Online guitar Drop D tuner

Guitar string notes in Drop D

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 D

Only one string changes. 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.

Why it's the most popular alternate tuning

• One-finger power chords: the 6th, 5th and 4th strings form a power chord; just lay one finger across all three at any fret.
• A lower bass note without retuning everything: you gain a low D and the rest of the guitar stays the same.
• Keys of D: in D major or D minor, the open 6th string serves as a pedal bass.

It isn't a rock invention. Lutenists and classical guitarists were already using it, John Dowland among them, and today it's the most common alternate tuning on classical guitar. In the mid-eighties, bands like King's X, Melvins and Soundgarden turned it into a hallmark of heavy rock.

Songs in Drop D

The Beatles' “Dear Prudence” is in Drop D. Tom Morello wrote the riff for Rage Against the Machine's “Killing in the Name” while teaching this tuning to a student, and Soundgarden's “Outshined” is another classic example.

How to check it by ear

• The 12th-fret harmonic on the 6th string (D3) should match the open 4th string.
• The 6th string fretted at the 7th fret should match the open 5th (A).
• To get back to standard tuning, raise the 6th until its 5th fret matches the open 5th string.

How to tune your guitar to Drop D 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 D

• Lower the 6th string slightly past D and bring it up slowly to the center: that way it won't go out of tune as you play.
• A regular set (.010–.046) works fine; if the 6th feels floppy, try a heavier low string.
• When you lower the 6th, the other five go up slightly: recheck them at the end.
• If you switch between standard and Drop D in the middle of a song, practice the change with the tuner until you can do it by ear.

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