Drop Tunings Explained - Drop D, D standard, Drop C, Drop B, Drop A, 7 string, and Drop L!

Drop Tunings Explained - Drop D, D standard, Drop C, Drop B, Drop A, 7 string, and Drop L!
Drop tunings are relatively simple to understand once you have some experience with them. For those into heavy rock and metal genres, drop tunings are an essential part of your playing. So what are drop tunings? why do we use them? and how do we tune to them.
The most common drop tunings are:
Drop D and Drop C with others becoming more and more popular, especially with the growth of Djent and other newer techniques and genres.
Contents:
0:00 - Introduction
0:08 - Drop D explained
1:30 - Power-chords in Drop D
2:04 - D standard tuning explained
2:40 - Drop C explained
3:17 - Drop B explained
3:50 - 7 string guitar tuning
4:15 - 7 string Drop A explained
4:37 - DROP L!
4:44 - I don't even know what's happening here - the sloppy bass took over
5:12 - Basses and guitars with extra strings
5:59 - Bands that use these tunings
6:33 - Check out www.theguitarninja.co.uk
6:45 - Like, comment, Ask me questions, Subscribe, you know the drill
***About me***
Hey Guitar Ninjas. I'm Rory Aka 'The Guitar Ninja'. I am hugely passionate about music. From writing, playing, teaching and experimenting to sharing the passion with others. I am now sharing my love of music and some of my processes with you through a load of mini series on this KZbin channel. I have also been teaching guitar for many years and have now created an online guitar academy with a gaming side to encourage you to keep playing and levelling up.
***Links***
The Guitar Ninja Academy - Learn guitar online in the most fun way ever!
www.theguitarninja.co.uk
Get your own Guitar Ninja Merch:
theguitarninja.co.uk/merch/
Have you Subscribed to the channel yet?
***Buy the equipment I use for my music and videos***
These are affiliate links, and by purchasing through these link I earn a small percentage for sending you their way
Audio Interfaces
Line 6 UX2 - amzn.to/3299fEU
Focusrite Scarlett - amzn.to/34XoJ0R
Presonus - amzn.to/3mPg5Y9
Digital Audio Workstations (DAW)
Ableton live standard 10 amzn.to/3jTMXx4
Ableton live suit 10 amzn.to/34QT8xt
Speakers
Monitors - KRK Rokit5 pair amzn.to/38dvWff
Monitors - KRK Rokit7 pair amzn.to/38aXdPc
Monitors - KRK Rokit8 pair amzn.to/34Tgenp
Others
Jacklead amzn.to/2TR82xG
Studio headphones amzn.to/362iurE
Video
My camera - amzn.to/2TNiiXs
my microphone - amzn.to/326RDJQ
my lights - amzn.to/2HQcQB5

[@TheGuitarNinja]

Drop L starts at 4:37

[@deafworldstudios8644]

From Drop B to Drop G, You can play those on a 6 string but you may want to either get a thicker set of strings and change the intonation and action or for those die hard 6 string elitists who would not dare touch a 7 string, a Baritone is most likely a great option for you. Baritone guitars are made for that.

[@gustavomazonave8536]

Drop F and lower is now used in many metalcore bands. People realized how to make it less muddy kkkkk. Invent Animate, Currents, Silent Planet. It all probably started with Meshuggah

[@TheGuitarNinja]

Mushuggah are definitely one of the best known bands for dropping low. Thank you for the comment, I hadn't thought about how the signal could be cleaned up.

[@rodrigoprzygoda5425]

my friend plays Drop tuning, and I play inverted Powerchords in Standard tuning! it's a cool combination!

[@TheGuitarNinja]

Nice. I do like my inverted power chords. Sounds like a good combo ☺️🤟

[@monstruonegro05]

Nice one! I'm on my way to get a 7string and the first thing I'm going to do is trying the Drop L!!! 🤘🏼🤘🏼😄

[@TheGuitarNinja]

😂😂 do it!! 🤘

[@zsaz4453]

@Loredana Massini history in the making😀

[@zsaz4453]

@Loredana Massini but ghostemane...ahh whimpy littel wannabe vark virkenes

[@Sayabencitaugeh]

Hi thanks for that. Just to check, how if we use 7 string but want to play drop d band such as lamb of god song? What is the fine tune for the string # 7? To get it more heavier

[@TheGuitarNinja]

If you want to be on drop D. Just drop the 6th string and don’t use the 7th. That’s what I would do, but you could go to drop A and play 4 strings. This will make the 7th string play your the same as the 5th string just an octave lower. (A bit weird as your 5th will be the lowest pitch note not the root)

[@Blueclues16]

Just wondering other than wanting to sound heavier or much more metal. Does it have anything to do with singing? As in. Does drop tuning helps you to reach a note easier when singing? Or the scream to hit the note?

[@john-brady]

Theoretically any down tuning can accomplish that…

[@parrotanimations4263]

I mean yes, if you're singer's voice is in the lower area and can't hit the higher notes in that are more common with standard tuning.

[@weinosby]

is the drop A standard on 7 string is the same with D standard tuning?

[@475CKVR]

What is D# A# F# C# G# C# guitar tuning, I cant find any info on this anywhere...

[@Pie27887]

This guy needs more views

[@TheGuitarNinja]

Thank you 😊

[@Pie27887]

Omg thanks for replying

[@TheGuitarNinja]

@@Pie27887 you’re welcome.

[@TheGuitarNinja]

@@Pie27887 do you play guitar yourself? Had a look to see on your channel but you don’t have any videos.

[@Pie27887]

@@TheGuitarNinja Yes I do

[@brownpunk1794]

Hi..good vid but i have a question..does say tuning a standard tuning to a drop C and then leaving it..would it damage the guitar? Would it need to be adjusted by a tech? ..i have asked this to many guitarists and i get 100 different answers lol

[@BlackManiac94]

nope, not damaging your guitar, but it will sound sloppy when you play it. ive done it many times before this and i ensure you that you will need retuning regularly and the sound was sloppy

[@nighthawk9532]

A guitar can totally do Drop B, just throw a 64 on the 6th string I use 11-15-20-36-46-64 for Drop B and Drop A#(Bb) on my LTD Eclipse 256 guitars, the 6th string is nice and tight!

[@zsaz4453]

I use one of my 7strings for it with a 10set

[@zsaz4453]

But your right

[@TheGuitarNinja]

Not sure if I somehow said differently in the video. I have also been in drop B and drop A on a six string but I had a set of 13’s on the guitar. It’s just easier with a seven string if you regularly change tunings. (Or easier by just having a few guitars, each in a different tuning)

[@nighthawk9532]

@@TheGuitarNinja it depends on scale length too, most of my guitars are Gibson scale lengths so I go heavy on the bottom and light on the top, for Drop B I would use 11 through a 64 (custom guage really) and if it’s B Standard I would use 12 through a 64, or I could just use a drop tune pedal lol

[@zsaz4453]

@@TheGuitarNinja i have 3 7strings in different tunings.i use ernie balls 11 for Standard D or drob A or G.or the drop Pedal from digitech or a pitchshifter

[@TheOneTrueAJ]

Are there pros and cons to a chord strummed in standard vs drop? Does one sound more this or that?

[@TheGuitarNinja]

Dropped strings are looser (unless you use a thicker gauge of string) so usually dropped tuning have a lower pitch but a more slappy tone, more open to unwanted buzz as well, but it's definitely preference over right or wrong. Korn, love the sting slappy sound and it worked great for them

[@TheOneTrueAJ]

@@TheGuitarNinja thanks. Thats a question I have for a long time. I have seen a lot of people play low tunings in standard and wondered if there was a reason they didn't commit to drop tunings. Always seemed easier and to make more sense to me. Probably to do with how they started out on guitar as well.

[@prepare4storms807]

I lowered my guitar to Drop OUT.

[@TheGuitarNinja]

😂😂

[@user-ed2lz7js8g]

For a seven string what is D#1 tuning? I’m kind of new to this tuning and I’ve been listening to sleep token and I just can’t seem to pin the tuning down.

[@TheGuitarNinja]

7 string Drop D#1. I've heard a few people use the tuning terms differently with 7 strings. Some mention the 7th string and some the 6th string. do you know if the 7th or 6th string are tuned to D#? From that the rest of the strings should be easy to assist with.

[@_yeheskel4970]

Super helpful! I'm switching from acoustic to electric so i dont even know what these 'drop tuning' are. Cant wait to drop em up!

[@jeffreyallen6545]

No love for Drop G? 😪

[@andrewsolesbury115]

Can you safely tune a standard set of strings to Drop C and leave it and it be okay? Or do you need a thinker guage for anything lower than Drop D?

[@TheGuitarNinja]

Personally drop C can work with a standard set of 10-46 strings. However I use ‘spiky top, heavy bottoms’ for drop C. The high 3 string are the same as a standard 10 set and the bottom 3 strings are the same as a standard 11 set. This way you get the thicker bass strings but still plenty of bending etc on the high strings.

[@johneltins9822]

1:12 i am iron maaaan

[@metalwizard5502]

HMMMM YEAH THANKS

[@daneblum5303]

Isn’t life nuts

[@JeremiahDaniel1995]

2:53

[@jordansjothun7216]

Did you eat a lot of paint chips as kid?

[@sog6289]

Noob guitar question. Soooo drop d plays like drop c ?

[@TheGuitarNinja]

yes, they are both played in the same way, just drop C is even lower in pitch

[@shadowfox2928]

What about Drop A#?

[@RoryPrice]

DROP L!

[@marcelogaea1064]

Drop lolz :)

[@TheGuitarNinja]

😂😂

[@BlackGhost92]

Slipknot uses Drop B but they use 6 string guitars

[@meraukepapuadion1058]

Byk bicara jdi gk paham🤣🤣🤣

[@goite2654]

Just don't drop the guitar

[@RumpleStiltzkin-bu5he]

Whats the tuning called for "dadgad?"

[@TheGuitarNinja]

DADGAD is the name used for this tuning

[@RumpleStiltzkin-bu5he]

@TheGuitarNinja no shit sherlock....it doesnt have another name like "drop - the gun" or something?

[@vincentharless1952]

Slipknot doesnt play 7 string guitars