6-String Guitar tuner – Half Step Down (Eb)
D#-G#-C#-F#-A#-D# · Standard
Also known as Eb Standard, E♭ tuning
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 6-String Guitar is to Half Step Down (Eb) tuning (D#-G#-C#-F#-A#-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 (Eb) tuning
Compared with Standard E, Half Step Down (Eb) moves 6 strings. Every change is downward, the largest by 1 semitone, so the instrument sits at lower tension than in Standard E.
| String | Standard E | Half Step Down (Eb) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E2 | D#2 | down 1 semitone |
| 2 | A2 | G#2 | down 1 semitone |
| 3 | D3 | C#3 | down 1 semitone |
| 4 | G3 | F#3 | down 1 semitone |
| 5 | B3 | A#3 | down 1 semitone |
| 6 | E4 | D#4 | down 1 semitone |
Played open, the strings sound D#-G#-C#-F#-A#-D# – from D#2 at the bottom to D#4 at the top, a span of 2 octaves. Step by step across the neck the intervals are a fourth, a fourth, a fourth, a major third, a fourth, and that is what decides how chord shapes fall under the hand.
Half Step Down keeps every interval of standard tuning and moves the whole guitar one fret lower. Nothing you know changes – the shapes, the scales and the tabs are identical, they just sound a semitone flat – which is why it has been the quiet default of so many records: Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Guns N' Roses, Van Halen.
Two practical reasons keep it popular. The slightly lower tension makes big bends and heavy vibrato easier on the hands, and it drops a vocal line a semitone without rewriting a single chord. If a song sounds like it is in E but every tab is one fret off, this is usually why.
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 (Eb) tuning comes from
Tuning the whole guitar down a semitone has no inventor – it was a practical trick long before it had a name, used to ease string tension, to make bends easier or to suit a singer's voice. It became a recognisable rock sound in the late 1960s: Jimi Hendrix tuned down a half step for most of his career, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eddie Van Halen, Guns N' Roses and Slayer followed.
Other 6-String Guitar tunings
Standard
Drop
Open
Chords for this tuning
How do I tune my 6-String Guitar to Half Step Down (Eb)?
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#-G#-C#-F#-A#-D#).
Which notes are used in Half Step Down (Eb) tuning?
Half Step Down (Eb) tuning for 6-String Guitar uses the notes D#-G#-C#-F#-A#-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.