Online whole-step-down guitar tuner

Guitar string notes, whole step down

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 whole step down

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 and why it's used

• Heavy rock and metal: many bands use it for its lower, darker sound.
• Blues: with less tension, bends take less effort.
• 12-string guitars: dropping a whole step reduces the load all twelve strings put on the neck and bridge.
• Singers: it brings songs down into a lower register without changing the fingerings.

Songs that use it

The intro to Nirvana's “Come as You Are” is played in this tuning, and it was the band's favorite around the time of their first album. Metallica's “Sad but True” is also in D standard.

Strings and tension

A string's tension depends on the square of its frequency, so dropping a whole step takes about 20% of the tension off each string. If the notes feel slack or the strings buzz against the frets, manufacturers usually recommend a heavier set for these tunings, for example .011–.056 on electric guitar.

Handy trick: with a capo at the 2nd fret, a guitar tuned a whole step down sounds at standard-tuning pitch again.

How to tune your guitar a whole step down 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 a whole step down

• Lower all six strings in order, from the 6th to the 1st, then go around a second time: as you loosen some, the others go up a little.
• Check the strings against each other just as in standard tuning: 5th fret against the next string, except the 3rd, which you compare at the 4th fret.
• If the guitar stays in this tuning for weeks, have the neck relief and string height checked.
• To go back to standard tuning, use the guitar tuner.

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