Dropped-D chords for D, G and A7

A number tells you which finger to use.
O means play that string 'open' - no finger touching it.
X means try not to play that string at all.
Click here for a TablEdit file for these chords.

There comes a time when you need a new challenge - open tunings can give you that challenge. Open tunings move away from the standard EADGBE string tuning to variations which make some tunes easier to play and which also offer new sounds.

One step towards fully open tunings is Dropped-D where you tune down the bass string a tone from its normal E pitch to D. This works particlularly well when you finger a normal D chord - but you have to learn a slightly new shape for the G chord.

George Harrison's song "Here comes the sun" works well in this tuning.
Click here for a TablEdit file for this song.

More ambitious would be strumming "If I were a Carpenter" by Tim Hardin.
Click here for a TablEdit file for this song.

Even more ambitious would be finger picking "If I were a Carpenter" by Tim Hardin.
In this one you also drop your thinnest string from E to D for a Double Dropped-D tuning. Click here for a TablEdit file for this song.
Notice that bars 9 and 14 are 2 beats only in this arrangement.

Remember that you don't follow the Tab slavishly - things will happen as you strum or finger-pick which sound fine - leave them in - get your own variation of the start point.

And most ambitious of all would be "Silver Swan" by Scott Joplin.
Click here for a TablEdit file for this tune.
And click here for me playing "Silver Swan" on You Tube.