Drop C# Tuning for Guitar

Drop C# runs C#2, G#2, C#3, F#3, A#3, D#4, in playing order. The lowest-pitched string is C#2 (69.30 Hz) and the highest is D#4 (311.13 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 3 semitone(s) to C#2; A2 down 1 semitone(s) to G#2; D3 down 1 semitone(s) to C#3; G3 down 1 semitone(s) to F#3; B3 down 1 semitone(s) to A#3; E4 down 1 semitone(s) to D#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.

A semitone above Drop C, reached by tuning down a half step then dropping the sixth. The extra semitone of tension over Drop C keeps the low string tighter while still sitting well below standard — a common compromise for bands who found Drop C too loose.

C#2 is 69.30 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.

Exactly one semitone above Drop C with the same interval layout, this exists almost entirely as a tension compromise rather than a musical decision. That single semitone restores a measurable amount of stiffness, which for many players is the difference between a low string that articulates cleanly and one that thuds. Bands that write in Drop C but find their low string indistinct on stage often land here without changing a note of their material, transposing everything up a semitone in the process. Because the interval structure is unchanged, tablature written for Drop C plays identically; only the sounding pitch and the string feel shift.