Drop D and drop C tuning

Drop D lowers only the sixth string, from E2 to D2. Drop C takes the whole guitar down a further whole step. The exact pitches for both, and what changes once you are in them.

July 29, 2026

Drop D

Drop D changes exactly one string. The sixth drops from E2 down to D2, and everything else stays where standard tuning left it.

Getting there by ear is quick: play the fourth string open, then loosen the sixth until it sounds like the same note two octaves lower. With a tuner, just watch the sixth string settle onto D2.

What you gain is a one-finger power chord. Because the bottom three strings are now D, A and D, a single barre across them at any fret gives you a root, a fifth and an octave. That is most of what drop D is used for, and it is why it shows up everywhere from folk fingerstyle to metal.

What you lose is your muscle memory for anything using the sixth string, since every note on it is now two frets higher than your fingers expect.

Drop C

Drop C is a different animal. It is not a variation on one string, it is the whole guitar down a whole step from drop D.

The relationship between the strings is identical to drop D, so every shape transfers. Everything just sounds a whole step lower and considerably heavier.

Two things to expect in drop C

Floppy strings. Taking six strings down two semitones removes a lot of tension. A set gauged for standard tuning will rattle against the frets and go sharp when you fret firmly. If you plan to stay in drop C, heavier strings are not optional; something around .011 to .052 or thicker is the usual answer.

Your guitar will need a minute. A big tension change bends the neck slightly and the bridge on a floating tremolo will move. Tune the whole thing down, play for a minute, then tune it again. Expect to do that two or three times before it holds.

Why the tuner has a harder job down here

Both of these tunings push the sixth string into territory where the fundamental is quiet. At 65.41 Hz, drop C’s low string puts far more audible energy into its harmonics than into the note itself, which is exactly the condition that makes cheap tuners report the octave above and send you tightening toward a break. The octave error guide covers why that happens and what a detector has to do about it.