3 Things to Know About DADGAD Tuning and "Kashmir"

DADGAD is a drop-D variant with the two middle strings tuned down a whole step each, creating a droning, open chord that rings across the fretboard.

Jimmy Page used DADGAD to play the main “Kashmir” riff with just one finger sliding between two positions, while the open strings kept ringing, giving the song a hypnotic, Eastern-quality sound that feels both moving and still.

You cannot replicate that sound in standard tuning without extensive bending, muting, or refingering. DADGAD does the work for you, producing an ambiguous, modal tone with a constant low D pedal note underneath everything.