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LESS TUNING. MORE PLAYING.

Half-Step Down Guitar Tuner.

The same chord shapes, half a step lower.

Tune open strings first. Fit your capo, then switch on “Check with capo on”.

Half-step downE♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭
REFERENCE TONEA4 = 440 Hz
E♭2
E♭ · 6th string77.78 Hz

Choose a string below to hear its note.

PLAY A STRINGThickest Thinnest
6 strings · 3 seconds each
Sound & advanced settings

A gentle ping follows a steady note within 5 cents. Its volume follows the sound slider. Microphone audio stays on your device.

Check your intonation.

Compare one open string with the same string pressed at fret 12. Remove your capo and mute the other strings.

  1. 1. Tune and measure the open string
  2. 2. Press at fret 12 and measure again

Press just behind fret 12 with normal pressure. Do not play a harmonic. Repeat the comparison to confirm the result.

Check your six strings.

Press start, then sweep gently across all six open strings, from thickest to thinnest. Let them ring together.

Experimental: overlapping notes can be unclear. Select any result to measure that string alone in this window.

Check a known reference.

Play a steady reference from another device or instrument whose frequency you know. Enter that frequency below.

This compares your input with the reference you supply. It is not a certified calibration. Only numbers are saved, never audio.
Acoustic, electric & classicalFree. No download. Just play.

By ear: click a note, match your string, then move to the next. Keyboard: 1–6 to play · Esc to stop

KNOW YOUR TUNING

Half-step down: E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭

Lower every string by one semitone. Your familiar shapes and intervals stay the same, but everything sounds half a step below standard tuning.

The table shows the open-string setup at A4 = 440 Hz. For capo pitches, use the capo controls above.

Half-step down notes and frequencies from thickest to thinnest
StringNoteHzFrom standard
6 · thickestE♭277.78E → E♭
5A♭2103.83A → A♭
4D♭3138.59D → D♭
3G♭3185.00G → G♭
2B♭3233.08B → B♭
1 · thinnestE♭4311.13E → E♭

THE TUNEGUITAR GUIDE

Understand Half-step down

TuneGuitar guide · Updated 6 October 2026 · How we prepare our guides

Same shapes, different chord names

Every string moves down one semitone, so the interval pattern of standard tuning survives unchanged. An E-major shape now sounds E-flat major; an A-minor shape sounds A-flat minor. When playing with another musician, agree whether a chord name describes the fingering or the sounding chord. Both conventions are common in practice, but mixing them causes a full semitone of disagreement.

Sharp labels can still be correct

E flat and D sharp are the same pitch in equal temperament. A chromatic tuner might display D♯2 where this guide spells E♭2. The preset target and frequency remove the ambiguity. Do not keep loosening the string merely to force a different letter spelling on the display.

Use the fifth string to identify the setup

Half-step down and Drop C sharp share their upper five strings. Their lowest strings differ by a whole step. Check A♭2 on string 5, then confirm E♭2 on string 6. A low C♯2 means you are in the dropped version. This two-string check is quicker than guessing from the apparent weight of the guitar sound.

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.

Standard → Half-step down
StringStartTargetAdjustment
6E2D♯2Lower 1 semitone
5A2G♯2Lower 1 semitone
4D3C♯3Lower 1 semitone
3G3F♯3Lower 1 semitone
2B3A♯3Lower 1 semitone
1E4D♯4Lower 1 semitone

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.

What changes from this tuning?
Next tuningAll target notesStrings that change
Drop C♯C♯2 · G♯2 · C♯3 · F♯3 · A♯3 · D♯46
Open DD2 · A2 · D3 · F♯3 · A3 · D46, 5, 4, 2, 1
D standardD2 · G2 · C3 · F3 · A3 · D46, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Try the setup with a sourced arrangement

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

READY FOR THE FIRST CHORD

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GOOD TO KNOW

Questions about Half-step down

Is E flat tuning different from D sharp tuning?

They describe the same sounding pitches in equal temperament. Guitarists commonly call this setup E flat standard or half-step down.

Can I just lower the concert-pitch setting to get E-flat standard?

Use the Half-step down preset. Changing A4 recalibrates every target frequency; it is not the same control as choosing different notes. The preset makes E-flat A-flat D-flat G-flat B-flat E-flat explicit while retaining your chosen concert pitch.

What happens to an E-major shape in half-step-down tuning?

It sounds E-flat major because every string has moved down one semitone. Familiar shapes retain their interval relationships, but the sounding chord name changes. Keep this distinction clear when matching a singer or another instrument.

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Last updated 13 September 2026.

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Enter 4 to 12 notes in physical string order, from the thickest side. Include the octave, for example E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4. Use notes suitable for your strings and instrument.

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