Half step down tuning

Half step down (E♭), from the 6th string to the 1st: E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭. Frequencies are for A4 = 440 Hz.

Half step down tuning lowers all six strings by one half step, the distance of one fret: E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭, from the 6th string to the 1st. It goes by several names, E♭ standard, E flat tuning, or "tune down 1/2 step" at the top of sheet music and tabs, and they all mean the same thing.

Because every string moves by the same amount, the gaps between the strings are exactly those of standard tuning. Every chord shape, scale pattern and tab works unchanged; the guitar just sounds 100 cents lower. A tab for a tuned-down song still says E where you play the E shape, even though the chord you hear is E♭.

The chart spells the notes with flats, and some books use sharps instead: D♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯. They are the same pitches; flats are the usual spelling because the tuning is thought of as standard tuning lowered.

To play along with records. Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan both tuned down a half step, as did many rock and metal bands after them. In standard tuning you would be one fret away from the record for the whole song.

For the voice. Lowering the guitar lowers the key of every song by a half step, which can be the difference between a singer reaching the top note and straining for it, and it saves transposing every chord.

For the feel. A half step down takes about 11% of the tension off every string, so bends need less force and vibrato comes more easily. Some players use that slack to fit heavier strings for a fuller tone at a familiar feel; Stevie Ray Vaughan's very heavy strings in E♭ are the classic example.

From standard, loosen each string by one fret's worth. On this page every target is only 100 cents below where the string starts, so Auto mode finds the right string on its own: pluck, turn and watch the hint change from Tune down to In tune. Go a touch below and come back up so each peg holds.

A quick check by ear: with a capo on the 1st fret, the guitar should be back at standard pitch, so the capoed strings should match the notes the standard guitar tuning page plays. Going back to standard is the reverse: tighten each string a half step, tuning up to the note, and give it a second pass.

Some recordings are not exactly at E♭, because the tape ran a little fast or slow or the band tuned by ear. If the tuner says you are in tune but the record still sounds off, open the settings and nudge the A4 reference until the guitar agrees with the record; it goes from 415 to 466 Hz in 1 Hz steps. That one setting is shared by every tuner on this site and remembered, so set it back to 440 when the song is done.

The lowest A4 setting, 415 Hz, sits almost exactly a half step below 440 Hz: 440 lowered by one half step is 415.3 Hz. Many baroque ensembles tune to A = 415, and a piece they play in D sounds close to a modern D♭.

It also means a guitar tuned half step down reads as standard tuning on the guitar tuner with A4 set to 415. That is a handy cross-check, but A4 is a single setting for every tuner on this site and it is remembered: set it back to 440 before you tune on this page, where the targets are already E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭. Left at 415, this page would lead you a whole step below standard.

Bands that tune down usually take the bass with them. The bass tuner has a half step down setting, E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭, so the whole band can tune to the same reference.