Drop G Tuning on 7-String Guitar: Notes, Chords and How to Use It

Drop G is one of the heaviest, most satisfying tunings you can put on a 7-string guitar. It takes the whole instrument down a little, drops the lowest string even further, and leaves you with a deep open G at the bottom that you can hammer with one finger. It is a favourite in modern heavy music, but it is just as useful for slow, moody drones. Best of all, most of what you already know on six strings still works.

The Notes and What Changes

From the top string (the thick one nearest your chin) to the bottom string, Drop G reads: G, D, G, C, F, A, D.

Compare that with standard 7-string tuning, which is B, E, A, D, G, B, E:

• String 7 is retuned from B to G, a bigger drop than any other string.
• String 6 goes down a whole step, E to D.
• String 5 goes down a whole step, A to G.
• String 4 goes down a whole step, D to C.
• String 3 goes down a whole step, G to F.
• String 2 goes down a whole step, B to A.
• String 1 goes down a whole step, E to D.

A quick word on terms. A half step is the distance of one fret. A whole step is two frets. So strings 6 through 1 all sound exactly two frets lower than normal. Only string 7 does something different.

Tuning Into Drop G Step by Step

The easiest way is with a tuner. Work from the bottom string up to the top, so the neck settles evenly as the tension comes off.

1. Tune string 1 down from E to D.
2. Tune string 2 down from B to A.
3. Tune string 3 down from G to F.
4. Tune string 4 down from D to C.
5. Tune string 5 down from A to G.
6. Tune string 6 down from E to D.
7. Tune string 7 down from B all the way to G.

Always tune up to the note if you overshoot. Go slightly below the target, then bring it up. Strings hold pitch much better that way.

Then check the strings against each other by ear:

• String 7 at fret 7 should match open string 6 (D). These two are a perfect 5th apart, which is seven frets.
• String 6 at fret 5 should match open string 5 (G). Most neighbouring strings here are a perfect 4th apart, which is five frets.
• String 3 at fret 4 should match open string 2 (A). This pair is a major 3rd apart, four frets, the same little quirk you know from standard tuning.
• Open string 7 and open string 5 are both G, an octave apart. Play them together. They should blend into one big, smooth note with no wobble.

That wobble, by the way, is called beating. If you hear a slow pulsing when two notes should match, one string is slightly off. Nudge it until the pulse disappears.

Why Players Use It

Weight and depth

Lowering everything gives the guitar a darker, thicker voice. Slacker strings also feel slightly looser under your fingers, which makes bends easier and gives low riffs a growl.

One-finger power chords

A power chord is a simple chord built from a root note and the note a 5th above it, often with the root doubled an octave up. Because strings 7, 6 and 5 are G, D and G, strumming those three open strings gives you a full G power chord with no fingers at all. Lay one finger flat across those three strings at any fret and you get a power chord at that fret. Slide that finger around and you have a riff machine.

Open-string drones

A drone is a note that keeps sounding underneath while other things move above it. That low open G is perfect for this. Let it ring, or chug it with palm muting, while you play melodies or chord shapes higher up the neck.

Strumming the Open Strings

Strum all seven open strings and listen. You will not hear a happy major chord or a sad minor one. Instead you get a wide, open, slightly unsettled sound, full of 4ths stacked on top of each other. It hangs in the air as if it is waiting to go somewhere.

That is useful. Ring it out at the start of a song, or let it sustain at the end of a heavy passage. Try strumming just strings 7, 6 and 5, then add the higher strings one at a time and hear how the colour changes.

How Scale and Chord Shapes Shift

Here is the good news. Strings 6 through 1 keep exactly the same relationship to each other as in standard tuning. They are all just a whole step lower. So every chord shape and scale pattern you know on those six strings works with the same fingering. It simply sounds two frets lower, so the note names change.

String 7 is the one to watch. In standard 7-string tuning it sits a perfect 4th (five frets) below string 6. In Drop G it sits a perfect 5th (seven frets) below. That means any note you play on string 7 needs to be two frets higher than it would be in a standard 7-string pattern to land on the same note.

In practice, treat string 7 as its own territory at first. Use it for low roots, drones and power chords, and keep your scale runs on the other six strings until the new layout feels natural.

A First Thing to Try

Put one finger flat across strings 7, 6 and 5. Play the open strings, then fret 3, then fret 5, then back to open. Chug each one with a light palm mute, then let the last open G ring out. Listen for how solid that low G feels compared with the fretted chords.

Once that is comfortable, keep the open G droning and play a simple melody on strings 2 and 1 over the top. Ten relaxed minutes of this and the tuning will start to feel like home.

More on the instrument itself: the 7-String Guitar guide.