GuitarTuner.online

6-String Guitar tuner – New Standard (NST)

C-G-D-A-E-G · Alternative

Also known as Crafty, Fripp tuning

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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 6-String Guitar is to New Standard (NST) tuning (C-G-D-A-E-G). 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 New Standard (NST) tuning

Compared with Standard E, New Standard (NST) moves 5 strings. Some strings go up and others go down, so the total tension stays close to Standard E while the shape of the fretboard changes completely.1 string stays exactly where it was.

How New Standard (NST) differs from Standard E, string by string.
StringStandard ENew Standard (NST)Change
1E2C2down 4 semitones
2A2G2down 2 semitones
4G3A3up 2 semitones
5B3E4up 5 semitones
6E4G4up 3 semitones

Played open, the strings sound C-G-D-A-E-G – from C2 at the bottom to G4 at the top, a span of 2 octaves and 7 semitones. Step by step across the neck the intervals are a fifth, a fifth, a fifth, a fifth, a minor third, and that is what decides how chord shapes fall under the hand.

New Standard Tuning was devised by Robert Fripp and is the tuning taught in Guitar Craft courses. It stacks fifths from the bottom – the same interval the violin family uses – and tops the guitar with a minor third.

The consequences are deliberate: the range is wider than standard tuning, chord voicings spread out instead of clustering, and essentially none of your existing shapes transfer. It is an argument that the guitar's standard tuning is an accident of history rather than an optimum, and learning it means starting the fretboard again.

Dropping 5 semitones takes the tension down noticeably. A heavier set – or at least a heavier bottom string – keeps the intonation honest and stops the low string buzzing.

History

Where the New Standard (NST) tuning comes from

New Standard Tuning was devised by Robert Fripp of King Crimson, who said the idea came to him in September 1983. It tunes the guitar in fifths like a mandolin or cello, with a minor third on top, extending the range at both ends. Fripp taught it in his Guitar Craft courses from 1985 onward, so it is also known as the “Crafty” tuning.

History of the instrument: 6-String Guitar →

Other 6-String Guitar tunings

Standard

Standard E E-A-D-G-B-EHalf Step Down (Eb) D#-G#-C#-F#-A#-D#Whole Step Down (D) D-G-C-F-A-DB Standard B-E-A-D-F#-BPlus 1 (F) F-A#-D#-G#-C-FPlus 2 (F#) F#-B-E-A-C#-F#

Drop

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

Open

Open C C-G-C-G-C-EOpen D D-A-D-F#-A-DOpen Dm D-A-D-F-A-DOpen E E-B-E-G#-B-EOpen Em E-B-E-G-B-EOpen F C-F-C-F-A-FOpen G D-G-D-G-B-DOpen Gm D-G-D-G-A#-DOpen A E-A-C#-E-A-EOpen A 2 E-A-E-A-C#-EOpen Am E-A-E-A-C-EOpen B B-F#-B-F#-B-D#CGDGBD (Open G Low C) C-G-D-G-B-DFACGCE (Fmaj7) F-A-C-G-C-EWahine (G) D-G-D-F#-B-D

Modal

DADGAD (D Modal) D-A-D-G-A-DG Modal D-G-D-G-C-DOrkney C-G-D-G-C-D

Alternative

Double Daddy D-A-D-D-A-DAll Fourths E-A-D-G-C-FNew Standard (NST) C-G-D-A-E-GNashville (High Strung) E-A-D-G-B-EEADF#BE E-A-D-F#-B-EOstrich D-D-D-D-D-D

Chords for this tuning

CGDAEFAll 6-String Guitar chords →
How do I tune my 6-String Guitar to New Standard (NST)?

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 (C-G-D-A-E-G).

Which notes are used in New Standard (NST) tuning?

New Standard (NST) tuning for 6-String Guitar uses the notes C-G-D-A-E-G, 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.