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What is DADGAD?

(For readers who already know what ‘altered tunings’ and DADGAD are, feel free to skip ahead to the technical sections in the menu.)

tl;dr

DADGAD is a guitar tuning.

Standard vs. Non-standard tunings

There are countless ways of tuning a guitar.

The most common guitar tuning is EADGBE, so-called “standard tuning”.

Virtually all guitar players begin learning in standard tuning.

For many players, standard tuning is just “the way a guitar is tuned” and other tunings never cross their horizon.

Despite its prevalence, standard tuning is not inherently better than any other tuning.

Every tuning has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Some of these are intrinsic or technical, while others are extrinsic or circumstantial.

The main extrinsic advantage of standard tuning, for example, is the abundance of learning materials and repertoire.

An intrinsic disadvantage of standard tuning is the difficulty of playing in certain keys which are not compatible with the notes of the open strings.

For example, the key of Db major contains the notes Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb and C.

None of the notes of the open strings in standard tuning (EADGBE) is present in the key.

This means that you can’t use any open strings when playing a piece in Db major using standard tuning.

There are three ways to avoid this problem:

1. transpose the piece to a more convenient key,
2. use a capo, or
3. use a non-standard, alternate tuning to play the piece.

(If you do decide to play in Db major using standard tuning, you can avoid accidental open string noise with a fret wrap à la Victor Wooten or Matteo Mancuso, or with impeccable technique...)

Alternate tunings

An alternate tuning or altered tuning is any way of tuning a guitar that is different from standard tuning (EADGBE).

Common alternate tunings include

Drop D (DADGBE)

Open Dsus4 (aka “DADGAD”)

Open D (DADF#AD)

Drop C (CGCFGC)

Open E (EBEG#BE)

All-Fourths (EADGCF)

All-Thirds (EAbCEAbC, aka “M3 tuning”)

... &c. ad infinitum.

Many alternate tunings are called “open tunings” because the unfretted (open) strings all strummed together sound a particular chord.

For example, Open D (DADF#AD) contains only the notes D, F# and A which make up a D major chord.

Alternate tunings with regular intervals between strings are called “regular tunings”.

These include the All-Fourths and All-Thirds tunings listed above.

In the All-Thirds tuning (aka M3 tuning), for example, the interval between each string is a major third (i.e. four semitones or half-steps).

While the All-Thirds tuning does produce an open E augmented chord (E G# C), it is typically used for melodic jazz improvisation rather than chordal accompaniment.

DADGAD (finally)

DADGAD is sometimes classed as a “modal tuning” since the chord made by the open strings does not include a third.

Treating D as the tonic, the open-string chord contains a root (D), a fourth (G) and a fifth (A), forming a Dsus4 chord.

DADGAD is (stereo)typically used to play Celtic music using chord voicings that let open strings ring out as a drone.

Though it is often associated with Celtic music, in principle you can use DADGAD to play in any style.

From Pierre Bensusan Presents DADGAD Guitar:

“DADGAD is very big in Celtic settings, and as such, it's gotten typecasted to some degree. [...] But remember, DADGAD is not a genre—it's a tuning. And once you dive into it, you'll find that you can play any kind of music, be it Celtic, contemporary, classical, country—or jazz.”