Drop a D

to defecate in a big way, usually said with urgency

When a guitarist drops the low E string down to a D, usually implying he's about to look like an ass playing power chords.

This, however, excludes D Standard tuning, where the guitarist will also drop the B string to an A, and the top E string to a D as well.

Guitar tuning where the E string is tuned to D. This allows a guitarist to play power chords with ease and speed. Many people tend to think that drop D tuinng is used simply by beginners, but if that's what you think then you are probably not a very good guitarist yourself. People who play extremely technical guitar often use this tuning simply for being able to have a huge range of what they can play without sacrificing great speed.

On the other end of the spectrum, drop d is used acoustically for a lot of blues music.

The difference of drop D from standard tuning allows for the three bass strings to form a D5 power chord, which can be shifted up or down the fretboard with a single finger (usually the index) to produce any power chord quickly and easily. Drop-D also enables the guitarist to play a step lower than in standard tuning, and many artists value this deeper, fuller sound.

Dropped D tuning is perhaps most widely used in heavy metal or rock music as they take full advantage of the easier power chord transitions needed for extremely fast playing. However, the tuning has also been used in many other types of music, including blues, country, and folk. Most modern metal guitarists use or have used Drop D tuning.

This tuning may be the most prominent tuning in modern rock and metal, but it is not uncommon for these guitarists to play in E-flat tuning/down tuning or dropped C tuning.

Drop D also allows fingerpickers to play chord shapes higher up the neck while maintaining an alternating bass.

An alternate guitar tuning in which the lowest string is tuned down one whole step. Common in most forms of heavy metal. Makes it easier to play a power chord; the guitarist can simply lay one finger across the lowest three strings. Looked down upon for its facility, but powerful in the hands of a skilled guitarist (examples: Killing in the Name by Rage Against the Machine).

Often misspelled 'drop D' due to the assimilation of the d at the end of 'dropped' and the D at the beginning of 'D'.

A guitar tuning in which you tune the low e string to d. Often used as a crutch, but many bands use it well (see Led Zeppelin's "10 Years Gone"). But seriously, you could step on a guitar tuned to drop D and it would sound good.

Achieved by tuning the low E guitar string to a D, in order to make power chords playable with a single bar on the bottom 3 strings (or bottom 2). Drop D is mainly used for playing power chords extremely quickly. If not, then it is used by talentless artists. Bands such as the Beatles and Led Zeppelin have used Drop D tuning in their music. A common misinterpretation is that metal artists use drop D. Usually, drop D is for heavy rock. Metal bands tend to use drop C or B.

Bands who commonly play in:
Drop D: Nickelback, Billy Talent, various hard rock/alternative
Drop Db: Linkin Park, Disturbed, various hard rock/alternative/metal
Drop C: System of a Down, Three Days Grace, various heavy metal
Drop B: Slipknot, various death metal