Nu-metal · metalcore · modern metal · baritone
Drop B Tuning Chords & Fretboard (B F# B E G# C#)
The fretboard is in Drop B: Drop D shapes, three semitones lower. One-finger power chords sit on the bottom three strings and the familiar Drop D open shapes still work above them. Pick any chord below for voicings that use the low B correctly, then read the gauge advice — on a normal-scale guitar this tuning lives or dies by its strings.
- B–F#–B–E–G#–C#
- Drop D shapes, 3 semitones lower
- One-finger power chords
- Heavy strings or baritone scale
Fretboard & chord finder
Pick a tuning and key, click any fret to hear it, and see every scale tone and chord degree across the neck.
Scale & Arpeggio Neck Boxes Show / Hide ▾
Chord voicings
Every playable voicing of each chord in the current key, ranked V1–Vn up the neck. Filter by difficulty or chord type, and use ← → on a card to step through its voicings.
Progression looper & tab
Queue chords, choose a picking pattern and meter, loop it, then export tab, MIDI or a printable chord sheet.
String tension calculator
Total: 103.8 lbs • Avg: 17.3 lbs • All Strings Safe (Balanced) • Custom .010–.046
| Str | Pitch | Scale | Gauge | Tension | Status |
|---|
Guitar tuner
Tune with your microphone to any preset or custom tuning, or tap a string to hear its reference pitch.
Odd-time drum machine
Program custom odd-meter drum grooves in 4/4, 5/4, 6/8, 7/8, 9/8, or 11/8, or enable Sync with Chord Looper so the kit plays behind your chord progressions.
Chord identifier & capo transposer
Tap frets on the neck below or type any 6-string fret grip (like 0-5-3-0-0-0 or X-3-2-0-1-0) to identify every possible chord name, interval formula, and capo equivalent.
Capo & Alternate-Tuning Transposer Equivalents
See how to play this exact concert chord using different capo positions or alternate tunings.
Fretboard & ear trainer
Master note locations across unfamiliar tunings (FACGCE, DAEAC#E, DADGAD, Standard), sharpen interval ear recognition, drill scale degrees, and spell complex chord formulas.
When practicing in alternate tunings such as FACGCE or DAEAC#E, the trainer dynamically recalculates fretboard intervals, open drone strings, and chord voicings so you build genuine muscle memory.
Drop B tuning explained
Drop B is B–F#–B–E–G#–C#: the same shape as Drop D (the 6th string a whole step below the rest) with the whole guitar lowered a further minor third. In practice that means every Drop D chord shape and riff works unchanged — barre the bottom three strings for a one-finger power chord, play the "open D shape" on top for a B major — but everything sounds three semitones lower. It is also exactly Drop C lowered by a half step, and B standard (the tuning of most baritone guitars) with the 6th string dropped.
It is the sound of a big slice of nu-metal and modern metal: Slipknot's "Duality" and "Before I Forget", Five Finger Death Punch's "Bad Company" and "Wrong Side of Heaven", Chevelle's "Send the Pain Below" and a long list of metalcore records are in Drop B. The low B1 is the same note as the lowest string of a seven-string guitar, so riffs written for 7-string often translate directly.
How to tune to Drop B from standard
- 6th string: E → B (down a perfect fourth — five semitones).
- 5th string: A → F# (down three semitones).
- 4th string: D → B (down three semitones).
- 3rd string: G → E (down three semitones).
- 2nd string: B → G# (down three semitones).
- 1st string: E → C# (down three semitones).
Check: the 6th string should match the open 4th string an octave lower — exactly like Drop D.
Strings and scale length
A standard .010–.046 set is unusable here: the low string loses over half its tension. On a 25.5" guitar the common choices are .012–.060 or .013–.062, often with a .062–.068 low string if you pick hard; on a 24.75" Les Paul-style scale go heavier still. This is where baritone guitars (26.5"–28") and multi-scale necks shine — the extra length lets a .013–.062 set feel tight without cable-thick strings. Expect to widen the nut slots and redo the setup. The string tension calculator supports baritone and fanned-fret scales, so you can compare before buying.
Essential BF#BEG#C# chord shapes
⬇ Printable BF#BEG#C# chord chart (PDF)Diagrams show strings low to high (6 → 1, left to right). × = don't play that string, ○ = open string, orange = the root note. Every shape was checked note-by-note against the tuning. Press Play to load it on the fretboard above and hear it.
Bottom three strings open: the Drop B power chord.
One-finger barre at fret 3…
…fret 5…
…fret 7…
…fret 8 (the bVI in B minor)…
…and fret 10. A whole riff vocabulary under one finger.
The Drop D "open D shape" — now a huge B major.
Open-position B minor with the low root.
Lift the top finger for a ringing sus2 — a clean-intro favourite.
Dominant 7th in open position.
The Drop D "G shape" at fret 5 — now E major with open strings.
Add the D# on the 4th string for Emaj7.
The standard "A shape" — sounds F# major, the V chord in B.
F#sus4 for suspension-and-release riffs.
The vi chord without a barre.
The standard "C shape" sounds A major — the bVII in B minor.
Suggested starting point on a 25.5" scale: .012–.060 or .013–.062 (25.5"); baritone 26.5"+ recommended. Run your own gauges through the tension lab before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
What strings do I need for Drop B?▾
On a 25.5" scale, .012–.060 or .013–.062 is the usual starting point; heavy pickers often use a .064–.068 low string. On a 24.75" scale go one step heavier. Baritone guitars (26.5"–28") handle Drop B comfortably with .013–.062. A standard .010 set will be floppy and unplayable.
Is Drop B the same as B standard?▾
No. B standard tunes every string to standard intervals starting from B (B–E–A–D–F#–B). Drop B keeps the Drop D layout: the 6th string is a whole step below the 5th-string-based pattern (B–F#–B–E–G#–C#), which gives one-finger power chords.
Which songs are in Drop B?▾
Well-known examples include Slipknot's "Duality" and "Before I Forget", Five Finger Death Punch's "Bad Company" and "Wrong Side of Heaven", Chevelle's "Send the Pain Below", and many metalcore and djent songs.
Do Drop D chord shapes work in Drop B?▾
Yes — every Drop D shape and riff works identically, sounding three semitones (a minor third) lower. A Drop D "D" chord becomes B, "G" becomes E, "A" becomes F#. The chord finder above shows the correct names for the shapes in Drop B.
Related tools & tunings
Found a mistake or want a tuning covered? Leave a note on Ko-fi. Last updated 2026-10-28.