Published by PitchChanger · Updated · How these guides are made
How to use this workflow
Select the intended preset
Open Guitar Tuner, choose DADGAD under Tuning mode, select Start tuning and allow microphone access.
Adjust the three changed strings
Starting from standard tuning, lower E2 to D2, B3 to A3 and E4 to D4. Pluck one string at a time and mute its neighbors.
Recheck all six strings
Select each target button to lock the intended string. Recheck the unchanged strings too, since changing tension can affect them.
The six-string DADGAD map at A4 = 440 Hz
The following frequencies are calculated with 440 × 2^((MIDI−69)/12), rounded to two decimals. They are tuning references from the implemented preset, not measurements of a guitar.
Read the table from the thickest string to the thinnest. D2 and D4 share a note name but differ by two octaves; tuning by the letter D alone is not enough.
Swipe or scroll sideways to read all columns.
| String | Standard → DADGAD | Change | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | E2 → D2 | −2 st | 73.42 Hz |
| 5 | A2 → A2 | 0 st | 110.00 Hz |
| 4 | D3 → D3 | 0 st | 146.83 Hz |
| 3 | G3 → G3 | 0 st | 196.00 Hz |
| 2 | B3 → A3 | −2 st | 220.00 Hz |
| 1 | E4 → D4 | −2 st | 293.66 Hz |
Lock the string when automatic choice jumps
Click the intended note button in Target strings. The displayed detected note still describes what the microphone hears, while cents are measured against the locked target. If you hear a high harmonic or another string rings, mute and pluck again before adjusting.
The reference-play button is enabled only during an active tuning session. Detection pauses while the reference sounds. Use it as a comparison tone, then pluck again; the site does not send your microphone to the speakers.
DADGAD changes fingering, not just the name of the tuning
The open strings emphasize D and A but do not supply the F-sharp that would make an open D-major chord. Familiar standard-tuning shapes can produce different notes. Check the voicing you want rather than assuming every standard chord shape still applies.
This tuner uses a fixed A4 = 440 Hz, listens to one sounding pitch at a time and does not offer custom targets or polyphonic tuning. This guide supplies reference calculations and a procedure; it does not report a physical-guitar test.
Common questions
Is DADGAD the same as Drop D?
No. Drop D changes only the sixth string from standard tuning. DADGAD also lowers the second and first strings by two semitones.
Should I raise a string if it reads D in the wrong octave?
Check which string and octave you intend before turning the peg. D2, D3 and D4 are different targets.