Learn › Drop D Chords: the Easiest Alternate Tuning
New Released in April 2026
Drop D Chords: the Easiest Alternate Tuning
Drop D is the easiest alternate tuning: lower only the 6th string from E to D. Every other string stays standard, so the drop D chords you already know still work, and a heavy one-finger power chord appears on the three lowest strings.
No account, no download. The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
Tune it in ten seconds
Play the open 4th string (D) and lower the 6th string until it sounds the same note an octave below. If your ear is unsure, the harmonic at the 12th fret of the 6th string should match the open 4th string exactly. To go back, raise the 6th string until it matches the 5th fret of itself to the open 5th string, as in standard tuning.
One-finger power chords
- Fret 0: D5
- Fret 2: E5
- Fret 3: F5
- Fret 5: G5
- Fret 7: A5
- Fret 8: Bb5
- Fret 10: C5
- Fret 12: D5
Drop D Chords: the Easiest Alternate Tuning
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps.
Play the demoOpen shapes in drop D
- D: 000232. The open low D makes it sound huge.
- Dm: 000231.
- Dsus4: 000233.
- G: 5x0003, the 6th string moves to the 5th fret.
- Chords on the top five strings, like A, C or Am, do not change.
Check your tuning in the game
ChordRunner listens through the microphone to the notes that really sound. Play the open three-string D5, then the one-finger shape at the 3rd fret: the game should hear D and then F. If not, the 6th string has slipped.
The levels in ChordRunner
- Beginner: major, minor, augmented and diminished chords.
- Intermediate: adds sus2 and sus4.
- Advanced: adds 6th, 7th and 9th chords.
- Pro: adds 11th, 13th and altered chords; an adaptive mode adds the next family when you are ready.
Common questions
How do I tune to drop D?
Lower only the 6th string from E to D, until it matches the open 4th string an octave lower. The other five strings stay as they are.
Do normal chords work in drop D?
Yes, on the top five strings nothing changes. Only chords that use the 6th string need it two frets higher, like G at 5x0003.
Why do players use drop D?
For a deeper bass on D chords and one-finger power chords that make fast riffs easy.
Which instruments work?
A USB MIDI keyboard, detected automatically, or a piano or guitar through the microphone. Everything runs in Chrome or Edge on a computer, tablet or phone.
How is this different from apps where you tap the screen?
Tapping trains your eyes and fingers on glass. Here you press real keys or fret real strings, and the game hears the actual notes, so what you practise is exactly what you will play on your instrument.
Is everything in the demo?
The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
Your instrument is the controller.
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
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