Guitar tuning
C Standard Tuning
C standard lowers the guitar two whole steps from standard tuning for a heavier six-string range.
- Notes low to high
- C, F, Bb, Eb, G, C
- Strings
- 6
- Default frets
- 24
- Open pitch range
- C2 to C4
- 24-fret pitch range
- C2 to C6
- Also called
- Two Steps Down, CFBbEbGC
How this tuning changes the guitar
Every string is two whole steps below standard tuning, so familiar interval relationships and shapes remain intact across all six strings. This large pitch change commonly calls for string tension and intonation adjustments suited to the instrument.
Fretboard and chord implications
A familiar E shape sounds as C, while an A shape sounds as F. Closed scale, arpeggio, and chord patterns keep their geometry but produce concert pitches four semitones below their standard-tuning names.
C Standard Tuning fretboard notes
C Standard Tuning string notes
| String | Note | Pitch |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | C | C2 |
| 5 | F | F2 |
| 4 | Bb | Bb2 |
| 3 | Eb | Eb3 |
| 2 | G | G3 |
| 1 | C | C4 |
Common uses
- extreme heavy music
- stoner rock
- doom
- heavy rhythm guitar
Practice this tuning
- Tune from low to high as C F Bb Eb G C, then play each open string while saying its note name and string number aloud.
- Play three familiar standard-tuning chord shapes and identify their concert roots in C standard before checking the diagram.
- Build a C-centered riff that moves between open-position shapes and the same chord tones in a closed position higher on the neck.
Open this tuning in the fretboard tool
Start with c standard tuning loaded, then adjust root, scale, fret count, labels, colors, and orientation.
Open in interactive fretboard