GuitarTuner.online

6-String Guitar tuner – Orkney

C-G-D-G-C-D · Modal

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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 Orkney tuning (C-G-D-G-C-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 Orkney tuning

Compared with Standard E, Orkney moves 4 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.2 strings stay exactly where they were.

How Orkney differs from Standard E, string by string.
StringStandard EOrkneyChange
1E2C2down 4 semitones
2A2G2down 2 semitones
5B3C4up 1 semitone
6E4D4down 2 semitones

Played open, the strings sound C-G-D-G-C-D – from C2 at the bottom to D4 at the top, a span of 2 octaves and 2 semitones. Step by step across the neck the intervals are a fifth, a fifth, a fourth, a fourth, a whole tone, and that is what decides how chord shapes fall under the hand.

Strummed open, with nothing fretted, the strings spell Csus2. That is what makes a tuning like this useful for slide playing and drones – a full chord is one straight barre away at any fret. See Csus2 shapes in this tuning →

Orkney tuning, CGDGCD, is a modal tuning associated with Scottish and Northumbrian repertoire. Its stack of fifths and fourths puts two Gs and two Ds under the hand, which is exactly what a tune with a pipe-like drone needs.

The low C gives the guitar a bass note below its usual range and a good deal of sustain. It suits airs and slow reels far better than it suits strummed songs.

Dropping 4 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 Orkney tuning comes from

The name Orkney tuning (C-G-D-G-C-D) is usually credited to the American Celtic fingerstyle guitarist Steve Baughman, who used and taught it in the 1990s. It is closely related to DADGAD and open C, with a very wide, resonant range.

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 Orkney?

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-G-C-D).

Which notes are used in Orkney tuning?

Orkney tuning for 6-String Guitar uses the notes C-G-D-G-C-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.