Free Online Half Step Down Guitar Tuner
Every string down a semitone, each one read against its own target.
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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 Half step down tuning (E♭2, A♭2, D♭3, G♭3, B♭3, E♭4), 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.
Half step down tuning, also called E♭ standard or E♭ tuning, lowers every string one semitone: E♭2, A♭2, D♭3, G♭3, B♭3, E♭4. The intervals between strings are unchanged, so every chord shape and scale pattern works exactly as in standard tuning and simply sounds a semitone lower. Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Slash, and a large share of hard rock and blues recordings are in this tuning, partly for the looser feel under the fingers and partly because it sits better with many singers’ ranges.
On a chromatic tuner half step down is awkward because every string lands on a black-key note, and a tuner that labels them as D♯, G♯, C♯, F♯, A♯, D♯ makes players second-guess whether they have the right string. This page shows the six targets as flats, which is how guitarists talk about the tuning, and reads each string against its own target, so the sixth string is measured against E♭2 from the moment you start turning. Tap a button to hear the note or to lock the tuner to one string.
Tune all six down, then go round a second time. Lowering the total tension on the neck lets it straighten slightly, which raises the pitch of every string a few cents, so the first string you tuned will have crept sharp by the time you finish the sixth. Two passes are normal for a full-set change; a third pass is common on a guitar with a floating tremolo, where every string change moves the bridge and therefore every other string. Tune each string up to pitch from below on the final pass.
If you play in E♭ standard most of the time, consider a set one gauge heavier than you use for standard, .011s instead of .010s, to bring the tension and the feel back to normal and reduce fret buzz. The same page logic works for tuning a whole step down, D standard, with the chromatic tuner: every string drops another semitone from these targets. For drop tunings that start from a lowered set, drop C♯ or drop C, tune to E♭ or D standard first and then take the sixth string down a further whole step, as on the drop D page.
Frequently asked questions
What is guitar tuning a half step down called?
E♭ standard, E♭ tuning, or half step down. Every string is lowered one semitone: E♭2, A♭2, D♭3, G♭3, B♭3, E♭4. Chord shapes and scale patterns are unchanged and sound a semitone lower.
Why is my tuner showing D♯ instead of E♭?
D♯ and E♭ are the same pitch. Chromatic tuners often label black-key notes as sharps. This page labels the targets as flats, which is how the tuning is usually written, and measures each string against its own target, so the label does not matter while you tune.
Do I need different strings for E♭ standard?
Not necessarily. A standard set works, with slightly lower tension and a looser feel. Players who stay in E♭ full time often go one gauge heavier to bring the tension back to what they are used to and to reduce buzzing.
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