8-String Guitar tuner – Drop E
E-B-E-A-D-G-B-E · Drop
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 8-String Guitar is to Drop E tuning (E-B-E-A-D-G-B-E). 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 E tuning
Compared with Standard F#, Drop E moves 1 string. Every change is downward, the largest by 2 semitones, so the instrument sits at lower tension than in Standard F#.7 strings stay exactly where they were.
| String | Standard F# | Drop E | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F#1 | E1 | down 2 semitones |
Played open, the strings sound E-B-E-A-D-G-B-E – from E1 at the bottom to E4 at the top, a span of 3 octaves. Step by step across the neck the intervals are a fifth, a fourth, a fourth, a fourth, a fourth, a major third, a fourth, and that is what decides how chord shapes fall under the hand.
Drop E lowers the eighth string a whole tone, putting the guitar's lowest note a semitone below the open E of a four-string bass. As with every drop tuning, the payoff is the one-finger power chord on the bottom three strings.
At this pitch the string is doing something a guitar string was never designed for. A very heavy bottom course, a long scale and a careful setup are not optional.
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 Drop E tuning comes from
Drop E on an eight-string lowers the F# string to E, a full octave below the guitar's normal low E – the pitch of a bass guitar. It gives a one-finger power chord on the bottom strings and appeared with the eight-string boom of the late 2000s and 2010s. There is no documented originator.
Other 8-String Guitar tunings
Chords for this tuning
How do I tune my 8-String Guitar to Drop E?
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 (E-B-E-A-D-G-B-E).
Which notes are used in Drop E tuning?
Drop E tuning for 8-String Guitar uses the notes E-B-E-A-D-G-B-E, 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.