Tuning Your Guitar II

If you haven't considered reading the FAQ on tuning, take a look at this. Some key points that I remebered: åvery 2 frets is 'Step'. 1 fret is a 'Half-step'.

Standard tuning:
e|-----|-----|-----|-----|---0-|
B|-----|-----|-----|---0-|-5---|
G|-----|-----|---0-|-4---|-----|
D|-----|---0-|-5---|-----|-----|
A|---0-|-5---|-----|-----|-----|
E|-5---|-----|-----|-----|-----|

For example, the two bottom strings (E and A) should sound the same, then so should A and D.

Drop-D tuning:
e|-----|
B|-----|
G|-----|
D|-----|
A|---0-|
E|-7---|

Play this then, detune the bottom string till they both sound the same. You do not need the rest of the strings for this.

A Step Down tuning (D G C F A D):
e|-----|-----|-----|-----|---0-|
B|-----|-----|-----|---0-|-5---|
G|-----|-----|---0-|-4---|-----|
D|-----|---0-|-5---|-----|-----|
A|---0-|-5---|-----|-----|-----|
E|-3---|-----|-----|-----|-----|

Play the 3rd fret of the bottom string and detune the string above it to make them sound the same. This would make the A string go down a step. Like the standard tuning, you can now tune the rest of the strings but you are detuning the one above the fretted string. The bottom string is now higher than it should normally be. So, detune the bottom string, as if you're tuning normally. You would now be looking at you're strings like this:

d
A
F
C
G
D

Drop-C tuning is just the same as the Drop-D technique. Good examples of this tuning is used in the album Toxicity by System Of A Down.

Harmonic tuning:
e|-----|-----|-----|-----|---0-|
B|-----|-----|-----|---0-|-----|
G|-----|-----|---7-|-----|-----|
D|-----|---7-|-5---|-----|-----|
A|---7-|-5---|-----|-----|-7---|
E|-5---|-----|-----|-7---|-----|

I see a small bar dividing the fretboard into spaces where you should place your finger. Place your finger on the string (lightly touching, not pressing down onto the board) just about where that bar is. The '0' indicates open string, does not need to be fretted.

Comments

[blackmetal_jr]

cool

[Ghost_bass]

i really needed this thanks alot

[bernskiastig]

this is great...

[moreloman]

thanks this really helps

[Profesorhawk]

cool!

[lilyaz]

thx a lot

[carlsbad]

thx but i need help on how to do system of a downs tunning with the "c's can someone explain it to me like this guy explained in this article

[ctb]

When you've got to D G C F A D... it's bassically the same as normal tuning, just drop the lowest string down 2 frets. You'll be now looking at a tab like this...

d
A
F
C
G
C

[Blurry 505]

i recommend harmonic tuning to you beginners
good ear training and your guitar will be tuned much better

[biznang]

thanx man

[younggunforlife]

good stuff man

[insanity101]

IT HELPED A LOT. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, AND ROCK ON

[trashmaniac]

hey...i was thinking to submit a tuning lesson for beginner, but he drive over me....well, i got to find another lesson to submit. Anyway, nice lesson dude....i think it's very helpful for the beginners

[Revan]

hey look, a 5 dollar tuner....

[Cool Blink]

Cool!!! it really gonna help me

[irock55]

good looking out lol

[Sun King]

thanks man! thats aweosme.. my friend taught me that once and i forgot, and i was trying to find out what fret it is again. thanks anwyasy

[bullet theory]

I have a tuner on pedel but i can use this for my acoustic thanks

[Whitelion915]

I have needed this for so long! Before I was just tuning my guitar so that it wouldn't sound like a dying cat since it's acoustic, but this works way better!

[metallica6285]

OH YEAH, thanx a lot man, i needed that!!

[shaneO]

it really helped me actually thanks very much

[zzangleeya]

well i have a tuner, thing is, i could only tuning standard. T.T How could i turn like dropD, AND c stuff with my tuner. well i have flat button on my tuner and, if i push once b apears and twice bb bbb and go on. can anyone help me with it(my tuner is KORG AND MODEL GA-39)

[monkeysims]

how do u tune down half step to Eb

[monkeysims]

zzangleeya:
well i have a tuner, thing is, i could only tuning standard. T.T How could i turn like dropD, AND c stuff with my tuner. well i have flat button on my tuner and, if i push once b apears and twice bb bbb and go on. can anyone help me with it(my tuner is KORG AND MODEL GA-39)

b=1/2 step
bb=1 step
bbb=1 1/2 steps
To drop to C tune your top string to D by tuning your top string to the 12th fret on the top string. Then tune down one whole step.

spam deleted

[stratman1030]

spam deleted

[stratman1030]

spam deleted

[Godsavethemusik]

Very Righteous!!

[Arucard98]

Thanks man!

[mEtAlORc]

monkeysims:


b=1/2 step
bb=1 step
bbb=1 1/2 steps
To drop to C tune your top string to D by tuning your top string to the 12th fret on the top string. Then tune down one whole step.

what is bbb (1 1/2 steps) called?

i.e b is a half-step, bb is a whole step, bbb=___..

[almostfallen103]

dont know

[Davor]

THANK YOU CTB FOR PIMPIN' MY GUITAR

[Zeruku]

A very easy guide for beginners

[tribal shadow]

i dnt understand...

[lonesome mike]

i strongly suggest you make drop c tuning more clear

[lonesome mike]

i strongly suggest you make drop c tuning a lot clearer

[emf=yourdeath]

I need help to tune my guitar in the form B Gb B E Ab Db please.

[MetaPlayer22]

Im sorry to be difficult but i still dont get how to DRop C could you explain it clearer for a noob like me?

[Pakman450]

loved it

[King_Of_Hearts]

thanks it makes it all clear as well.... it is just clear. thanks again.

[King_Of_Hearts]

[b]King_Of_Hearts[
/b] wrote:

thanks it makes it all clear as... well.... it is just clear. thanks again.

[daryle_goh]

how do you tune to Eb?

[ChildOfBodom666]

You go buy an expensive tuner, and have it do it for you But I guess doing it by ear would be mo betta

[~A7x~]

yeah I still cant quite figuire out drop C someone please write an in detail instructions on drop C pleaseeee

[duffmansweenie]

anyone ever heard of guitar pro? Download it from anywhere and you can tune to anything...if you're lazy like me and are pretty much tone deaf.

[kristoff47]

anyone tell me what the notes are (i.e. egbdag) if i tune to drop A?

[connorguitarboy]

yep good helpful cheers

[mint_car]

helpfull

[mint_car]

i have guitar pro how can i tune my guitar after that?

[jubei_masta]

thx i needed to know how to get a drop c thx alot

[ST. DIZZY!]

Shot man this really helped me alot!!!

[vivi62]

Thanks I really needed this too

[->-Petrucci-<-]

i am desperating!!! i don´t understand the drop C tuning, because i´m german and don´t understand everyt word in english.....

[dobby240]

NIIICE just what i'm looking for thanx man lotta elp *just sittin ere head bangin to fu manchu, powerman 5000 and qeens of the stone age* lol

[Zebrahead_SICK]

does drop c mean the first fret on the sixth string sounds the same as open 5th?

[cross101]

bullshit

[jrmarcellana]

pa burn mo yan

[jrmarcellana]

excuse me how to tune a guitar?? i know just put salt

[rrb6699]

so like you pick up a guitar, have no tuner, and all the strings are out of tune. how do you tune it? you need to "know" at least one note by ear. how can you do that? by doing an A chord until it sounds right? a tuner is the only true way or not.

[ToxicSoup]

THANK YOU I WAS HOPING TO TUNE DOWN TO TOXICITY AND YOU WERE JUST THE RIGHT PERSON TO COME TO RATING OF 10 FOR YOU!

[rock$tar88]

really cool....thanx a ton!!!!

[darklegendz]

kool kool

[TheUnforgivenii]

I'm just starting and think that I will still buy a tuner and use that until it either gets thrown and broken or i get used to the sounds. but ill be back when that time comes. Maybe before as a refresher this seems like something to remember as soon as possible. Oh sorry Yankeedoodles...ASAP.I believe the phrase is lol.

[ultimaterocker6]

I really wanted to know how to tune drop-d and drop-c because System of a Down are one of my favourite bands. Thnks alot mate

[ultimaterocker6]

System of a Down rock

[xlukex]

I seriously needeed to know how to do drop c tuning. cheers. system kick ass.

[buddy88]

how do I tune it so the B string is H ? I wish to play Lordi night of the loving dead and it is tuned: DADGHE

[ineedhelp]

umm sorry to sound like such a dork but i just got my guitar today and i dunno what half of that means so couls someone udmb this WAY down for me


i know what it is supposed to sound like because i know how to play wake me up when september ends on my friends guitar and we have the exact same one but i can't tune mine to get it to sound the least bit decent

[Woofamania]

ermmm... buddy88? H doesnt exist lol. Sweet lesson tho.

[next_to_none]

thx alot it's usefull.iwas paying to get my guitar tuned but now i'll do it myself..again thanks alot

[MrBillD]

I am kind of confused, because you say drop D and show 7th fret E and 0 A, but then you go to 3rd fret E and 0 A. Please explain, because I want to learn epiphany and it is in drop D.

[brycha18]

do you need a diffrent neck, i have a 21 fret guitar, do i have to modify the neck so i can tune it to drop c and d, without risk of hurting the guitar

[rockstarbowker]

How do u tune a Half-step Down?

[lilcoffman81]

im getting confused on the drop d because some say the 12th fret you say the 7th and ive seen a couple of others or is 12th and 7th the same

[Stratocaster88]

just to make sure...to tune to Db(drop D tuned half a step down) would i tune my guitar half a step down and then tune to drop D? i was also wondering if this was half a step down? e|-----|-----|-----|-----
|---0-|
B|-----|-----|-----|---0-
|-5---|
G|-----|-----|---0-|-3---
|-----|
D|-----|---0-|-5---|-----
|-----|
A|---0-|-5---|-----|-----
|-----|
E|-4---|-----|-----|-----
|-----|

[Stratocaster88]

sory i made a mistake writing that...

[Mr.Glue]

DOES ANY ONE KNOW TUNING??? I know that standard on a bass tuner iz no flats (E,A,D,G) and five flats are low B (B,E,A,D) and I know that two flats are (D,-,-,-,) or somthin but what are 1,3,and4 flats called PLEEZ SOMEONE TELL ME!!!If u can THNX!!!

[gc_rox_theworld]

ty man this rly helps all my fav bands use drop d so ty man

[KateGordon]

can somebody teach me how to read tabs.

i would appreciate it a extreme much.


contact me pleassssse

[andr3i_27]

whats the use for the harmonic tuning? and why is it tuned in that way? is standard tuning and harmonic tuning different?

[guitardude013]

how do you do drop C tuninig?

[pittpenguins]

thanks i couldnt figure out how to drop c.....now i can!

[joshuablume2006]

a friend taught me this.
C#,F#,B E,G#,C#
I just drop my top string down to B. You can now do fifths with one finger.

[supernaturaluva]

wow...this realy comes in handy!!! =)

[guitarguy102934]

drop b tuning?????

[xlukex]

please can someone pm me on how to tune to drop d...PLEASE!!!

[Kim-Petersen]

Hehe B and H are the same but some scandinavian use H but dont ask why. Dropping guitar tuning a half step is 5 frets diffrences you can also use the 5 rule in tabs example

Youth of the Nation.

Normarly
D-----
A-----8---8---
C-0-0-0-3---3-----

Calculated a string down
D-----3---3---3-----
A-----
C-0-0-0-3---3---3-----

this rule just only work if your guitar is tuned as you might can see there are 5 frets and a string for diffrence that is a half tone i was taught.

[Kim-Petersen]

something went wrong in that comment/\

[system_chick182]

i need to know how to get D# C# G# F# A# D# for a jimi hendrix song i want to learn ...many thanx

[runesymboldeath]

hmm drop c could have been explained more for retards like me i like the drop d part but get sorta lost after that.

[chicholoma]

hey man. thank u a lot.. but i still have troubles for tuning in drop d.. i dont know what to do after tuning E and A.. can you complete that tune tab??

[DarkXoa]

thanks... it took me forever to get this right but after looking at this article its much easier!!!1!

[DarkXoa]

Thanks, it took me forever to figure out how to tune my guitar but after seeing this page its a lot simpler!!!1!

[pootie41]

thnx a lot man! it helps me a lot!

[HellzoneX]

This is really good dude. It should help me 'till I get a tuner. Maybe I'll get used to it and not need a tuner. XD Awesome job.

[Psylas]

Awesome write up, helped me greatly.

[chris_1920]

how do i tune drop c i'm confused?

[badface69]

thank you! i have been wanting to learn how to tune drop c for a while, now i can play so many more songs

[yobobwhatsup]

ok i sill dont quite understand can somebody explain better please

[celine.comia]

i really don't understand this at all

[chaddyo86]

I'm a noob, and usually use a Boss TU-2 in chromatic mode to tune. I was trying to tune for a song that was listed as Bb, F, Bb, Eb, G, C. My tuner shows sharps, not flats. After tuning string 1 (high E) to C, then going with relative tuning to my low E, I was able to determine that Bb=A# on my pedal, and Eb=D#. It would be nice to see if there is a chart for flat/sharp conversions so that we rookies using chromatic pedals could get our axes is tune.

[xX Royal Xx]

Thanks so much for this =0

[guitarmaster 67]

what do u mean when u say that drop c is the same as drop d?

[Gilles15]

I am looking for open A tuning (Robert Johnson

[terere]

that really helped me. Thanks!

[zaccscott]

Ahhhhh! I can't figure out how to get my guitar in drop C. Will someone PLEASE help me? I am not a noob, but I've already broke three strings trying this.

[wasted-years]

i tried this with a set of 10s on a lp standerd epiphone and my guitar will not stay in tune do i go up to 11s or something else thanks

[rockeralpha]

i thought it was helpful, but a little slow

[Frenzy121]

this is really helpfull, but how do u tune it to dropped c?

[afi fan777]

how do you tune your guitar for a Half-step down?

[afi fan777]

for Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, eb.

[ihuy]

i still dont get it

[ihuy]

i still dont under stand

[ihuy]

ihuy wrote:

i still dont under stand

srry my first didnt show up when i looked

[killa9512]

Standerd C tuning please?