Half Step Down Tuning
Half step down tuning, also called E♭ standard, is E♭ – A♭ – D♭ – G♭ – B♭ – E♭. Every string goes down one semitone from standard tuning, so all chord shapes stay the same. Use the tuner below to check 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 Half Step Down: 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.
Half Step Down notes and frequencies
Half Step Down tuning is E♭2 (77.78 Hz), A♭2 (103.83 Hz), D♭3 (138.59 Hz), G♭3 (185.00 Hz), B♭3 (233.08 Hz) and E♭4 (311.13 Hz), from the 6th string to the 1st. From standard tuning (E A D G B E): Lower the 6th string from E to E♭ (a half step); lower the 5th string from A to A♭ (a half step); lower the 4th string from D to D♭ (a half step); lower the 3rd string from G to G♭ (a half step); lower the 2nd string from B to B♭ (a half step); lower the 1st string from E to E♭ (a half step).
| String | Note | Frequency | From standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | E♭2 | 77.78 Hz | E2 → E♭2 · down half step |
| 5 | A♭2 | 103.83 Hz | A2 → A♭2 · down half step |
| 4 | D♭3 | 138.59 Hz | D3 → D♭3 · down half step |
| 3 | G♭3 | 185.00 Hz | G3 → G♭3 · down half step |
| 2 | B♭3 | 233.08 Hz | B3 → B♭3 · down half step |
| 1 | E♭4 | 311.13 Hz | E4 → E♭4 · down half step |
About Half Step Down tuning
Half step down is one of the most common alternate tunings in rock and blues. Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan often tuned this way. The looser strings are easier to bend and the guitar sounds a little warmer.
Singers also like it: dropping a semitone can put a song in a more comfortable key without learning new shapes.
How to tune to Half Step Down
- Press Start tuner above and allow the microphone. The tuner is already set to Half Step Down.
- 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.