Guitar · 6 STRINGS
Guitar Drop C Tuning
Standard tuning down a whole step, then the sixth string down a further whole step — Drop D shapes moved a full step lower.
How to tune
Getting into Drop C
Work down the list in order — each string's tension moves the ones already set.
Allow microphone access
Asked once. Detection runs on your device; nothing is uploaded.
Play one string at a time
Let it ring open. A strummed chord gives the detector several pitches.
Centre the needle
Sharp means loosen, flat means tighten. Inside three cents is in tune.
Work up from string 6, one at a time
The lowest string carries the most tension, so setting it first means the rest hold. The panel below lists every target in that order.
Run through every string once more
Setting one string drifts the rest; the second pass makes it hold.
Changing from Standard
5 strings a whole step down, string 6 two whole steps down
Nothing keeps its standard pitch, and the strings do not all move together, so the intervals between them change.
Each bar shows how far that string sits from standard tuning. Select a string in Note Locking above to hold the tuner on it while you turn the peg.
About this tuning
About Drop C Tuning
Drop C is built in two moves: take all six strings down a whole step to D standard, then drop the sixth string another whole step to C. The result, C G C F A D low to high, has the same interval pattern as Drop D. Every shape transfers note for note, including the one-finger power chord across the bottom three strings.
That combination — a low C, and no new shapes to learn — is why it became the working tuning of 2000s metalcore and the heavier end of alternative metal. System of a Down, Killswitch Engage and Bullet for My Valentine all built riffs on it. It gets you a fourth below standard's low E without moving to a seven-string or a baritone neck.
The catch is tension. A set built for standard tuning goes slack at this pitch: the low C flaps against the frets, intonation drifts sharp when you dig in, and palm mutes lose their edge. Most players in Drop C run a heavier gauge and have the guitar set up for it.
Also known as
- Dropped C
- CGCFAD tuning
Used in
- Metalcore
- Nu metal
- Alternative metal
- Post-hardcore
Played by
- System of a Down
- Bullet for My Valentine
- Killswitch Engage
- As I Lay Dying
What it buys you
- One-finger power chords, exactly as in Drop D
- A low C without a seven-string or a baritone scale
- Every Drop D riff transfers unchanged, a whole step lower
- Slack, heavy low end that still sits in a six-string range
Note frequencies
Drop C string frequencies
The 6 open strings of Guitar Drop C, lowest first, at A4 = 440 Hz. Each one is the pitch the tuner is listening for — C2 is C in octave 2.
| Note | Also | Solfège | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| C2 | — | Do | 65.41 Hz |
| G2 | — | Sol | 98.00 Hz |
| C3 | — | Do | 130.81 Hz |
| F3 | — | Fa | 174.61 Hz |
| A3 | — | La | 220.00 Hz |
| D4 | — | Re | 293.66 Hz |
Sharps and flats share a pitch on a tuner: C♯ and D♭ are the same frequency, and which name you use depends on the key you are in, not on what the meter reads.
Songs in this tuning
Recorded in Drop C
Load one of these up and check your tuning against the record — it is the fastest way to hear whether you landed on the right pitch.
- Chop Suey!System of a Down · 2001
- Tears Don’t FallBullet for My Valentine · 2005
- The End of HeartacheKillswitch Engage · 2004
Questions
Drop C tuning, answered
Standard tuning down a whole step, then the sixth string down a further whole step — Drop D shapes moved a full step lower. The 6 strings are tuned C2 G2 C3 F3 A3 D4, from the lowest-pitched string up.
It moves string 1 from E4 to D4, string 2 from B3 to A3, string 3 from G3 to F3, string 4 from D3 to C3, string 5 from A2 to G2, string 6 from E2 to C2. The remaining 0 strings stay at standard pitch.
No. Drop C is C G C F A D — five strings a whole step below standard and the sixth two whole steps below. C standard lowers every string by two whole steps to C F A♯ D♯ G C, keeping standard's interval pattern. Drop C keeps the fifth on the bottom two strings; C standard does not.
Heavier than a standard set. On a 25.5" scale, a .011–.052 or .011–.056 set is the usual starting point, and players who stay in Drop C permanently often go to .012 with a wound low string of .056 or more. A .009 or .010 set will reach the pitch but will not stay under your pick.
A standard set reaches the pitch but goes slack at it. Dropping the lowest string two whole steps down costs enough tension that the string starts flapping against the frets and the intonation drifts sharp when you dig in. On a 25.5" scale, moving from a .010 set to .011 or .012, with a wound low string to match, is the common answer.
No. The neck is built for the tension of standard tuning, and lowering the strings only reduces it. What changes is the relief: less pull straightens the neck slightly and lowers the action, which is what causes buzzing rather than any damage. If you keep the instrument in Drop C permanently, a truss rod and action setup fixes it. Switching back and forth harms nothing.
Yes. 25.5" is the standard scale for the guitar, and most of the players associated with this tuning use it. A longer scale holds the lowest string under more tension, which is why baritone instruments are common at this pitch and below, but it is a preference rather than a requirement — string gauge does most of the same work.
Yes. The tuner on this page listens through your device microphone and compares what it hears against the exact frequencies for C2 G2 C3 F3 A3 D4. Play one string at a time in a quiet room, and let the note ring rather than strumming.
No. This Drop C tuner runs in your browser — there is nothing to download, nothing to install and no account to create. Allow microphone access when the browser asks and the tuner starts listening. It works the same way on a phone, a tablet and a desktop.
Related tunings
Where to go from Drop C
Each one is described as the move from Drop C, so you can see how far away it is before you commit to turning a peg.
Half Step Down
5 strings a semitone up, string 6 a step and a half up
Every string lowered by one semitone. Nothing about the fretboard changes — the whole guitar just sits a half step lower.
D#2 G#2 C#3 F#3 A#3 D#4
Open G
4 strings a whole step up
The open strings ring a G major chord, so a single barre anywhere on the neck gives you a major chord.
D2 G2 D3 G3 B3 D4
D-A-D-G-A-D
4 strings a whole step up
A suspended fourth tuning that is neither major nor minor, with three strings tuned to D ringing under whatever you play.
D2 A2 D3 G3 A3 D4
Drop D
Every string a whole step up
Standard tuning with the sixth string lowered a whole step to D, which turns the bottom three strings into a power chord you can barre with one finger.
D2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4