Dadgad tuning questions?

Question

So I just recently found out about dadgad. I just want to know if it's possible to play rock songs using this tuning? Things like Weezer, Pearl Jam, ACDC, the offspring, dinosaur jr etc?

Also can one play power chords on dadgad and are they easier to play than on standard?

What are the pros and cons of using dadgad for songs like these that require an electric guitar and distortion?

Thanks a lot!

Answer 1

A lot of great rock songs use this tuning. One of my favorites is Kashmir by Led Zeppelin. This tuning is essentially a chord so you can play chord shapes with one finger. DADF#AD is a similar tuning that I like to use for slide playing.

The down side is that you cannot easily play songs in standard tuning.

Answer 2

dadgad is most commonly used by slide guitar players, so every two strings can make a power chord.

But it also messes up all the finger positions for scales that you know and use a lot.

but playing a 2 or 3 string power chord on the EA(and d) are just as easy for me, you just play the barre chord frets but only hit the 2 or 3 strings. that you fret.



most classic rock bands don't mess with alterate tunings for rock songs. Just the newer metal or alt bands use drop tunings for the most part.

I am not a fan of alternate tunings unless you are playing slide.

Answer 3

DADGAD is a tuning normally associated with folk music, with great players like Davey Graham, Bert Jansch, John Renbourne and John Martin. I've experimented with it but, apart from learning one or two things transcribed in tab in that tuning I find it confusing.



It's theoretically possible to play anything in any tuning on any instrument IF the player is up to it, but I can't see any advantage to it at all unless a player is more used to and comfortable with that tuning or is playing something impossible or very difficult in standard tuning. Standard tuning is certainly a lot more versatile.



In standard tuning, you couldn't get anything easier than playing "power chords" using two or three strings. Obviously, like Dropped D tuning, DADGAD allows "power chords" to be played by barring and playing only the bottom three strings. To me, that seems a LOT of effort to go to to play sonething that's so simple anyway.