How to Tune a Guitar to Drop D (and Back to Standard)
· 3 min read
Drop D is the easiest alternate tuning on guitar: you change one string and get a deeper low end plus one-finger power chords. It's everywhere in rock and metal, and it sounds great in acoustic fingerstyle too.
What Drop D is
In standard tuning the strings are E–A–D–G–B–E, from the thickest (6th) to the thinnest (1st). In Drop D you lower only the 6th string by a whole step (two semitones), from E to D. Everything else stays the same.
| String | Standard | Drop D | Frequency in Drop D |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th (thickest) | E2 | D2 | 73.42 Hz |
| 5th | A2 | A2 | 110.00 Hz |
| 4th | D3 | D3 | 146.83 Hz |
| 3rd | G3 | G3 | 196.00 Hz |
| 2nd | B3 | B3 | 246.94 Hz |
| 1st (thinnest) | E4 | E4 | 329.63 Hz |
Frequencies assume the usual reference pitch A4 = 440 Hz.
Tune to Drop D with a tuner
- Make sure the other five strings are in standard tuning first.
- Pluck the open 6th string and loosen it slowly until the tuner shows D (D2, about 73.4 Hz).
- If you went too low, come back up to D. Tuning up to a note keeps the string from slipping flat.
- Play the open 6th, 5th and 4th strings together — D, A, D should ring as a clean, deep power chord.
- Check the 6th string once more: other strings shift slightly when tension changes.
A chromatic tuner works for this, but watch the note name — when you loosen a string you pass through D♯ before you reach D.
Tune to Drop D by ear
You only need the 4th string (D) to be in tune.
- Octave method: play the open 4th string (D3), then the open 6th string. Lower the 6th until it sounds like the same note an octave below and the "wobble" between them disappears.
- Harmonic method: touch the 6th string lightly right above the 12th fret and pluck to get a harmonic. It should match the open 4th string exactly. Harmonics ring longer, which makes small differences easier to hear.
- 7th-fret check: fretted at the 7th fret, the 6th string plays A2 — the same note as the open 5th string.
Back to standard tuning
Raise the 6th string by a whole step until the tuner shows E (E2, 82.41 Hz). By ear: the 6th string at the 5th fret should match the open 5th string (A).
Tips
- Lowering a string reduces its tension, so a light gauge 6th string may buzz. A slightly heavier set or a small action adjustment helps if you play in Drop D a lot.
- New strings keep stretching. Retune a few times during the first sessions.
- Floating-tremolo guitars rebalance when one string changes: retune all strings a couple of times.
Doing it faster with AI Guitar Tuner
AI Guitar Tuner for iPhone listens to three open strings and recognizes both the instrument and the tuning — including Drop D. After that you just pluck any open string: the tuner follows it and shows whether to tighten or loosen. Standard tuning is always free; Drop D, Half Step Down and Open G unlock for 24 hours after one short, voluntary video. Audio is analyzed on the device and never recorded or uploaded.