songs in this tuning, and discover how this simple adjustment can unlock new dimensions in your music.
