Drop D Bass Scales
Drop D tuning on bass is D, A, D, G, from the 4th string to the first. Only the lowest string moves from standard, down 2 semitones.
Bass · 4-string (Drop D), tuned low to high: D, A, D, G. 24 frets.
- D string: fret 0 D (4), fret 2 E (5), fret 5 G (flat 7), fret 7 A (root), fret 10 C (flat 3), fret 12 D (4), fret 14 E (5), fret 17 G (flat 7), fret 19 A (root), fret 22 C (flat 3), fret 24 D (4).
- A string: fret 0 A (root), fret 3 C (flat 3), fret 5 D (4), fret 7 E (5), fret 10 G (flat 7), fret 12 A (root), fret 15 C (flat 3), fret 17 D (4), fret 19 E (5), fret 22 G (flat 7), fret 24 A (root).
- D string: fret 0 D (4), fret 2 E (5), fret 5 G (flat 7), fret 7 A (root), fret 10 C (flat 3), fret 12 D (4), fret 14 E (5), fret 17 G (flat 7), fret 19 A (root), fret 22 C (flat 3), fret 24 D (4).
- G string: fret 0 G (flat 7), fret 2 A (root), fret 5 C (flat 3), fret 7 D (4), fret 9 E (5), fret 12 G (flat 7), fret 14 A (root), fret 17 C (flat 3), fret 19 D (4), fret 21 E (5), fret 24 G (flat 7).
Above: the A minor pentatonic drawn on a bass in Drop D tuning. Every note is placed and named for this tuning, not transposed from a standard-tuning diagram — so the note names are the ones you actually play.
Why players use it
Drop D lets you play a power chord on the bottom three strings with one finger, which is why it turns up everywhere from folk fingerpicking to metal riffing. It's the smallest change from standard — only one string moves — so everything you know above the fifth string still applies.
Open strings
D, A, D, G — fourth string to first.
Scales in Drop D
Each link opens the interactive fretboard with that scale and this tuning already applied. You can change key, hear any note, and export a printable PDF from there.
| Scale | Key |
|---|---|
| Minor Pentatonic | A · E · D · G · C · B |
| Major Pentatonic | A · E · D · G · C · B |
| Minor Blues | A · E · D · G · C · B |
| Natural Minor | A · E · D · G · C · B |
| Major | A · E · D · G · C · B |
| Dorian | A · E · D · G · C · B |
| Phrygian | A · E · D · G · C · B |
| Mixolydian | A · E · D · G · C · B |