Drop C Tuning
Drop C tuning is C – G – C – F – A – D, from the 6th string to the 1st. It is drop D moved down one whole step: every string goes down a whole step and the 6th string goes down one more. Use the tuner below to tune each string.
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 Drop C: 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.
Drop C notes and frequencies
Drop C tuning is C2 (65.41 Hz), G2 (98.00 Hz), C3 (130.81 Hz), F3 (174.61 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 C (2 whole steps); lower the 5th string from A to G (a whole step); lower the 4th string from D to C (a whole step); lower the 3rd string from G to F (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).
| String | Note | Frequency | From standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | C2 | 65.41 Hz | E2 → C2 · down 2 whole steps |
| 5 | G2 | 98.00 Hz | A2 → G2 · down whole step |
| 4 | C3 | 130.81 Hz | D3 → C3 · down whole step |
| 3 | F3 | 174.61 Hz | G3 → F3 · down whole step |
| 2 | A3 | 220.00 Hz | B3 → A3 · down whole step |
| 1 | D4 | 293.66 Hz | E4 → D4 · down whole step |
About Drop C tuning
Drop C is a heavy tuning used a lot in metal, metalcore and hard rock. Like drop D, the three lowest strings make a power chord when played open, but everything sounds two semitones lower.
All strings get looser, so many players switch to a heavier string set (for example 11s or 12s) to keep the strings from feeling floppy and buzzing. A setup check (intonation and neck relief) helps after the change.
How to tune to Drop C
- Press Start tuner above and allow the microphone. The tuner is already set to Drop C.
- 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.