Chords for DADGAD tuning: 5 shapes you need to know

A black and white photo of Jimmy Page playing a Martin D-18 onstage, cigarette in his mouth.

Loved by the likes of Davey Graham, Roy Harper and Jimmy Page, DADGAD remains a great place to start when exploring alternate tunings, especially on acoustic guitar.

It’s harmonically somewhat ‘ambiguous’ because it contains stable-sounding perfect 4ths (G), perfect 5ths (A) and the root note (D) – but no 3rds to make it major or minor.

Strummed all at once, the open strings are a big, bold Dsus4 chord. It’s a de facto standard alternative to traditional E standard (EADGBE) tuning amongst fingerpickers and percussive players alike.

1. D5

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This chord only requires one finger, but creates a huge-sounding D5 powerchord.

2. Bm7

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This fingering sounds great as it uses the first and second strings as a drone.

3. Aadd11

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This shape also uses a drone. Try swapping between the previous shape and this one.

4. Cadd9

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This one can be heard in action by Jimmy Page in his fingerstyle classic, Black Mountain Side.

5. Em11

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This final chord provides a huge, resonant Em11 sound thanks to those ringing open strings.