Every tuning on one page
Alternate Guitar Tunings: The Complete List
Every tuning TwinkleLab supports, side by side: the notes, exactly which strings move and by how much, whether tension goes up or down, and what each tuning is good for. Click any tuning for verified chord diagrams, a printable chart and an interactive fretboard already set to that tuning.
- Standard · drop · open · modal
- Semitone changes per string
- Tension warnings
- Chord chart for each
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.
Choosing an alternate tuning
An alternate tuning is any set of open-string pitches other than standard E–A–D–G–B–E. They fall into four families, and knowing which family a tuning belongs to tells you most of what you need: how hard it is to learn, what it sounds like and what it does to your strings.
- Lowered standard (Eb, D, C standard): every string drops by the same amount. All your shapes still work; songs get lower and heavier. Needs heavier strings the further you go.
- Drop tunings (Drop D, Drop C, Drop B, Double Drop D): one or two strings drop further than the rest. You keep most standard shapes and gain one-finger power chords or a deeper bass drone.
- Open tunings (Open D, E, G, A, C, D minor): the open strings spell a chord, so a straight barre or a slide gives you a chord at any fret. Home of slide guitar, blues and folk.
- Modal and extended tunings (DADGAD, FACGCE, DAEAC#E, CGDGBD, CGCFCE): the open strings form a sus, add9 or maj7 sound. One-finger shapes produce rich extended chords — the sound of Celtic fingerstyle, Midwest emo and math rock.
Two practical rules before you retune: tuning a string up (FACGCE, DAEAC#E, Open E, Open A) adds tension, so check the numbers and consider a lighter set; tuning down more than a whole step (C standard, Drop C, Drop B, Open C) needs heavier strings or the low end will flap. The string tension calculator handles both.
Every tuning at a glance
Strings listed low to high (6 → 1). "Change" is how many semitones each string moves from standard E–A–D–G–B–E (−2 = down a whole step, +1 = up a half step).
| Tuning | Notes 6→1 | Change | Tension | Family | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DADGAD | D–A–D–G–A–D | −2 0 0 0 −2 −2 | ↓ lower / same | Modal | Celtic, folk, fingerstyle, post-rock, rock |
| FACGCE | F–A–C–G–C–E | +1 0 −2 0 +1 0 | ↑ 2 strings up | Modal / extended | Midwest emo, math rock, twinkle, indie |
| DAEAC#E | D–A–E–A–C#–E | −2 0 +2 +2 +2 0 | ↑ 3 strings up | Modal / extended | Math rock, Midwest emo, fingerstyle |
| Drop D | D–A–D–G–B–E | −2 0 0 0 0 0 | ↓ lower / same | Drop | Rock, metal, grunge, alt-rock, folk |
| CGDGBD | C–G–D–G–B–D | −4 −2 0 0 0 −2 | ↓ lower / same | Modal / extended | Post-rock, ambient, folk, slide |
| Open D | D–A–D–F#–A–D | −2 0 0 −1 −2 −2 | ↓ lower / same | Open | Slide blues, folk, singer-songwriter, Delta blues |
| Open G | D–G–D–G–B–D | −2 −2 0 0 0 −2 | ↓ lower / same | Open | Rock, Delta blues, slide, country |
| Drop C | C–G–C–F–A–D | −4 −2 −2 −2 −2 −2 | ↓ lower / same | Drop | Metalcore, metal, hardcore, post-hardcore |
| Open C | C–G–C–G–C–E | −4 −2 −2 0 +1 0 | ↑ 1 string up | Open | Progressive metal, folk, drone, slide |
| CGCFCE (Nick Drake) | C–G–C–F–C–E | −4 −2 −2 −2 +1 0 | ↑ 1 string up | Modal / extended | Fingerstyle folk, singer-songwriter |
| Half step down (Eb) | Eb–Ab–Db–Gb–Bb–Eb | −1 −1 −1 −1 −1 −1 | ↓ lower / same | Lowered standard | Blues rock, hard rock, grunge, punk, metal |
| Open E | E–B–E–G#–B–E | 0 +2 +2 +1 0 0 | ↑ 3 strings up | Open | Electric slide, blues rock, Southern rock |
| D standard | D–G–C–F–A–D | −2 −2 −2 −2 −2 −2 | ↓ lower / same | Lowered standard | Death metal, metalcore, grunge, stoner rock |
| C standard | C–F–Bb–Eb–G–C | −4 −4 −4 −4 −4 −4 | ↓ lower / same | Lowered standard | Stoner rock, doom, sludge, metal, alt-rock |
| Drop B | B–F#–B–E–G#–C# | −5 −3 −3 −3 −3 −3 | ↓ lower / same | Drop | Nu-metal, metalcore, djent, modern metal |
| Open A | E–A–E–A–C#–E | 0 0 +2 +2 +2 0 | ↑ 3 strings up | Open | Slide blues, roots rock, fingerstyle |
| Double Drop D | D–A–D–G–B–D | −2 0 0 0 0 −2 | ↓ lower / same | Drop | Folk rock, classic rock, singer-songwriter |
| Open D minor | D–A–D–F–A–D | −2 0 0 −2 −2 −2 | ↓ lower / same | Open | Delta blues, Bentonia blues, fingerstyle, minor-key slide |
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest alternate tuning to learn?▾
Drop D. Only the 6th string changes (E down to D), so every chord shape on strings 5–1 is identical to standard, and you gain one-finger power chords. After that, Eb standard and D standard need no new shapes at all — they just sound lower.
What is the best tuning for slide guitar?▾
Open D, Open E or Open G (and Open A). The open strings form a major chord, so laying the slide straight across any fret gives a full chord. Open E and Open A raise three strings, so many acoustic players use Open D or Open G with a capo instead.
Which tunings need different strings?▾
Anything that drops the low string more than a whole step (C standard, Drop C, Drop B, Open C, CGDGBD) needs a heavier 6th string — .054 to .060 or more. Tunings that raise strings (FACGCE, DAEAC#E, Open E, Open A) are often more comfortable with a lighter set.
Can I find chords in a tuning that is not listed?▾
Yes. The fretboard above accepts any custom six-string tuning: set each string's pitch and the chord finder, scale maps, tuner, tension calculator and chord identifier all recalculate for it.
Related tools & tunings
Found a mistake or want a tuning covered? Leave a note on Ko-fi. Last updated 2026-10-28.