GuitarTuner.online

12-String Guitar tuner – Half Step Down

D#-D#-G#-G#-C#-C#-F#-F#-A#-A#-D#-D# · Standard

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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 Half Step Down tuning (D#-D#-G#-G#-C#-C#-F#-F#-A#-A#-D#-D#). 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 Half Step Down tuning

Compared with Standard, Half Step Down moves 12 strings. Every change is downward, the largest by 1 semitone, so the instrument sits at lower tension than in Standard.

How Half Step Down differs from Standard, string by string.
StringStandardHalf Step DownChange
1E2D#2down 1 semitone
2E3D#3down 1 semitone
3A2G#2down 1 semitone
4A3G#3down 1 semitone
5D3C#3down 1 semitone
6D4C#4down 1 semitone
7G3F#3down 1 semitone
8G4F#4down 1 semitone
9B3A#3down 1 semitone
10B3A#3down 1 semitone
11E4D#4down 1 semitone
12E4D#4down 1 semitone

Played open, the strings sound D#-D#-G#-G#-C#-C#-F#-F#-A#-A#-D#-D# – from D#2 at the bottom to F#4 at the top, a span of 2 octaves and 3 semitones.

Half Step Down 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.

The drop is small enough that a standard set handles it. If the lowest string starts to rattle against the frets, one step up in gauge fixes it.

History

Where the Half Step Down tuning comes from

Twelve-string guitars carry a lot of tension, and down-tuning is part of their history: Lead Belly and Blind Willie McTell tuned several semitones low. A half step down is a mild version of that tradition that eases the strain on the neck while keeping the standard sound.

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 Half Step Down?

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 (D#-D#-G#-G#-C#-C#-F#-F#-A#-A#-D#-D#).

Which notes are used in Half Step Down tuning?

Half Step Down tuning for 12-String Guitar uses the notes D#-D#-G#-G#-C#-C#-F#-F#-A#-A#-D#-D#, 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.