DADGAD | Why EVERYONE Should Know It

[@DaveWalshMusic]

My guitar was in this tuning almost the whole 2 months I spent in India. Had a little transcendental jam band with some Persian guys I met who played tanbur and tar which are basically handmade tie on gut fret guitars with a drum for a body tuned similarly to DADGAD. CGCGCD has a similar vibe as well. It's great for exploring music from other countries.

[@dannyarbuckle5706]

Tar is actually where the word guitar comes from.

[@SlyHikari03]

Yup

[@Mkerecint8253]

Is CGCGCD the tuning Page uses in Kashmir?

[@hansvandermeulen5515]

@@Mkerecint8253 no, that was DADGAD.

[@ronnytotten9292]

Oooo the sitar tuning

[@DanielHeikalo]

One of my favourites. The greatest DADGAD player I have ever heard is Algerian-French master Pierre Bensusan. Truly in a class by himself.

[@lolaa2200]

Thanks for this suggestion i didn't knew him, love it. And i just seen he made a DADGAD crash course video with Justin guitar, i need to watch that !

[@Fi5hRock5]

Check out Al Petteway he is THE best!!

[@-crytle-]

I have a tab book signed by him, and I saw him in concert. He's truly inspiring and one of my biggest motivations for playing guitar in general.

[@DanielHeikalo]

@@-crytle- Yes, I have that book. Love it. Saw him twice. I use also variants of DADGAD, like DADGBbD, and the strange but beautiful DADGBbE, with its diminushed flavor. Happy pickin!!

[@captainpatspopculturesteam2300]

Been playing for 30 years and mind blown having never heard of this! Whole new world. Thank you!

[@alextheguitarist7282]

I first started playing in DADGAD after learning Rory Gallagher's version of Out on the Western Plain. One of the most satisfying riffs. Sounds great on a nylon as well.

[@robertinogochev3682]

Lonesome Highway is also in DADGAD or open D, not sure. Another really cool riff.

[@simonbarton9677]

@@robertinogochev3682 Lonesome Highway is DADGAD. Also ‘Just The Smile’ from the first album. Brilliant song.

[@kirklandish]

DADGAD is my favorite tuning. There are two things that weren’t covered in the video that I personally find very inspiring. One is playing octaves between the first and fourth string and the second and fifth string, particularly using hammer ons, pull offs, and slides. The other is the unison shape between the second and third strings, which sounds great when doing bends on the second string.

[@robertdecker6825]

Great input James! Already had me expanded the creative options!

[@timhallas4275]

I stumbled on this combination while searching for a good tuning for a 4 string cigar-box guitar that I built. I wound up with D-A-D-G. With a glass slide I was able to play an endless progression of bar chords and it actually sounded like I knew how to play.

[@cometsuch]

Learned this tuning with "Going to California" and wrote my first (and only) song in this tuning. Can't wait to play with it some more with this info! Thanks Rhett your videos are great man.

[@daledunlop1161]

My dad kept his guitar in DADGAD ever since he was 20, He was inspired by Pierre Bensusan who pretty much exclusively uses that tuning. Had to learn to tune back and forth all the time haha

[@nextvkin202805]

Get another guitar - I have a cheap second one to learn DADGAD

[@shadowulf]

I'm glad you chose the acoustic for this. Dadgad lends itself so well with acoustic. I had a bad case of the doldrums, tuning to dadgad inspired me to to play again.

[@AndrewMasters]

The humble coles making life so sweet

[@davidorvin7342]

Thank you so much live in Atlanta played in Atlanta for a while. 10 years played in Nashville for about 10 years went on the road came back home to Charleston South Carolina. I love you guys and I love your mentor. You guys are so incredibly great spirit music.

[@Ryan_F.]

I’ve learned a couple Celtic tunes that use DADGAD. It’s a gorgeous tuning. Some great ideas here for how to use it-I’ll have to spend more time messing around in it!

[@estudiocuervo5113]

Cool! Could you share what songs are those? 🙃

[@Ryan_F.]

@@estudiocuervo5113 my favorite is called “Si Bheag, Si Mhor”. It means, Small Fairy, Big Fairy. Tony McManus has a very nice, but difficult to play version here on KZbin. I found a simpler one and learned that xD

[@davidmurphy4844]

Davey Graham popularised DADGAD in Britain in the sixties. First time I heard the tuning was on an Al Stewart song "Nostradamus" in 1973. Jimmy Page picked it up from Davey Graham and other folk style acoustic players and that ornate style became known as Folk Baroque.

[@ExplodingPsyche]

Great song, along with Roads To Moscow.

[@Trashslayer76]

I have to admit, I've never attepted this after several years of playing. Opening up a whole new world for me. Thank you!

[@WhereTheBASShasNoName]

Rhett you’re so right man. I also love playing the higher strings in a lead guitarish context but using the lower open strings to create a beautiful drone sound

[@ImYourOverlord]

I find this tuning especially beautiful and fun on acoustic guitar, so I'm glad you presented it that way 🙂 Haven't explored alternate tunings since the '90s, so it's time to revisit!

[@donaldroberts7055]

Love DADGAD. I used the tuning to play my electric parts on Steve Earle's "Copper Head Road"

[@mrmoa]

Great playing on that album. I started using DADGAD when I was in a power trio. Definitely helped fill out the sound with the open strings and prevented me from defaulting to blues cliches

[@Podcastage]

This is something that I'm completely new to. Great overview and extremely inspiring. Thanks for the great video Rhett.

[@CharlieTWilbury]

I can't say it better than that!

[@IJL-Old]

Can't even lie, I had a rare moment where I was being particularly contrarion, maybe it's just the day I'm having, but I made a joke to myself about being in "IDGAF" tuning, and tuned a guitar to AEDGAF... here I am combining lush chords with Mastodon or Baroness-type riffs and never really caring about the way it feels to play those kinds of parts until now, and loving the shit out of it. Lesson is officially learned. Do as the thumbnail/title card says. DADGAD WILL inspire you.

[@sirmadrigal6427]

I like that DADGAD can cover many different styles and sounds. It can be airy and folksy, mysterious and haunting, jangly, grungy, and melancholy all at the same time. Kashmir sounds very haunting, Given to Fly by Pearl Jam sounds grungy, Coming to Life by the Normals sounds melancholy, and Venus by Andrew Peterson sounds airy and folky. These songs all sound so different, yet they all use the same tuning. It’s mind blowing!

[@seantracey7106]

Been playing around with DADGAD for the last month or so and it's been a lot of fun. I found an interesting sound for Sting's "Fields of Gold" using some of the chord shapes you showed in the video. I definitely recommend trying it out to anyone looking to add something new to their playing.

[@TVsBen]

Holy smokes. This is super cool. I'd only recently started playing with alternate tunings, but they'd been like open G to try to get started with a slide, or drop D to get a full-sounded D chord. This is something else entirely.

[@jameslester9819]

Absolutely the best video I have ever seen for this tuning.

[@CerealDust-nStuff]

Great video topic! Been playing Celtic tuned guitars (DADGAD) for years and absolutely love it. Never been able to find good guitar chord charts for this tuning, especially minor, minor 7th & minor 9th chords, so I’ve discovered my own. I practically play everything in DADGAD these days on acoustic and electric.

[@BobSiefken]

Bert Jansch's "A Woman Like You"" is my favorite DADGAD song.

[@LuciensMusic]

I remember when a friend of mine turned me onto dadgad and I wrote a song instantly,,a great way to mix it up a little

[@JeremySheppard]

This is so good! I live in DADGAD these days. It took me years to know how to just play in DADGAD, this will give people a great head start.

[@kylecalandrelle7209]

Got a cheap squire mustang I keep in dadgad and I love it. So much fun to just jam and improv.

[@Andy-xs3ld]

When I first started playing there was no internet to run to and sheet music was usually just for piano. I wanted to play Rain Song and for the life of me just could not figure it out. Then, many years later I started to learn about alternate tuning and my life changed. I have several guitars now and only one is in standard tuning. One is always in DADGAD and, call me obsessed if you like, I have a special guitar permanently tuned to DGCGCD just to play Rain Song.

[@philipatoz]

Great thing about open tunings is discovering new sounds and textures that surprise you - it's like discovering some new, exotic effects pedal - it just inspires and makes you play differently - gives you lyric ideas, etc. And open tunings and strings simply created a strangely beautiful new world!

[@iggie_za]

Great video for guitarists to expand their “vocabulary”. Just want to add that guitarists should experiment like this also in standard tuning to get interesting chord voicings

[@kylehall8760]

I really liked what you did towards the end where you talked about finding the chords to play by following the major scale up and down strings. I love how intuitive and individual that is. Big long lists of chords don't do much for me, like chord encyclopedias. This discovery method of playing is really cool

[@ChrisGarmon]

Yes, my favourite alt tuning! DADGAD is magical

[@TheFlutecart]

Whenever I go to Dadgad, I do so with an exit strategy. I've been to Dadgad, you have to travel through the small Chinese village of Tuning to get get there. I do keep a Strat set up for DADGAD. It's great for Celtic rock and we play that stuff. Great video! Love the ideas! Pretty guitar!

[@nicgundy]

When I had 2 full sized acoustics for 4 years, I kept one in standard & the other in dadgad cause it sound fuller on that particular one & so i didn't have to worry about changing tunings too much. Some of my favorite songs I wrote were in that type of tuning

[@adriengahery9471]

I heard about DADGAD in a Jake Bugg Video years ago. Currently tuned to that on guitar since a few weeks. Load to unpack here. Thanks for the upload!

[@vic1mr]

Best lesson on Tube for DADGAD, simple and effective, you have a gift for teaching , Thank you

[@dldavidmusic]

A great introductory exploration of DADGAD. Beginners can get beautiful chord shapes with ease - inspires them to keep it going. Also gives a beginner a glimpse into the incredible versatility of our instrument that takes a lifetime to explore. Well done!

[@greggpangle3821]

I first started messing with DADGAD about 30 years ago, and I'm about to get a guitar that will be dedicated to it, so I can switch easily in a live setting. Such a beautiful tuning!

[@brucepaynter1972]

That was absolutely brilliant. I have messed with Drop D for years, but I cannot wait to try this. Thank you!

[@karst41]

Thanks to Mr Page and some blue grass boys I learned these tunings in 73 I missed a ton of school got in a ton of trouble but it was 2 months in the kudzu noodling through the tunings and your comment on Cashmere right on mon,,

[@vandal_dk]

Excellent! I love open tunings and this is a great one to get started with.

[@danejurus69]

Travis Meeks kills it with this tuning.

[@brandonbutler8808]

I haven’t tried an alternate tuning for awhile… I will try DADGAD tonight! Thank you for the video!

[@bhobg]

Learned DADGAD during pandemic and I'm hooked! Has such a different feel and vibe

[@thesongwritersdropin2565]

Dadgad is so versatile. it covers so much ground and you can get endless combinations of intervals etc. I've found some great melodic patterns when modulating between half steps, you find a shape and just change the bass note on top of that shape just slightly reinverting it . Some pieces sound like piano tunes when fingerpicked. It opens so many doors from folk to Middle Eastern. great video Rhett. Thanks

[@soniah4821]

New to DADGAD. This video is a great start. Already playing melodies. Thanks Rhett!

[@BobPerrone]

I compse for 12 string guitar both improv and set compositions. Played around with DADGAD a couple of years ago and it opened up a whole new world of tonal possibilities. Also, very true that this will definitely get you out of a rut!

[@notgabeswan3098]

I love DADGAD ❤️ Been worship leading with it for years

[@tomswadley5431]

I use DADGAD almost exclusively since I play in an Irish trad band since 1997. It’s my favorite tuning for a lot of the reasons mentioned in the video.

[@eightbars1]

May I respectfully suggest E B E E B E. Very inspiring. Use it up high and it even sounds like bagpipes. 10 Years After's tune "I'd Love To Change the World" is played in this tuning, among others.

[@BellsCuriosityShop]

I remember a cousin showing me this tuning about thirty years ago. I was amazed how every tuning I tried made me still sound like Sonic Youth. It probably says more about my style of playing rather than the tunings though.

[@ElliotGKnapp]

Credit where it's due to Davy Graham for bringing DADGAD to the mainstream--check out his modal take on "She Moved Through The Fair" for a real ripper. Roy Harper is another proponent who took the tuning to some great places--"One Man Rock and Roll Band" is a great example.

[@buddypop9358]

I keep one guitar in dadgad just because. Everything sounds great. Thanks for the lesson

[@kaidemen156]

I was familiar with dadgad tuning but wasn’t really sure what I could do with it. This video provided a huge breakthrough for me, thank you!

[@philliparmstrong776]

Very useful thank you. New to this tuning. I came up with a melody. That I shared on KZbin about 5 days ago. Still trying to figure stuff out. I'm optimistic thanks

[@TheOligoclonalBand]

I like all open or alternative tunings. I like to try my standard chord shapes in different tunings and often they produce nice sounds. Mostly I have no idea how this all fits hamonically, but I like the feeling of being completely lost on the fretboard and finding new ideas that way. I sometimes play in DADGBD, which is cool as well.

[@Spureks]

I LOVE DADGAD; especially helping beginners understand how keys work by teaching them D rather than C because you can explain #’s. Another great thing to experiment with in DADGAD is playing in Dm. I’ll play songs like “Love is a battlefield” by Pat Benetar in an open D minor tuning. Thanks Rhett.

[@toddsteele72]

A great DADGAD song to listen to is ‘ I just don’t think I’ll ever get over you” by Colin Hay

[@johnforbes4526]

DADGAD and life beyond Zeppelin tunes....I'm headed there. Thanks very much Rhett !

[@DocMoe789]

Thank you for the great tutorial. I have not been able to play guitar for almost 5 years because of arthritis in my left hand. I think that.DADGAD is going to make it possible for me to play again again. Thank you so much for your help.

[@RJW14]

Tuned my les paul to dadgad the other week, indeed to play Kashmir, I've found that the minor barre chord with the root on the A string suddenly has tension because of the now high-D string. Very cool to play around with.

[@michaelbutler2312]

i've experimented with dadgad before but this opens up another door. thanks,!

[@VisualGuy]

This is a great and informative video. But it needs to be said the the acoustic sounds recorded/produced are absolute gold.

[@markprice1847]

Nice job! I heard Nick Drake, Indigo Girls, Kristen Hall, and James McMurtry all in your few examples.

[@jkrause365]

I started using DADGAD on a song called "Ol' Ruby" about a horse. I'll have to get back into this tuning.

[@leefradkin9077]

fantastic and really practical! signed up for your Fretboard course and am rarin' to go. You're one of my favorite channels.

[@sazji]

Such a great load of inspiration in just 11 minutes, thanks so much for this!

[@AllAutomotive1410]

I LOVE this tuning! My acoustic is always tuned in DADGAD. Thanks for the cord shapes as well. I do have a little bit that I end with that Dsus4 Open strum.

[@jimbeaux4988]

Very inspiring! I've only used it to play kashmir but I see there are so many more possibilities.

[@potul]

I never used DADGAD, some day I will give it a try. But, I've been experimenting with a cut capo that gives a similar tone and vibe without retuning the guitar, and I must say it's very inspiring.

[@codylancaster2807]

I love DADGAD tuning. It’s been awhile since I’ve used it. I might have to tune the acoustic and see what happens. Thanks Rhett. Keep up the great work!

[@jlwzqw2008]

Just have to say I tried to use this back in the day and it felt so weird. But now that’s My go to tuning.

[@biolokie6702]

Dude! I'm so glad you made this video, I've been clueless being in DADGAD ever since I tried it first! I found it out first from Kotaro Oshio's songs for example, SPLASH, Wings~you are the HERO. I highly recommend you give his music a listen, the guy is mad with it!

[@matthewmcclure3181]

DADGAD is a gateway drug. Once it starts to stagnate, exploring more complex alt/open tunings is a path many guitarists head down instead of going right back to standard tuning. Rhett mentioned it's a good song writing vehicle (which it is). I'd like to add it's a great tuning for solo performers who are singing at the same time. It (1) expands the frequency range providing a richer and fuller tone (takes a bit of edge off piezo PUs), and allows you to "play bass" too, (2) it's arguably the most forgiving tuning, for once your acoustic mistakes can actually be somewhat covered up, and (3) there is an emotional quality to the voicings which tend to draw an audience in and keep their interest, it facilitates an intimate atmosphere. DADGAD is also a great option if you are in the early stages of developing finger-picking skills. I have one piece of advice for anyone exploring alt tunings. It's easy to go down a rabbit hole and ignore standard tunings for long stretches of time. A really__ long__ time. I made this mistake and it took far longer than I expected to get back to the level I was at in Standard Tuning before the side track. Just something to think about.

[@ronalddulac3063]

Thanks Rhett for these awesome suggestions on using DADGAD tuning. I will start experimenting and improvising with the different chord shapes. I just learned Kashmir about a month ago and I couldn't believe how beautiful the open sound of this alternate tuning is. I can now see why many folk songwriters are inspired by it. I wish more popular music was written in this tuning (having trouble finding these).

[@pedjasaint]

Recently I've been experimenting with DGDGAD, and it gave me a lot of inspiration to start practicing guitar after a long break. I also tried DADGAD and some other alternative tunings in the past, and every new tuning is like a new horizon opening. What a rush!

[@michael_caz_nyc]

Really great. This got me motivated and the creative-juices are flowing. I needed that. I love playing Acoustic. The tone is so pure. Enjoyed it.

[@DamienTheCat]

Recorded a song in DADGAD like 10 years ago long before all these videos going nuts about it. Look up Our Sunday Affairs - Combo Move.. I guess we were ahead of our time?? But tbh I only tuned to it for a single song because Algernon used it (also for pike 1 or 2 songs and nothing more) open chord tunings in general are awesome!

[@tramlad2]

It is a brilliant tuning, sounds really exotic but powerful

[@thepilgrimplays]

In the last few years, without knowing about DADGAD, I spontaneously just tuned both the high E and low E down to D (or even just the high E), but leaving the B string as it is. This happened for songwriting needs, because a few songs, initially born in standard tuning, then just sounded better that way (indeed you can use 90% the standard chord shapes that way). I also do it when playing with a capo. BTW I play 90% of the time tuned a half step lower, 'cause guitars just sound better to me. Even a whole step lower for a few songs (you instantly get that Elliott Smith's vibe). Standard tuning sounds the best only for country music, in my opinion.

[@owlytimbre9103]

I believe Nick Drake used dadgad as well. I'm happy to see this. I've relied on it for 30 years. As a writer it's a heavy and deep tuning. When there's an emotion that you can't quite get at...

[@laneadamson5686]

So many songs I could never figure out as a baby guitar player were in alternate tunings. The G major at 2:02 sounds like Heart's "Dog and Butterfly."

[@7of9kids]

Great lesson Rhett! Thanks! I am a big fan of the always amazing Laurence Juber. He plays a lot of pieces in DADGAD, along with many other tunings….great stuff!

[@theax40]

I believe Monuments entire discography is played in this tuning, though tuned down a few steps and in variations for 7 and 8 strings. The main songwriter John Browne is a master of writing cool riffs with it.

[@pauldigirolamo600]

Beautiful sound. I've been playing around in open D for a while and from what I can tell this is just "open D sus 4", with an open G fourth instead of an F# third. Will have to give it a shot!

[@markthomas1225]

Lowden now sell their own-brand strings. They have a set optimized for DADGAD.

[@calmthefire581]

This is awesome. Can’t wait to dig in to this on my day off. More, please!!

[@luispereztasso]

I have my supersonic on standard, my telecaster on DADGAD and my jazzmaster on open low c (is very similar to a dadgad two notes down but with the third string a note down)

[@cuteasxtreme]

You must not be aware of Rhett’s take on SuperSonics ;)

[@pashayk]

Hi Rhett! Yesterday i sat down to watch this video of yours as i wanted to get into alternate tunings for a long time. and at about minute 3 of your video i absolutely lost myself in it... after like 6 months of being absolutely stuck creatively I now have almost a complete composition! it was so damn refreshing to get out of standard tuning and standard "thinking". Thank you so much for this! PS: recording the new track now thanks to you! hahaha

[@awkipintee]

Sounds great! I love DadGad tuning as it lets the guitar ring & sing. Good job 👍

[@JQBMusicandTutorials]

This tuning unlocked Tension Is A Passing Note by Sixpence None the Richer for me. I'm fairly certain it's the tuning Matt Slocum used for that song. Beautiful song and a beautiful tuning.

[@robertgransee8849]

I think I've found what I'll be doing this weekend 😁 I've also been experimenting with D-Standard, and managed to figure out a couple songs that had previously eluded me (Gin Lady - Everyone Is Love & Springsteen - Better Days)

[@jimduffy9773]

Great video! Also, every time I see and hear that guitar, I lust after it. So beautiful.

[@davidhumphries853]

The tuning really brings out the nice tones of an acoustic guitar

[@momentoftruth7594]

Cool....being new alt tunings intimidated me but this allowed me to explore with more confidence, thanks

[@carlosayala243]

Great stuff Rhett! With you and with Rick beato's channel you make it more about the music while a lot of these other KZbinrs all they worry about is how fast can you play instead of being musical you can be fast and musical like an Eric Johnson but with him it's not all about the speed and that's what you and Rick do which is just terrific! Cheers to you and Rick you always keep me coming back that's why I subscribe to both your channels! 🎸😁🎼👍🎶😁

[@alexander_winston]

@Carlos Ayala… agreed! Whenever anyone says it’s all about speed I reply with 2 words. David. Gilmour. (Drops microphone)…. And don’t forget to sub to Rick Beato 2… his alternate channel.

[@carlosayala243]

@@alexander_winston thanks man you rock and thank you for the kind words! 😅🎵🎸🎼👍🎶

[@Cris_Borgnine]

Carlos as Alexander said totally agree!!! Really enjoy watching both.

[@triad5766]

Playing fast is musical since it’s related to music

[@carlosayala243]

@@triad5766 true but sometimes playing is like sex it's better to have foreplay then be a minute man 😆🎵🎸🎼

[@josetanaka]

Thanks for sharing this tuning. I was able to improvise and make video with this tuning inspired by you!

[@dmjbass]

Haven't seen anyone mention it yet, but while it's not strictly the same as DADGAD, you can get the same overall open voicings (albeit up a whole step) by using a partial capo that covers the A,D, and G on the 2nd fret. (Shubb's C7 is probably the easiest to find in my experience, but I know there are others out there) This gets you that open sus4 chord but maintains your normal scales/most of the chord shapes. It's a neat way to sort of straddle the line between standard and DADGAD, and is a great option for using some of the DADGAD sounds without having to completely retune a guitar, especially when performing!

[@davidmurphy4844]

C7 Shubb is a great little device. A sort of gateway drug into the world of open tunings!

[@dmjbass]

@@davidmurphy4844 Agreed! Perfect if you were a broke college student like me that only had one guitar and wasn't willing to risk constant retunings- can't even begin to count how many hours I spent just playing around with the C7 and a regular capo on my Seagull M6 cedar guitar...

[@timothy5974]

I really enjoy your open tuning lessons. Thank you.