Online guitar Drop C tuner

Guitar string notes in Drop C

Frequencies are calculated with the reference A at 440 Hz. If your group tunes to a different reference, such as 442 Hz, adjust it with the − and + buttons next to “A = 440 Hz” and the tuner shifts every note.

How to go from standard tuning to Drop C

All six strings change. All the strings that change go down, so the guitar ends up with less tension than in standard tuning. If you overshoot, drop below the note and tune back up to it: that way the string stays firmly set at the tuning peg. To go back to normal tuning, use the standard guitar tuner.

When to use it

It keeps Drop D's big advantage, one-finger power chords on the three low strings, but a whole step lower, with a heavier, darker sound. That's why it's so common in alternative rock and metal.

Most of System of a Down's “Toxicity” is in Drop C, and Metallica recorded almost all of “St. Anger” in this tuning. Nirvana stumbled onto it by accident during a recording session: of those songs, they kept only “Blew.”

Strings, tension and setup

Tuning this low takes a lot of tension off the guitar: about 20% on the first five strings and more than a third on the 6th. With a light set, the strings go slack, buzz, and drift out of tune when you play hard. String makers usually recommend sets from .011–.056 to .012–.060 for Drop C, and sometimes a full setup: neck, action and intonation.

Drop C and C standard are not the same

How to tune your guitar to Drop C with this tuner

1. Tap Enable microphone and accept the browser's permission request. The sound is analyzed on your device: it isn't recorded or sent anywhere.
2. Leave the tuner on Auto so it recognizes which string you're playing, or tap a note to lock it (tap it again to go back to Auto).
3. Play a single open string with medium force and let it ring.
4. If the needle is to the left, the note is flat: tune up. If it's to the right, tune down. Anywhere between −5 and +5 cents counts as in tune.
5. Once a string stays in tune for a moment, its button gets a green check mark. Keep going until every string has one.
6. Use the speaker icon under each note to hear the reference and train your ear.
7. Go over every string again at the end: the tension of some strings shifts the others slightly.

Tips for tuning your guitar to Drop C

• First lower the other five strings a whole step and leave the 6th for last: it's the one that shifts most when the tension of the others changes.
• Check the 6th string with its 12th-fret harmonic: it should match the open 4th string (C).
• If the guitar buzzes after you tune it down, don't raise the action blindly: see a tech or switch to a heavier gauge.
• Tune with the guitar in playing position: with strings this slack, a little pressure on the neck changes the note.

Common tuning problems

• The needle jumps between notes: play a single string, a little more softly, and wait for the sound to settle. The first instant of every note always sounds slightly sharp.
• It doesn't pick up the low strings: phone microphones struggle with low frequencies. Hold your phone closer to the instrument or play the harmonic at the middle of the string (12th fret): the tuner recognizes it as the same string and tells you it sounds an octave higher.
• The open strings are in tune, but what you play sounds off: check that no string is in the wrong octave and that your strings aren't old. If it still sounds wrong, ask your teacher or a luthier to check the instrument's intonation.
• It goes out of tune right away: new strings keep stretching for several days, and changes in temperature and humidity shift the tuning. Tune in the same place where you're going to play.
• The browser doesn't ask for the microphone: check the site permissions in your browser settings and make sure no other app is using the microphone.

Frequently asked questions