Guitar tuning
7-String Drop A Tuning
Seven-string drop A lowers the seventh string from B to A for low one-finger power chords while keeping the upper six strings in standard tuning.
- Notes low to high
- A, E, A, D, G, B, E
- Strings
- 7
- Default frets
- 24
- Open pitch range
- A1 to E4
- 24-fret pitch range
- A1 to E6
- Also called
- AEADGBE
How this tuning changes the guitar
The upper six strings remain in standard tuning while the seventh string drops from B to A. The lowest three open strings form A-E-A, giving a root, fifth, and octave across strings 7, 6, and 5.
Fretboard and chord implications
A single fret across the lowest three strings creates movable power chords, while all familiar six-string material remains unchanged above them. Patterns crossing between strings 7 and 6 require the drop-tuning two-fret adjustment.
7-String Drop A Tuning fretboard notes
7-String Drop A Tuning string notes
| String | Note | Pitch |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | A | A1 |
| 6 | E | E2 |
| 5 | A | A2 |
| 4 | D | D3 |
| 3 | G | G3 |
| 2 | B | B3 |
| 1 | E | E4 |
Common uses
- low-tuned heavy music
- modern heavy music
- extended-range rhythm guitar
- low power-chord riffs
Practice this tuning
- Tune from low to high as A E A D G B E, then play each open string while saying its note name and string number aloud.
- Map A roots and E fifths across strings 7 through 5, then connect them to an A minor scale shape on the upper six strings.
- Write an A-centered riff that alternates low one-finger power chords with higher inversions using the unchanged standard-tuned strings.
Open this tuning in the fretboard tool
Start with 7-string drop a tuning loaded, then adjust root, scale, fret count, labels, colors, and orientation.
Open in interactive fretboard