Drop Down Tuning? An overview?

[matonanjin]

Anyone know of a quick overview of Drop Down tuning?  A "Cliff Notes", if you will. I am fairly sure I have seen TrueFire offer a course in it, but I don't want to study it that intensively.  I may have to.   

My wife and I were watching a Clapton video of his playing "Forever Man".  She made some comment about how cool it is and then asked, "Can you play that someday?"   Which I, of course, said "Sure".  And then watching it it doesn't seem all that difficult.  The riffs aren't  that tough, I thought.

But then I bought the sheet music and it is in Drop D!  I know how to chaange the tunings of course.  But then I'm not sure how to convert chords, how to read the music, etc.  One tunes down but then does one play a note where it shows on the music?  etc.  I'm not sure about where to start.  Is it difficult to convert it back to "Standard" tuning?

I tried a couple laces for the music and they all have it in Drop D.

[DianeB]

Simple drop D leaves the other five strings in standard tuning. It permits an open D5 on the three low strings (DAD). On the page you show, it seems nothing is otherwise affected except the notes on the 6th string (open D; fret 5 G). The chords (Bb2, C2, Dm, Gm7) are all the usual 4 or 5 sting barres. (Good luck with a Csus 22.)

Double drop D (DADGBD), however, is a bit more, ahem, complexicated, and above my pay grade.

[matonanjin]

Thanks!! @DianeB.  So if I understand the only notes/strings to be concerned about are on that first string.  A chord is going to have the same notes no matter what tuning.  A C chord is going to be C, Eb, G no matter what tuning?

So going to my chart, the first two notes as an example, are D and G.  So if I go back to normal tuning and play them on the first string at the 2nd string, 5th fret, and 1st string, 3rd fret, respectively I should be ok?  And the chords, Bb2, C2, Dm, Gm7, will all be the same.  

Thanks again, Diane.

[Wim VD1]

Hi Ron,

For this song, there are 3 tuning options:

1. Drop D : tune the 6th string (low E) 2 half steps down to a low D.

The riff uses the notes D G A C A C D. You can play these using the 6th and the 5th string if you're in this drop D tuning, as is shown in your tab.

2. Regular tuning: If you want to stay in normal tuning, you can play the riff 1 octave higher on the 4th and 3rd string. The bar chords in the song do not use the 6th string, so there is no change in how to play them in regular or drop D tuning.

3. Tune all strings down 2 half steps so you get DGCFAD. Clapton uses this tuning in this live version  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOK7alO6hNY . He plays the riff here on strings 6, 5 and 4.

In option 3, you have to play the bar chords 2 frets higher up the neck compared to regular tuning.

 

Hope this helps.

Wim.

 

Edited March 27, 2022 by Wim VD1

[matonanjin]

Thank you @Wim VD1.  It occurred to me, milliseconds after responding to Diane, that to play it in normal tuning I would have to play the riff an octave higher, your option 2.  Before even hearing it I'm pretty sure it is not going to have desired tonal effect Mr. Clapton intended, especially that very first note.  

Certainly, it would be educational for me to try the drop down tuning and I can dedicate one guitar to that.  So it's off to try tuning options 1 or 2; and to look at his video of tuning down 2 steps.  So I need to decide if I want to try this song badly enough to try that.

Thanks again, Wim