What is Double Drop D tuning?

Double Drop D lowers both the 6th (low E) and 1st (high E) strings to D: D-A-D-G-B-D (low to high). The middle four strings stay in standard tuning.

What scales work in Double Drop D?

D major, D minor, and D Mixolydian are the most natural fits. The three D strings (6th, 4th, and 1st) create powerful drones for D-centric scales. The D Dorian mode gives a beautiful folk character.

Is Double Drop D hard to learn?

It's one of the easiest alternate tunings. Only two strings change, both by the same interval (one whole step down). Most chord shapes on the B, G, D, and A strings work exactly the same as standard tuning.

C# Dorian Guitar Scale

Guitar scale in Double Drop D tuning — fretboard diagram

Tuning

Frets

C# Dorian in Double Drop D — Notes and Intervals

The C# Dorian scale is the second mode of the major scale, offering a soulful and sophisticated minor sound. On Guitar, it contains the notes C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, B. Because it features a major sixth, it sounds brighter and more hopeful than the natural minor. It is the go-to scale for jazz, funk, and modal blues. The diatonic chords of C# Dorian are C#m7, D#m7, EMaj7, F#7, G#m7, A#m7b5, BMaj7. Commonly used in Funk, Jazz, Fusion, Neo-Soul, Blues. Notable players include Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana, D'Angelo. Use over m7, m9, m11, m13 chords. The go-to scale for any minor chord in funk, jazz, and soul. Works especially well over long minor vamps.

Notes: C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, B

Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3m, 4P, 5P, 6M, 7m

Degrees: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7

Formula: W-H-W-W-W-H-W

Number of notes: 7

Tuning: Double Drop D (D-A-D-G-B-D)

Diatonic Chords

C♯m7 — D♯m7 — EMaj7 — F♯7 — G♯m7 — A♯m7♭5 — BMaj7

About Double Drop D Tuning

Double Drop D tuning (D-A-D-G-B-D) lowers both the 6th and 1st strings from E to D, creating a symmetrical frame of D notes around the standard middle four strings. This gives a distinctly resonant, jangly character that has been beloved in folk-rock and acoustic music since the late 1960s.

Neil Young used Double Drop D extensively — 'Cinnamon Girl' features its distinctive droning riff, and 'The Needle and the Damage Done' showcases its intimate fingerpicking potential. Jimmy Page used it on Led Zeppelin's 'Going to California'. Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain' also employs this tuning. Because only two strings change (both by just one whole step), Double Drop D is one of the easiest alternate tunings to learn — most standard chord shapes on the inner four strings remain unchanged.

Folk-RockAcoustic RockClassic RockSinger-Songwriter

Notable artists: Neil Young, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Fleetwood Mac, Crosby Stills Nash & Young

Best for: Folk-rock songwriting, D-centric acoustic arrangements, droning fingerpicking patterns, and any song that benefits from rich D-string resonance on both outer strings

Musical Character

SoulfulHopefulSophisticatedGroovy

The natural 6th degree (vs b6 in Aeolian) gives Dorian its signature 'hopeful minor' character — darker than major, but brighter than natural minor.

Chord Progressions Using This Scale

I – V – vi – IV (Pop Progression)Pop / Rock — Hope & Joy
vi – IV – I – V (Melancholic Variation)Pop / Rock — Melancholy
ii – V – I (Jazz ii–V–I)Jazz / Soul — Sophistication
ii – bII7 – I (Tritone Substitution)Jazz / Soul — Mystery & Tension
IV – V – iii – vi (Royal Road (J-Pop))World / J-Pop — Yearning & Nostalgia
IV – V – iii – vi – ii – V – I (Japanese Circle)World / J-Pop — Complete Resolution
i – iv – i – V (Minor Blues)Blues — Melancholy
i – VI – III – VII (Cinematic Minor)Contemporary / Film — Dramatic & Dark
vi – viM7 – vi7 – II (Descending Minor Cliché)Classical / Pop — Romance & Intrigue
iv – ♭VII – I (Backdoor Cadence)Jazz / Soul — Soulful & Unexpected

Explore This Scale in Other Tunings

← All Guitar scales in Double Drop D tuning