Drop C Guitar Tuner.

Build it from D standard

Think of Drop C as D standard with its lowest D lowered one more whole step. That gives C G C F A D. This route makes the different movement of the bass string easier to remember: from regular standard it falls four semitones, while the other five fall two. A preset change is not an instruction to use unsuitable strings; check the response of your instrument.

Check the C octave before the riff

String 6 C2 is an octave below string 4 C3. Alternate those two notes gently. If a heavy pick attack starts sharp and settles down, judge a repeatable portion of the decay rather than the first instant. If the settled reading wanders too, look at muting, signal level and string tension before chasing the meter.

Different from C standard

C standard is C F B flat E flat G C. Only its lowest note matches Drop C. A guitarist who uses standard chord shapes transposed down needs C standard; a guitarist who needs dropped-string power-chord geometry needs this layout. Read the complete six-note sequence in the arrangement, not only the word C.

Your string-by-string route from standard

This is a comparison of target pitches, not a recommendation to use every tuning on every guitar. Start from the tuning your instrument actually has. Use the directions and the octave labels together.

Nearby tunings, compared by their actual notes

These are the three closest six-string presets by total semitone movement from this setup. The ranking describes target changes, not playing difficulty or physical suitability. A familiar name can hide a different middle-string layout.

Try the setup with a sourced arrangement

• System of a Down · Toxicity
• System of a Down · Aerials
• System of a Down · Chop Suey!
• Three Days Grace · Animal I Have Become

These links refer to named parts in linked arrangements. They do not establish a universal tuning for every recording or live version.