What is the story behind DADGAD tuning on guitar, as opposed to EADGBE tuning? Does it make the guitar more responsive when playing ITM or easier to transpose keys, or what? I’m curious.
Thanks to all who reply.
With best regards,
Steve Mack
I like DADGAD for the Irish tunes since its rather modal. It’s kind of like dropped D in that the low strings are all roots and fifths. Finding chords gets a little weird. Ever talk with someone really good at Irish guitar? They say “This is an A chord” but its really an A6th or something. Or they say “We’ll its kind of A-ish.”
Two things I’ve noticed with DADGAD players. One is that they are up and down the neck a lot so if you’re used to “Cowboy” chords you’re in for a challenge. The other is that a capo is used a lot up at the fifth and seventh frets so if you’ve got a 12 fret style guitar or no cut-away, you can get boxed in.
Now this is just me but I find playing rhythm on tunes that you know in standard tuning but trying in DADGAD are odd sounding. The notes are all there, they’re just in different positions. On some things it works out great though. I’ve got a version of “Wayfairing Stranger” that removes the minor chord (Dm, the sadest of all keys) and replaces it with a modal one. It actually takes a tune that usually sounds like a dirge and lifts it up quite a bit. After all, why should a tune about going to heaven sound so sad?
I’ve been playing in DADGAD for about a year and a half now. I like it because the drones you can get from the tuning work well for backing trad tunes. Primarily I look at playing guitar in Irish trad music as being a mostly rhythmic function, and playing in DADGAD lets me focus on the rhythm of the tune more than the harmony. Not that the tuning cannot be expressive harmonically, but as macclay pointed out, you can easily leave out the thirds of the chords to provide more of a modal ‘drone’ to the tunes.
That being said, since I’ve started plaing in DADGAD, I’ve also come to the realization that you can get the same effect from standard tuning. True, you can’t get the droning low D, but by using non-standard chord shapes, you can still use other strings to get similar drone sounds. But since I’ve started down the DADGAD road, I’m going to keep with it 
DADGAD is great for backing Irish music. There are tons of very simple chord shapes. You can easily go up and down the fretboard playing chords. Especially, major chords. The only thing I don’t like about DADGAD is minor chords (particularly Bm) . This is not a downfall of the tuning, I just haven’t found fingerings for Bm that don’t sound too modal. Therefore, I stick with Drop d go get the drone but the familiarity of standard tuning.
Out of curiousity, what are you using for your Bm fingerings? I use 9XO7OO (BXDDAD) or 9XO79O (BXDDF#D) a lot.
Any got any tastey A major or E minor DADGAD voicings?? I have the hardest time playing A major without a capo in DADGAD. Must be a mental block or something 
–Jeff
While a lot of folks have begun using DADGAD in the last years, I think there is still a very strong case to be made for dropped D.
Just had the opportunity to see John Doyle (Solas) play and got to sit in a workshop with him. Although he uses several tunings, dropped D seems to be his preference. His changes are so fast, precise and smooth, it’s unbelievable.
After I got over the idea of trashing my guitars and taking up the spoons since he made me feel (not intentionaly, of course) like an untallented buffoon, I’m considering getting out the old electric and tuning it to dropped D.
With sufficient practice, anyone can make any tuning work. DADGAD is just convenient, so a lot of people use it.
DADGAD is just convenient, so a lot of people use it.
Dude, I just heard you sniff. Don’t deny it.
The main advantage of DADGAD is that it’s hugely flexible in the modes based on the D and G major scales. Within that compass there are tons of alternate chord voicings available, and it’s very easy to work out chord scales and substitutions. There are possibilities for open-string drones, and the close interval between the second and third string makes for some nice effects in melody-playing. For all that you trade away flexibility in flat keys and keys with more than two or three sharps. Which of course isn’t much of an issue in Irish music.
Any got any tastey A major or E minor DADGAD voicings?? I have the hardest time playing A major without a capo in DADGAD.
Oh, let’s see. For A there’s a nice set of moveable chords you can put over the open 5th string:
A: X 0 7 6 7 X
Bm: X 0 9 7 9 X
A: X 0 11 9 12 X
D: X 0 12 11 12 X
E: X 0 14 13 14 X
F#m: X 0 4 2 4 X
D: X 0 4 2 5 X
E: X 0 6 4 7 X
One grouping on the bass strings is:
A: 7 7 X 6 0 X
Bm: 9 9 X 7 0 X
A/C#: 11 12 X 9 0 X
D: 12 12 X 11 0 X
E: 14 14 X 13 0 X
E: 2 2 X 1 2 X
F#m: 4 4 X 2 0 X
E/G#: 6 7 X 4 0 X
Some of my meat-‘n’-potatoes chords in E minor are:
Em7: 2 2 0 0 2 0
Bm7: X 2 0 2 0 0
Bm7: X 2 4 4 0 0
Bm7: 9 X 7 7 9 X
Am7: X 0 2 0 3 2
Am7: X 0 5 5 0 X
Am7: 7 X 5 5 7 X
C: X 3 2 0 3 2
D: X 5 4 (0) 5 4
(Of course be cautious in the use of Am and C chords if you’re in E dorian as opposed to E minor.)
Thinking further about this, chords in any tuning derive from a handful of impractical-to-play “theoretical” shapes. In DADGAD there are three of these.
1. The root-on-the-sixth-string family: 555455 (major), 555355 (minor). That’s a G chord, root on the sixth, fourth, and first strings, third on the third string, fifth on the fifth and second strings. Chords deriving from this shape include
- 55x400 (G chord with D drones, useful as a IV chord in the key of D, otherwise I mute the trebles)
5x5400 (the same, but with two roots in the bass and no fifths; this and the previous one, and their minor versions, are the primary moveable shapes I use, muting the trebles or not as mood dictates)
550050 (A thirdless G chord)
5x445x (GMaj7)
5x335x (Gm7)
x0767x (A)
220020 (Em7)
053500 (Dm7)
xx0233 (Dm7 – that’s an F chord with a D in the bass)
And zillions of others.
2. The third-on-the-sixth-string family: 454254 (major), 353253 (minor). This example is a D chord, third on the sixth, fourth, and first strings, root on the fifth and second strings, fifth on the third string. Remember, this is a theoretical chord. Some chords you might actually use that are based on this shape are
- 45x200 (D first inversion, or D/F#. Nice if your next chord is G 55x400, viz. a I-IV progression in d or a V-I progression in G)
4x4200 (Similarly, this resolves nicely into G 5x5400)
First-position D chords such as 000200, 004200, xx0204, etc.
x32032 (C)
x20200 (Bm7)
053500 (Dm7)
3. The fifth-on-the-sixth-string family: 535575 (major), 535565 (minor). That’s a C chord, fifth-root-fifth-root-third-fifth. I use this family of shapes for thirdless “thumpy” chords, like 050700 or 057700 for a D. I love taking that first shape and moving it around for really tight minimalist voicings:
- 0 5 x 7 x x (D)
0 10 x 12 x x (G)
0 9 x 11 x x (D)
0 4 x 6 x x (A)
The first-position A chords fall into this group too:
- x02202 (no third)
x02x42
x02032 (Am7 – notice this is the same as the C chord above, only with A in the bass)
Keeping those theoretical shapes in mind makes it easy to expand on what you know and create new chord voicings. You can work this stuff out for any tuning. There are five basic shapes in standard tuning, for example, which is one thing that makes it more challenging to master than chord-based tunings like DADGAD.
Good stuff!!! I’ll be working through these chord shapes, that’s for sure. Thanks much!
I also have some info and chord charts up at:
Thanks! I believe this will be very helpful.