Drop D tuner
The same microphone tuner as the main guitar tuner, defaulted to Drop D (D A D G B E) so the low string highlight lands on D2 the moment you start. Click start, allow microphone access, and pluck one string at a time.
What is Drop D tuning?
Drop D takes Standard tuning — E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4, low string to high — and drops only the lowest string one whole step, from E2 to D2. Every other string is identical to Standard. The name comes from that single string "dropping" a step; nothing else changes.
| String | Standard | Drop D | Frequency (Drop D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (lowest) | E2 | D2 | 73.42 Hz |
| 5 | A2 | A2 | 110.00 Hz |
| 4 | D3 | D3 | 146.83 Hz |
| 3 | G3 | G3 | 196.00 Hz |
| 2 | B3 | B3 | 246.94 Hz |
| 1 (highest) | E4 | E4 | 329.63 Hz |
How to tune to Drop D
- 1.Start from Standard tuning, or tune the other five strings to Standard first if starting from scratch.
- 2.Click Start above, pluck only the low (thickest) string, and watch the needle and note name.
- 3.Loosen that string gradually — the note name will step down from E through D# toward D as you go.
- 4.Stop loosening once the readout shows D2 and the needle sits in the centre "in tune" zone.
- 5.Re-check the string after playing for a minute; a string that just moved a whole step often settles slightly and needs a small final adjustment.
Frequently asked questions
What notes is Drop D tuning?
Low to high: D2, A2, D3, G3, B3, E4. That is Standard tuning (E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4) with only the sixth (lowest) string dropped one whole step, from E2 down to D2 — the other five strings are unchanged.
How do I tune from Standard to Drop D?
Only the low E string needs to move. Loosen it while plucking and watching the needle until it reads D2 (about 73.4Hz) instead of E2 — roughly two full turns of most tuning pegs, though this varies by machine head. The other five strings stay exactly where they are in Standard tuning.
What is Drop D tuning used for?
It lets one finger lay flat across the bottom three strings (D2, A2, D3) to fret a full power chord, which is why it is common in rock and metal riffing. It is also used in some folk and singer-songwriter playing for the deeper open low string and the open D-A-D drone it enables.
Does tuning down to Drop D affect string tension or the neck?
Loosening one string very slightly reduces overall tension on the neck, which is not enough on its own to require a truss-rod adjustment for occasional use. Guitarists who leave an instrument in Drop D permanently sometimes use a marginally heavier low string to keep tension and feel closer to Standard, but this is a matter of preference, not a requirement.
Can I use this tuner for Drop C or other drop tunings?
There is no dedicated Drop C (or other drop-tuning) preset on this page — the presets available are Standard, Drop D, Half-step down, Open G and DADGAD. The pitch detector itself still reports an accurate frequency and nearest note for any string regardless of preset, so you can tune to a different target by ear against that reading; it just will not be labelled or highlighted for you automatically.