Guitar Tuning Reference

This reference lists the note names and exact frequencies for the most common guitar tunings: standard (EADGBE), drop D, half-step down, DADGAD and open G. For each tuning it shows every string from the low 6th to the high 1st, with an adjustable A4 reference — handy for tuning by ear, by a separate tuner, or for understanding how alternate tunings differ.

Why alternate tunings exist and what each achieves

Standard EADGBE tuning is a compromise: it makes all common keys playable but optimises none of them. Alternate tunings reroute that compromise to serve a specific sound or playing style.

Drop D lowers only the sixth string from E2 to D2. The payoff is immediate: a power chord on strings 6-5-4 now needs only one finger (a barre across all three at the same fret), which is why drop D is dominant in rock and metal. The remaining five strings are untouched, so all standard chord shapes still apply.

Half-step down (E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭) lowers every string one semitone. String tension drops slightly, making bends easier and the tone slightly warmer — reasons cited by players from Jimi Hendrix to Stevie Ray Vaughan. To play along with a recording in half-step down, use a capo on the first fret of a standard-tuned guitar.

DADGAD (D A D G A D) is an open Dsus4 tuning. The open strings ring together as a suspended chord with no third, giving it a modal quality well-suited to Celtic, Middle Eastern, and acoustic fingerstyle music. Pierre Bensusan and Jimmy Page both used DADGAD for well-known pieces.

Open G (D G D G B D) produces a G major chord when strummed open. Slide players favour it because the I chord (G), IV chord (C), and V chord (D) are all accessible as barres or single-fret slides. Keith Richards famously removed the low E string and tuned the remaining five to open G for a five-string setup.

How it works

Each string is defined by a musical note (a MIDI note number), and its frequency is derived using 12-tone equal temperament from your chosen A4 reference:

frequency = A4 × 2^((MIDI − 69) / 12)

A4 (MIDI 69) defaults to 440 Hz concert pitch, but you can change it — set 432 Hz or 442 Hz and every string rescales proportionally. Because each semitone is a factor of the twelfth root of 2, dropping a string by one semitone multiplies its frequency by approximately 0.9439.

String frequencies at a glance

Standard tuning EADGBE at A4 = 440 Hz, low to high:

Switching to drop D changes only the 6th string from E2 (82.41 Hz) to D2 (approximately 73.42 Hz); the other five strings are unchanged. All frequencies are computed entirely in your browser — adjust the A4 reference and the table updates instantly.