Online Guitar Tuner
Alternate Guitar Tuning
Use this free Online Guitar Tuner with your microphone for down, Drop, Open, DADGAD, and other alternate guitar tunings.
How to use this online guitar tuner
Choose the tuning you need, listen to one string at a time, and use the cents meter to make small, accurate adjustments.
Choose a tuning
Keep Guitar selected, then choose Standard or an alternate tuning from the grouped Tuning menu. The six target notes around the headstock update immediately to match your selection.
Select a string and start the microphone
Select the note beside the matching tuning peg, then press Start tuning and allow microphone access. The selected button, peg, and string turn blue so you can see which string to adjust.
Play a clear, sustained note
Pluck only the selected string and let it ring while muting the others. Keep the guitar near the microphone and avoid loud background noise so the tuner can identify the fundamental pitch.
Follow the cents meter
A red marker on the left means the string is low and should be tuned up; on the right it is high and should be tuned down. Make small adjustments until the marker turns green, then continue with the next string.
Alternate Guitar Tuning Q&A
What is alternate guitar tuning?
An alternate guitar tuning changes one or more open strings from standard E A D G B E. Different note layouts can extend the low range, simplify certain chord shapes, create drones, or make the open strings form a complete chord. Always select the intended tuning before adjusting the strings.
What are half-step and whole-step down tunings?
Half Step Down lowers every string by one semitone to E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭. Whole Step Down lowers every string by two semitones to D G C F A D. The familiar standard-tuning intervals and chord shapes stay the same, but the entire guitar sounds lower.
How do Drop D, Double Drop D, and Drop C work?
Drop D lowers the sixth string from E2 to D2 while the other five strings remain standard, making low power chords easier. Double Drop D also lowers the first string to D4. Drop C uses C G C F A D, combining a lower sixth string with the other strings tuned a whole step down.
What are Open D, Open G, and Open C tunings?
Open tunings arrange the open strings as a major chord. Open D is D A D F♯ A D, Open G is D G D G B D, and Open C is C G C G C E. They are useful for slide guitar, drones, resonant fingerstyle arrangements, and major chords played with a single barre.
What is DADGAD tuning and how should alternate tunings be used safely?
DADGAD uses D A D G A D and creates suspended, open harmonies suited to folk, Celtic, acoustic, and modal music. Change tension gradually, especially when tuning upward, and confirm the target octave as well as the note name. Heavier or lighter string gauges may feel better for tunings used regularly.