Free Online DADGAD Guitar Tuner
Three strings down, each one read against where it is going.
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Left to right: 6th string, the thickest, to 1st, the thinnest. Tune one string at a time.
Allow microphone access to begin
How to use this tuner
Click Start Tuning and allow microphone access. Play one open string at a time, and the tuner shows how sharp or flat you are from that string’s target in cents. Tap a string button to hear the note and lock the tuner to it.
The bar spans −50 to +50 cents. Zero is perfectly in tune. In string mode the value is the distance to the target string, not to the nearest chromatic note, so a string that is a long way off pins the needle at the edge until you get close.
The tuner reads against the nearest open string of DADGAD tuning (D2, A2, D3, G3, A3, D4), so the cents value is the distance to that string, not to the nearest chromatic note. Tap a string to hear its reference pitch and lock the tuner to it; tap again to release.
Guitar is already selected and no transposition is applied: guitar is written an octave above where it sounds, and the tuner shows the sounding octave. Changing the dropdown to another instrument turns string mode off; tapping a string turns it back on.
Default is A440. Tap + / − to match a recording or another instrument that cannot be adjusted.
DADGAD is D2, A2, D3, G3, A3, D4. Starting from standard tuning, three strings come down a whole step: the sixth from E to D, the second from B to A, and the first from E to D. The fifth, fourth, and third strings stay put. The open strings sound a Dsus4 chord, neither major nor minor, which is the reason the tuning is so common in Celtic, folk, and fingerstyle guitar: it gives a drone bass and open-string melody notes without committing to a mode.
Because the changes are all whole steps, the same problem as drop D shows up three times: halfway down each string a chromatic tuner switches note names. This page reads each string against its DADGAD target, so the needle for the second string travels from the right edge towards centre as B becomes A, and the button for that string lights up as soon as the pitch is closer to A3 than to any other target. Tap a button to hear the reference or to lock the tuner while you turn a peg. Tune each string down past the target and back up so it holds.
DADGAD has three D strings an octave apart in pairs, D2, D3, D4, and two A strings, A2 and A3. Those octaves are the quickest ear check after tuning: play D2 and D3 together, then D3 and D4, then A2 and A3, and listen for beating. A clean octave with no slow wobble means both strings are in tune with each other. The tuner confirms each string is at zero on its own; the octave test confirms they agree with each other, which matters more in a tuning built on drones.
Lowering three strings loosens the neck slightly and every string drifts a few cents sharp as a result, so run a second pass. Players who live in DADGAD often keep a second guitar in it, partly for this reason and partly because the lighter tension suits a slightly heavier string set. Capo use is universal in this tuning: a capo at the second fret gives EBEABE, at the fourth F♯C♯F♯BC♯F♯, and so on, which is how a fiddle tune in A or E is played from D shapes. Tune open strings before fitting the capo, then check again with it on, as a capo pulls strings sharp by a few cents.
Frequently asked questions
Which strings change for DADGAD?
From standard EADGBE, the sixth string drops from E to D, the second from B to A, and the first from E to D. Each is a whole step down. The fifth, fourth, and third strings (A, D, G) stay the same.
What chord do the open strings make in DADGAD?
A Dsus4: D, A, D, G, A, D. It has no third, so it is neither major nor minor, which is why the tuning works for so many modes and for drone-based playing.
Can I use a capo in DADGAD?
Yes, and most players do. A capo at the second fret gives EBEABE; at the fourth, F♯C♯F♯BC♯F♯. Tune with the capo off, then re-check with it on, since a capo pushes strings a few cents sharp.
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