GuitarTuner.online

12-String Guitar tuner – Drop B

B-B-F#-F#-B-B-E-E-G#-G#-C#-C# · Drop

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Microphone off
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Press “Start tuner” – the browser will ask for microphone access. Sound is analysed on this device and never uploaded.

This free online tuner listens through your microphone and shows how close each string of your 12-String Guitar is to Drop B tuning (B-B-F#-F#-B-B-E-E-G#-G#-C#-C#). Play a string, watch the needle, and turn the peg until the meter glows green. If you prefer tuning by ear, tap any string card to hear its reference tone.

About Drop B tuning

Compared with Standard, Drop B moves 12 strings. Every change is downward, the largest by 5 semitones, so the instrument sits at lower tension than in Standard.

How Drop B differs from Standard, string by string.
StringStandardDrop BChange
1E2B1down 5 semitones
2E3B2down 5 semitones
3A2F#2down 3 semitones
4A3F#3down 3 semitones
5D3B2down 3 semitones
6D4B3down 3 semitones
7G3E3down 3 semitones
8G4E4down 3 semitones
9B3G#3down 3 semitones
10B3G#3down 3 semitones
11E4C#4down 3 semitones
12E4C#4down 3 semitones

Played open, the strings sound B-B-F#-F#-B-B-E-E-G#-G#-C#-C# – from B1 at the bottom to E4 at the top, a span of 2 octaves and 5 semitones.

Drop B is re-entrant: the strings do not rise steadily in pitch, so the string nearest your thumb is not the lowest note available. That is deliberate, and it is a large part of why the instrument sounds the way it does.

This is a long drop: 5 semitones below Standard. Standard gauges will flap at this pitch. A heavy set, and often a longer scale, is what makes the tuning playable rather than merely possible.

History

Where the Drop B tuning comes from

Drop B on the twelve-string is rare because of the octave strings – the high octave string of the lowest course is under considerable stress. It is used in modern alternative and post-rock arrangements; no documented originator.

History of the instrument: 12-String Guitar →

Other 12-String Guitar tunings

Standard

Standard E-E-A-A-D-D-G-G-B-B-E-EHalf Step Down D#-D#-G#-G#-C#-C#-F#-F#-A#-A#-D#-D#Whole Step Down D-D-G-G-C-C-F-F-A-A-D-D

Drop

Drop D D-D-A-A-D-D-G-G-B-B-E-EDouble Drop D D-D-A-A-D-D-G-G-B-B-D-DDrop C C-C-G-G-C-C-F-F-A-A-D-DDrop C# C#-C#-G#-G#-C#-C#-F#-F#-A#-A#-D#-D#Drop B B-B-F#-F#-B-B-E-E-G#-G#-C#-C#Drop A A-A-E-E-A-A-D-D-F#-F#-B-B

Modal

D Modal D-D-A-A-D-D-G-G-A-A-D-D

Open

Open C C-C-G-G-C-C-G-G-C-C-E-EOpen D D-D-A-A-D-D-F#-F#-A-A-D-DOpen E E-E-B-B-E-E-G#-G#-B-B-E-EOpen G D-D-G-G-D-D-G-G-B-B-D-D

Chords for this tuning

CGDAEFAll 12-String Guitar chords →
How do I tune my 12-String Guitar to Drop B?

Allow microphone access, pluck a string, and the tuner will detect it automatically. The needle shows whether the string is flat or sharp – adjust until the reading is within ±5 cents (B-B-F#-F#-B-B-E-E-G#-G#-C#-C#).

Which notes are used in Drop B tuning?

Drop B tuning for 12-String Guitar uses the notes B-B-F#-F#-B-B-E-E-G#-G#-C#-C#, listed from the lowest string to the highest.

Can I tune without a microphone?

Yes. Every string card plays a reference tone – tap it and match your string to the sound by ear.