Guitar Drop C Tuner — Tune to Drop C in Your Browser
Mic-based chromatic tuner pre-set to Drop C. No download, no sign-up, works in your browser.
Tuning summary
- Notes (low to high)
- C2 · G2 · C3 · F3 · A3 · D4
- Instrument
- Guitar
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- About this tuning
- D Standard with the low string dropped further to C. The default modern metal tuning.
Start tuning
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About Drop C on guitar
Drop C is D Standard with the lowest string dropped further to C: CGCFAD, low to high. It combines two ideas — the whole-step-down feel of D Standard and the dropped-low-string economy of Drop D. The bottom three strings sound an open C5 power chord under a single finger, and the fingering vocabulary above that root is identical to Drop D.
Drop C became the default tuning of post-2000 metal and metalcore. Bullet for My Valentine, System of a Down (most of their catalogue), Trivium, A Day to Remember, and large swathes of mainstream metalcore live here. The combination of the heavy whole-step drop with the easy-to-finger Drop power chords is exactly what a high-energy riff-driven genre needs.
Because the low string is two whole steps below standard E, string gauge becomes important. A 10-gauge low E will be unplayable as a low C — most players go to 11s minimum, often 12 or 13 on the bottom string specifically. Extended-range guitars (longer scale lengths like 25.5 or 26.5 inches) help keep the low C taut without resorting to baritone gauges.
If you already know Drop D, Drop C is a free move — every Drop D shape works identically, just a whole step lower. The first thing to practice is palm-muted single-string riffing on the low C, because that is where 90% of Drop C music actually lives. Two-finger and three-finger power-chord shapes barring the low strings are the next building block.
A note on terminology: 'drop C' is sometimes used loosely to mean only the 6th string dropped from standard E to C, leaving the rest as EADGBE. That tuning exists, but it is rare and inconsistent — the standard meaning, and the tuning this page covers, is the full CGCFAD form (D Standard with an additional drop on the lowest string). When tabs and song archives list 'Drop C', the CGCFAD interpretation is what to assume unless the source says otherwise. Compared with Drop D, the tension difference is significant: dropping a full whole step further on the lowest string is roughly twice the slack of Drop D alone, which is why many players step up to .013 or thicker on the bottom string specifically. In a mix, the punching low end of Drop C interacts directly with the bass guitar's range, so producers often roll off some bass-guitar low end to keep the guitars defined — common in modern metalcore, djent, and doom productions where the rhythm guitar tone is the centrepiece.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between Drop C and C Standard?
- Drop C is CGCFAD — only the lowest string is dropped a whole step beyond D Standard. C Standard would lower every string by two whole steps.
- What strings should I use for Drop C?
- Most players use 11-54 or 12-56 sets to keep the low C string from feeling floppy. Some use 13-style sets on shorter-scale guitars.
- Is Drop C harder to play than standard?
- Riffing is easier because of the single-finger power chords. Lead playing is similar to standard with a transposition. Bending feels different because of the lower tension.
- What bands use Drop C?
- System of a Down, Bullet for My Valentine, Trivium, A Day to Remember, Atreyu, and most modern metalcore.
- Will my guitar handle Drop C without modifications?
- Most modern guitars handle it fine, but you will likely need to redo the intonation and possibly swap to a heavier string set for the low strings to feel right.