Drop C tuning

Getting there from standard

6 of 6 strings move.

• String 6 E2 → C2 4 semitones down
• String 5 A2 → G2 a whole tone down
• String 4 D3 → C3 a whole tone down
• String 3 G3 → F3 a whole tone down
• String 2 B3 → A3 a whole tone down
• String 1 E4 → D4 a whole tone down

What it does to your playing

Everything you know from Drop D transfers directly, because the intervals between the strings are identical — only the pitch has moved. The low C gives riffs a genuinely different character rather than just a lower one: at these frequencies the fundamental starts to compete with the room and with the bass guitar, so palm muting and tight playing matter more than they do higher up. Chords voiced across all six strings can get muddy; most players in this tuning work with the bottom three or four.

Strings and setup

This is the point at which strings genuinely need changing. A standard .010–.046 set at Drop C is slack enough to buzz on almost any guitar and will feel unpleasant under the fingers. A .011–.056 or heavier set is the usual answer, and going up in gauge changes the neck relief enough that the truss rod will probably need a small adjustment. Nut slots cut for thin strings may also need widening.