Drop D Tuner
← All toolsDrop D changes exactly one string. The sixth falls from E2 82.41 Hz to D2 73.42 Hz, a whole tone, while the other five stay put at A2 110.00 Hz, D3 146.83 Hz, G3 196.00 Hz, B3 246.94 Hz and E4 329.63 Hz. Tap the sixth string in the chart to hear the target and match it by ear, or allow the microphone and watch the note fall through E♭ on its way down to D.
Microphone audio is processed entirely in your browser and never uploaded.
Guitar — Drop D (DADGBE)
| String | Note | Frequency | Reference tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th | D2 | 73.42 Hz | |
| 5th | A2 | 110.00 Hz | |
| 4th | D3 | 146.83 Hz | |
| 3rd | G3 | 196.00 Hz | |
| 2nd | B3 | 246.94 Hz | |
| 1st | E4 | 329.63 Hz |
Tap Tone to hear a string and tune to it by ear — no microphone needed. Auto is on, so the needle below follows whichever string you are nearest.
Live pitch — microphone
Microphone audio is processed on-device and never leaves your browser — and the chart and reference tones above never need it at all.
How to use the Drop D Tuner
- Tune the guitar to standard first if it is not already there, since the other five strings are unchanged.
- Tap D2 73.42 Hz in the chart and slacken the sixth string to it, arriving from below so the winding stays tight at the post.
- Check the octave: the open sixth string should sit exactly one octave below the open fourth string at D3 146.83 Hz, with no beating between the two.
- Run through the other five strings again, because they will have crept slightly sharp now that the neck is carrying less total tension.
One finger, one power chord
In standard tuning the bottom three strings sound E, A and D, which is not a shape you can barre into anything useful. Drop the sixth to D2 73.42 Hz and the gap from the sixth string to the fifth becomes a perfect fifth instead of a fourth, so the sixth, fifth and fourth strings at one fret give root, fifth and octave — a whole power chord under one finger.
Everything else follows from that. Riffs move quickly because the shape slides without refingering. The open sixth becomes a usable pedal, so hammering between the open D2 and a fretted shape above it produces the drone most drop D writing is built on.
Chords rooted on the fifth string and above are untouched, so most of your vocabulary survives intact. Only shapes that used the low E need rethinking, and E shape barre chords in particular now want the sixth string fretted two frets higher than before.
Getting there, and getting back, accurately
The reliable way in is to tune the sixth string against the fourth rather than against a display alone. A slack low string has a weak fundamental, so if you are watching the readout, let the note ring and give it a moment instead of judging the first flicker.
Two ear checks are worth knowing. Open sixth against open fourth: D2 73.42 Hz and D3 146.83 Hz are an exact octave, so the pair should sound as one note, and any pulsing is your error. Seventh fret of the sixth string against the open fifth: in drop D both are A2 110.00 Hz, and a unison is much easier to judge than an octave because the two tones share every harmonic.
Going back to standard, raise the string to E2 82.41 Hz from below, then check the other five, which will have drifted flat as the neck takes the tension again.
Drop D against standard tuning
One string moves and five do not. The 6th drops a whole tone from E2 to D2 — 82.41 Hz down to 73.42 Hz — and everything above it stays exactly where it was, which is why drop D is the cheapest alternate tuning there is to get into and out of.
| Tuning | Strings, low to high | Frequency (Hz, A4 = 440) |
|---|---|---|
| Guitar — Standard (EADGBE) | E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4 | 82.41 110.00 146.83 196.00 246.94 329.63 |
| Guitar — Drop D (DADGBE) | D2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4 | 73.42 110.00 146.83 196.00 246.94 329.63 |
FAQ
- How far is the sixth string moving?
- Two semitones, a whole tone, from E2 82.41 Hz down to D2 73.42 Hz. In frequency that is a drop of nearly 9 Hz, but the useful test is the octave: D3 146.83 Hz on the open fourth string is double D2, so the two strings sounded together should give one clean pitch. A slow pulse means you are close but not there yet, and the pulse rate is roughly how many Hz out you are at the upper octave.
- Why do the other strings go sharp?
- The neck carries the combined pull of six strings, which runs to many tens of kilograms, and it flexes under that load. Take a whole tone off the sixth string and the total drops, the neck straightens a fraction, and the remaining five come up slightly sharp in response. The shift is usually only a couple of cents, but it is real, and it is why you check all six after dropping rather than assuming five were left alone.
- What actually gets easier in drop D?
- Power chords on the bottom three strings collapse into a single barre. With the sixth string down a tone, root, fifth and octave line up on one fret, so one finger plays the shape and it slides without refingering. You also gain a low D2 73.42 Hz as an open pedal note, which is why so much riff writing in D and D minor lives here rather than in standard tuning.
- Does the sixth string buzz once it is slack?
- It can. Lower tension means a wider vibration arc for the same picking force, so a string that cleared the frets in standard may rattle against them in drop D, particularly with low action or a light gauge. Pick a little softer, or move to a set with a heavier sixth. Nothing on the guitar needs adjusting for one string down a tone, but a setup that suited standard is now slightly generous.
