Drop B Tuning for Guitar

Drop B runs B1, F#2, B2, E3, G#3, C#4, in playing order. The lowest-pitched string is B1 (61.74 Hz) and the highest is C#4 (277.18 Hz), measured against A4 = 440 Hz. Those are the exact target frequencies the tuner on this page listens for.

6 of the 6 strings move: E2 down 5 semitone(s) to B1; A2 down 3 semitone(s) to F#2; D3 down 3 semitone(s) to B2; G3 down 3 semitone(s) to E3; B3 down 3 semitone(s) to G#3; E4 down 3 semitone(s) to C#4. Work through them in order, then go back and re-check the first string — retuning shifts the neck tension slightly, so the earlier strings drift as you go.

Two and a half steps below standard on the low string — a fifth above a standard bass's open E, not below it, but well outside where a six-string guitar was designed to sit. Common in deathcore and djent, where the low B is treated more as a percussive thud than a pitch.

B1 is 61.74 Hz at concert pitch (A4 = 440 Hz). That's the fundamental — the string also produces harmonics above it, which is why a tuner reading the wrong octave usually means it locked onto a harmonic rather than the fundamental. This is the lowest string in this guitar tuning.

Five semitones below standard puts the sixth string at roughly 62 Hz — still a fifth above a standard four-string bass's open E, not below it, though well below where a six-string guitar was designed to sit. At that depth the note's fundamental competes directly with the kick drum, which is why mixes in this territory usually carve one instrument or the other out of the low band rather than letting both through. The perceptual result is that the string reads more as an impact than a pitch, and riffs written here tend to rely on rhythm and articulation rather than melodic contour. The upper five strings retain standard relative intervals, so lead playing above the fifth string is unaffected.

At this depth a 25.5" scale needs at least a .60 low string, and many players move to a baritone or extended-scale guitar instead.