Going into standard or ‘drop’ D tuning is a great way to get some interesting sounds out of your guitar and it can be applied to both acoustic and electric styles.
You can put your guitar into this tuning by bringing down each string a whole tone, i.e. tuning down two frets. As each string has been tuned down by the same amount, the distances between the notes and chord shapes will remain just as they are in standard E tuning.
However, you must remember that each shape will now be playing a different chord, so an E major will now be a D major, an A minor will now be a G minor, and so on.
When you are playing in D tuning, you will be loosening the tension of the strings, which could cause problems if you have low action on your guitar, as the string could be right against the fret wire, making a nasty buzzing sound.
There are other popular tunings out there, such as drop C, but it’s best to get used to D tuning first before going any further.
Standard D Tuning:
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