Alternate Guitar Tunings

Alternate tunings change the pitch of one or more strings so that different chords, open strings and fingering patterns become available. They are why some songs sound impossible to play in standard tuning. Here are the most common, written lowest string to highest.

Drop D

D A D G B E. Lower the low E string a whole step to D. The three lowest strings now make a power chord with a single finger across them, and the low D gives a heavier, deeper sound. It is the easiest alternate tuning to start with because only one string changes. “Everlong” by the Foo Fighters is a well-known example. See also tuning a guitar to get standard tuning right first.

Double drop D

D A D G B D. Both E strings are lowered to D, so the high and low strings are two octaves apart. It suits folk and rock in the keys of D and G.

DADGAD

D A D G A D. The strings form a suspended chord (no third) when played open, which sounds open and modal and neither clearly major nor minor. It is common in Celtic music and fingerstyle playing; Led Zeppelin used it on “Kashmir” and “Black Mountain Side”.

Open G

D G D G B D. Strumming all the open strings sounds a G major chord, and barring one finger across any fret gives you the major chord on that fret. It is a classic for slide guitar and for blues and rock rhythm playing. Keith Richards often plays in open G with the low string removed.

Open D

D A D F♯ A D. Open D is open G tuned a whole step lower (with the same pattern of intervals), so the open strings sound a D major chord. It is a favorite for slide guitar.

Half step down (E♭ tuning)

D♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯. Every string is lowered one semitone. The shapes stay exactly the same, so nothing needs relearning, but everything sounds a half step lower and the strings feel looser, which many players like for bending and for fitting a singer’s range. Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan both played much of their music tuned this way.

Drop C♯

C♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯. This is half-step-down tuning with the low string lowered a further whole step, in the same way that drop D is standard tuning with the low string lowered. Many players call it drop D♭ instead. It is popular in heavy rock and metal because it gives one-finger power chords on a deep low string. Because it is so low, use heavier strings than for standard tuning, particularly on the low string, or the string will flap and lose its pitch.

Drop C, Drop B and Drop A

C G C F A D, B F♯ B E G♯ C♯ and A E A D F♯ B. The same idea as drop D taken lower: the low string sits a whole step under the string above it, and the rest of the strings are lowered together. Drop C is a whole step below drop D, drop B is a step and a half below it and drop A is two steps below it. They are the staple tunings of modern metal and hard rock. Go up in string gauge as you go down, or consider a baritone or seven-string guitar for the lowest ones.

Whole step down and lower

D G C F A D is standard tuning a whole step down; C♯ F♯ B E G♯ C♯ is a step and a half down; C F A♯ D♯ G C is two steps down. As with half step down, the shapes do not change. Nirvana and Black Sabbath played much of their music a step or so down, and it is an easy way to ease the strain on a singer’s voice.

Open E, Open A and Open C

E B E G♯ B E, E A E A C♯ E and C G C G C E. More open-chord tunings. Open E is open D raised a whole step and is common for slide, though it puts the strings under more tension. Open A has the same shape in a lower key. Open C is a deep, resonant tuning used by Led Zeppelin on “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp” and by Joni Mitchell. For a minor open chord, open D minor (D A D F A D) lowers the third by a semitone.

All fourths and New Standard

E A D G C F tunes every string a perfect fourth from the next, which removes the odd major third in standard tuning, so chord and scale shapes are identical on every string pair. Jazz players like it. C G D A E G is Robert Fripp’s “New Standard Tuning”, built on fifths with a high G, which gives a wider range of the neck.

Nashville (high-strung)

E3 A3 D4 G4 B3 E4. The four lower strings are replaced with the thin octave strings from a twelve-string set, giving a bright, chiming sound that is often layered over a standard guitar on recordings. Use light, matching gauges, as the high strings are under a lot of tension.

Seven- and eight-string guitars

Seven-string guitars add a low B (B E A D G B E), and eight-string guitars add a low F♯ below that. Drop A and drop E tunings lower the lowest string a further whole step. Set the number of strings to 7 or 8 in the tuner’s Settings.

The tunings the tuner knows

Pick any of them from the tuning menu in the guitar tuner (with Guitar chosen in the instrument menu), or choose “Custom…” to enter your own notes.

Changing tunings safely

• Move in small steps. When tuning down, loosen strings slowly. When tuning up, go gradually, as tightening a string a whole step or more past its normal pitch risks breaking it.
• Expect instability at first. Strings need time to settle at new tensions. Re-tune several times over the first hour.
• Consider the string gauge. Deep tunings need heavier strings, and higher tunings need lighter ones. See string gauges and tension.
• Check intonation. A big change in tension can shift intonation slightly, especially on electric guitars with adjustable bridges.
• Use a tuner. Because the notes are unfamiliar, tuning by ear against standard-tuning muscle memory is unreliable. The tuner shows the exact target for every string.

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