Drop C tuning

What is Drop C tuning?

Drop C tuning is a guitar tuning style that drops the sixth string down two notes and all others by one. This tuning style is similar to drop D tuning but one note lower. This method is used mostly for heavy metal and rock music. Drop C brings an even lower, heavier sound to the tune, and enables the guitarist to transition through power chords with more ease like drop D.

Drop C tuning will effectively change your tuning from EADGBe to CGCFAD.

How do I tune my guitar in Drop C?

It's not that hard to to get in Drop C from standard tuning, but it involves re-tuning of all the string.

Start by tuning to drop D. Once you're in drop D, tune the 1-5 strings normally using the sixth string as baseline. Now you should be in tune with all strings one step lower.

The last step is to repeat the process we followed for drop D: tune the sixth string playing a harmonic on the 12th fret to the open fourth string. This brings the sixth string from D to C, and we're now in drop C.

Returning to standard tuning from Drop D takes a minute but is pretty easy. Tune the sixth string, third fret, with the open fifth string, bringing your six to an E. Then retune 1-5 strings with standard tuning method (fifth fret starting with sixth string all the way up).