Alternate Guitar Tunings
Alternate tunings change one or more guitar strings away from standard E A D G B E. Drop D lowers the 6th string to D, DADGAD gives an open, droning sound, and Open G makes the open strings ring as a G major chord. Pick a tuning below and tune with your microphone.
Alternate tuning tuner
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Press Start tuner, then play one string
String (Auto finds it for you)
Reference pitch: A4 = 440 Hz
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Reference tones (tune by ear)
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Press a string to hear its note. Press it again to stop. No microphone needed.
Tunings compared
| Tuning | String 6 | String 5 | String 4 | String 3 | String 2 | String 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | E2 82.41 Hz | A2 110.00 Hz | D3 146.83 Hz | G3 196.00 Hz | B3 246.94 Hz | E4 329.63 Hz |
| Drop D | D2 73.42 Hz | A2 110.00 Hz | D3 146.83 Hz | G3 196.00 Hz | B3 246.94 Hz | E4 329.63 Hz |
| Half step down | Eb2 77.78 Hz | Ab2 103.83 Hz | Db3 138.59 Hz | Gb3 185.00 Hz | Bb3 233.08 Hz | Eb4 311.13 Hz |
| DADGAD | D2 73.42 Hz | A2 110.00 Hz | D3 146.83 Hz | G3 196.00 Hz | A3 220.00 Hz | D4 293.66 Hz |
| Open G | D2 73.42 Hz | G2 98.00 Hz | D3 146.83 Hz | G3 196.00 Hz | B3 246.94 Hz | D4 293.66 Hz |
| Open D | D2 73.42 Hz | A2 110.00 Hz | D3 146.83 Hz | F#3 185.00 Hz | A3 220.00 Hz | D4 293.66 Hz |
Drop D (D A D G B E)
Only the 6th string goes down a whole step to D. Gives a deeper low end and power chords with one finger.
Half step down (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb)
Every string one semitone lower. Same chord shapes, slightly lower and looser sound.
DADGAD (D A D G A D)
Strings 6, 1 and 2 go down a whole step. Open, ringing sound often used in Celtic and folk music.
Open G (D G D G B D)
Strings 6, 5 and 1 go down a whole step. The open strings form a G major chord, common for slide and blues.
Open D (D A D F# A D)
Open strings form a D major chord. Strings 6, 2 and 1 go down a whole step and string 3 a half step.
How to change tuning safely
Tune to standard first. Then change only the strings that differ, going down rather than up where you can. After switching, play for a minute and check again: the neck and strings take a little time to settle at the new tension.
Questions and answers
How do I tune to Drop D?
Tune to standard first, then lower only the 6th string from E to D, a whole step down. The other five strings stay as they are. A quick check: the low D should sound one octave below the open 4th string.
Is changing tuning bad for my guitar?
Changing between common tunings such as Drop D, DADGAD or Open G is normal and does not harm a guitar. Large or frequent changes can make the strings go out of tune for a while as they settle, so check the tuning again after a few minutes.
What is half step down tuning?
Every string is lowered by one semitone: Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb. Chord shapes stay the same, but everything sounds a half step lower, and the lower string tension feels slightly looser.
Last updated October 20, 2026.