DADGAD Tuning
DADGAD tuning is D – A – D – G – A – D, from the 6th string to the 1st. Three strings change from standard: the 6th, 2nd and 1st each go down a whole step. The open strings make a Dsus4 chord.
Your browser will ask to use the microphone. Choose Allow.
✓ All strings in tune
Tap a string to hear it and tune only that string. Audio is analysed on this device and never uploaded. How it works →
- What it does
- Preset to DADGAD: hears each string, shows which one and how far to turn it
- What it does not do
- Record or upload audio · detect chords
- Reference pitch
- A4 = 440 Hz, adjustable 415–466 Hz
- Tested with
- 58 studio recordings of 11 instruments (right note on about 95% of frames at normal volume) and test tones from B0 to C6
- Made by
- The Appcellent team
- Updated
- November 2026
Tuner not hearing you?
- Allow the microphone. If you blocked it: in Chrome or Edge, click the icon left of the address bar → Microphone → Allow, then reload. In Safari on iPhone, tap aA → Website Settings → Microphone → Allow. In Firefox, click the crossed-out microphone in the address bar. On a Mac, also check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone for your browser.
- Open the page in Safari or Chrome. In-app browsers (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) often block the microphone.
- Play one note at a time, louder. Hold your phone or laptop close to the instrument and let the string ring. A quiet room helps.
- Wrong octave or jumping notes? Let the attack fade for a moment — the reading settles once the note is steady.
- No microphone at all? Tap a string button to hear its note and tune by ear.
DADGAD notes and frequencies
DADGAD tuning is D2 (73.42 Hz), A2 (110.00 Hz), D3 (146.83 Hz), G3 (196.00 Hz), A3 (220.00 Hz) and D4 (293.66 Hz), from the 6th string to the 1st. From standard tuning (E A D G B E): Lower the 6th string from E to D (a whole step); lower the 2nd string from B to A (a whole step); lower the 1st string from E to D (a whole step). The 5th, 4th and 3rd strings stay the same.
| String | Note | Frequency | From standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | D2 | 73.42 Hz | E2 → D2 · down whole step |
| 5 | A2 | 110.00 Hz | no change |
| 4 | D3 | 146.83 Hz | no change |
| 3 | G3 | 196.00 Hz | no change |
| 2 | A3 | 220.00 Hz | B3 → A3 · down whole step |
| 1 | D4 | 293.66 Hz | E4 → D4 · down whole step |
About DADGAD tuning
DADGAD is the classic tuning for Celtic and folk guitar and is popular in fingerstyle playing. Because the chord is neither major nor minor, it fits songs in both D major and D minor.
Open strings ring against fretted notes easily in DADGAD, which creates the drone-like, harp-like sound the tuning is known for.
How to tune to DADGAD
- Press Start tuner above and allow the microphone. The tuner is already set to DADGAD.
- Play one string at a time. The tuner shows which string it hears and whether to tune up or down.
- Turn the peg until the needle is centered and the note turns green. Tap a string button to hear its target note.
- After all strings are done, check them again — changing tension on one string pulls the others slightly.