Some supposedly easy drop d songs are actually tuned a half step lower. You can retune, start playing, and still sound wrong beside the record. Check the tuning before learning the riff.
These 16 songs were checked against at least two tab sources and arranged from easier parts to harder performances. At the top, you'll mostly need a barre and a steady strum. The middle ones hang on a single riff. The last handful take real practice.
Tune first with the Drop D guitar tuner, then start at the top of the first table.
How to tune to Drop D
Drop the low E string a whole step to D. From the thickest string to the thinnest, you should now have D A D G B E. Pluck the open fourth string as a reference, then tune the sixth to the same note an octave lower. Watch the tuner so you don't stop early at Eb. Full steps and a harmonic check are in the Drop D tuning guide.
Unless a table says otherwise, every song below uses this tuning at normal pitch.
Drop D songs for beginners, first-week friendly
Levels are my own judgment, from 1 (playable, if sloppy, on day one) to 5 (a long project). I only add a tuning note when a song departs from plain Drop D.
| Song and artist | Level | What you play | Practice focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvest Moon, Neil Young | 1 | Strum D, Em, G, and A slowly, letting the low D supply the bass | Keep the strum loose without losing the beat |
| With Arms Wide Open, Creed | 2 | C-major ballad: pick the intro's hammer-ons and pull-offs, then strum the chords | Make the hammer-ons clear; keep the picking even |
| Never Too Late, Three Days Grace | 2 | Pick Bbsus2 in the intro; for the chorus use the open strings and barres at frets 8, 7, and 10 | Find each position without watching your hand |
| Whatsername, Green Day | 2 | Palm-muted eighth-note power chords | Even eighths, with the muting steady |
| The Middle, Jimmy Eat World | 2 | Use the low D open, at fret 7 for A, and at fret 5 for G in the verse | Keep the palm-muted notes short at tempo |
Harvest Moon would be my pick if you're only learning one song from this table. Slow and forgiving. That may be my taste for slow songs talking (I'm also fond of anything that survives a sloppy strum). Look up the open shapes in the chord library if you need a refresher.
Drop D songs built on one riff
Learn the repeating riff first, then loop it. That covers much of the guitar part in these songs. You'll need more control over your picking and palm muting than in the first table, so go slowly.
| Song and artist | Level | What you play | Practice focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moby Dick, Led Zeppelin | 2 | Pick a blues line on the lowest strings: open D, frets 3 and 5, then an A-string pull-off | Use index at fret 3 and ring finger at fret 5 |
| Outshined, Soundgarden | 3 | Slide two-string power chords from open D to frets 3 and 5; count the verses in 7/4 | Get the seven-beat count steady before speeding up |
| Hunger Strike, Temple of the Dog | 3 | Repeat the picked figure across the middle strings, leaving its mostly open notes ringing | Give each picked note an even attack |
| Slither, Velvet Revolver | 3 | Move power chords up the neck, filling the gaps with palm-muted eighths; rhythm parts use Drop D | Practice the jumps without looking down |
| Show Me How to Live, Audioslave | 3 | Mute the low-string riff, hammer from open D to fret 2, and add the slides between muted hits | Put the muted hits on time and keep the slides clear |
| Monkey Wrench, Foo Fighters | 4 | Downpick the fast power-chord riff and its slides | Build stamina slowly, adding 5 BPM at a time |
Full-song challenges once the riffs feel easy
These are whole performances, with layered guitars and a few awkward counts. Leave a song for later if it's still out of reach. Spend some time on an easier part before coming back to it.
| Song and artist | Level | What you play | Practice focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dear Prudence, The Beatles | 3 | Fingerpicked arpeggios over the low D, in D major (Wikipedia ties that sound to the detuned sixth string) | Keeping thumb and fingers independent |
| Black Hole Sun, Soundgarden | 4 | Slow arpeggiated chords that open on a Gsus4 shape (fret 5 across strings 6 to 3). Wikipedia notes that the recorded Drop D tuning is slightly sharp; ordinary Drop D will sound a little flat alongside it | Keep the arpeggios smooth as you change shapes |
| Everlong, Foo Fighters | 4 | Keep eighth-note downstrokes going on the palm-muted sus2 shapes | Start near 100 BPM and avoid tensing your picking hand |
| Ten Years Gone, Led Zeppelin | 5 | Work through the layered clean passages and distorted riffs | Choose one guitar layer before learning another |
| Schism, Tool | 5 | Single-note lines and power chords through shifting time signatures | Counting each section aloud before playing it |
Songs people call Drop D that are not
Four songs sometimes get filed under Drop D and need a different tuning. The tab sources I checked agree on each one.
Nirvana's Heart-Shaped Box and the studio recording of All Apologies are in Drop Db, a half step below Drop D and the same pitches as drop C#. Wikipedia's Drop D page lists Nirvana among the groups that used drop Db. Green Day's Brain Stew is in Eb standard, every string a half step down. For Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down, leave all six strings in standard tuning: E A D G B E.
For the Nirvana tracks, lower all six strings another half step from Drop D. Brain Stew needs Eb standard instead; lowering Drop D another half step would still leave the sixth string too low.
Easy Drop D riffs to learn first
Each of these repeats one short pattern, so I start people here. Begin slower than feels necessary (60 BPM on the metronome is my usual suggestion) and speed up when it stops needing thought. If tab still looks like a wall of numbers, the guide to reading guitar tabs helps.
- Moby Dick, Led Zeppelin. Stay on the two lowest strings. Start with the open low D, then play frets 3 and 5 on that string. Answer on the A string at fret 5 and pull off to fret 3 on the A string. Use your index finger at 3 and your ring finger at 5. Slow the pull-off down enough to hear the low D ring. Songsterr has the full tab if you want it.
- Outshined, Soundgarden. Barre strings 6 and 5 only. Start with open D5 and slide the two-string shape to fret 3 for F5, then fret 5 for G5. The verses are in 7/4. Count seven beats with the click and put the emphasis on beat one.
- Never Too Late, Three Days Grace. Pick a Bbsus2 shape for the slow intro: fret 8 on strings 6 and 5, fret 10 on string 4. Follow it with the descending line on string 4. For the chorus, use the open bottom three strings, then barre all three at frets 8, 7, and 10. Those positions give you D5, Bb5, A5, and C5.
Drop D power chords on strings 6, 5 and 4
The bottom three strings are D, A and D, a root, a fifth and an octave. Lay one finger flat across all three and that's a power chord. Slide the shape to another fret and only the chord name changes.
| Fret | Notes on strings 6, 5, 4 | Chord |
|---|---|---|
| 0 (open) | D A D | D5 |
| 2 | E B E | E5 |
| 3 | F C F | F5 |
| 5 | G D G | G5 |
| 7 | A E A | A5 |
Keep the strum on the three lowest strings, 6, 5, and 4. Let your fretting finger touch the unused higher strings lightly to mute them. Use only enough pressure for the chord to ring cleanly, and take a break if your hand hurts.
Muting and palm-muting basics
For palm muting, rest the edge of your picking hand on the strings near the bridge. You want a short note that still has a clear pitch. Move slightly toward the neck for more muting, or back toward the bridge to let more of the note ring. Between chords, release the fretting pressure without lifting your finger clear of the strings.
String gauge and setup
Most players keep the set already on the guitar and retune, which works for every song above. Lowering the sixth string reduces its tension. If it flaps or buzzes under a strong pick attack, try a low string one or two gauges heavier. Check that it fits the nut slot: a slot cut for a thinner string can pinch the new one and make tuning jump. The muddy Drop D fixes post covers the rest.
FAQ about easy drop d songs
Is Drop D cheating?
No. It's a real tuning that working guitarists use on records, and an easier shape gets you playing music sooner. And plenty of players keep Drop D around for certain songs for good.
Can acoustic guitar use Drop D?
Yes. Everlong was written by Dave Grohl on an acoustic in Drop D, and Neil Young also uses the tuning on acoustic for Harvest Moon. Try your existing strings first. A heavier sixth string can help if the low D feels too loose.
What is the difference between Drop D and D standard?
In Drop D, only the sixth string changes from standard: E becomes D, giving D A D G B E. In D standard, all six strings go down a whole step to D G C F A D. The low note matches, but the other five don't. Use the D standard guide for that tuning.
How can I tell if a song is really in Drop D?
Compare the tuning labels on two tab sites, such as Songsterr and Ultimate Guitar, then check against the recording. If the same fingerings sound a semitone too high, check for a half-step-down tuning. Read all six notes to distinguish Drop Db from Eb standard rather than guessing from the low note alone.
Start with one song
Tune with the Drop D tuner and choose one song from the first table. Practice its changes against the metronome until you can move between shapes without watching your fretting hand.
