In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play (and improvise) a blues in the key of D, using Drop D tuning. This works really well with both acoustic and electric guitar. In addition to showing you how to play the composition note by note, I’ll show you how to improvise, so that you can take this in your own direction.
To view the Part 2 video for this blues guitar lesson, as well as download the tablature and the MP3 jam track, visit https://www.activemelody.com/lesson/d…
Drop D
The tuning is all about lowering one string, the thickest, E6. Before you start playing, it is worth realizing that between the A5 and E6 string (now re-tuned to the d note) there is the fifth interval, and not – as before – fourths.
Lowering the tuning allows us to penetrate lower and – what can I say – better sounding sound areas. Entering the land of lower tunings is relatively painless thanks to the Drop D system. We do not have to tune the entire instrument, which can be very troublesome, especially for guitar owners with a double-sided tremolo bridge. It is obvious that this type of construction is extremely sensitive to changes in string tension. On the other hand, with the Drop D tuning a bridge of this type does very well and requires virtually no corrections.
This tuning can open a lot of possibilities to any guitar player. It is a favorite of heavy metal bands and groups from different subgenres. This tuning is also useful in blues, classical, folk, and country music. Aside from being useful, it’s also generally very fun and there are a lot of great songs that were written and performed in Drop D.
