Bass tuning · C G C F

Bass Drop C tuner.

C G C F: String 4 dropped to C1. Tune with your mic or by ear, at A4 = 440 or any pitch you need.

Tuner · Any tuning

Tune your bass.

Pluck a string and the meter shows how far off it is. Tap any string to hear it at its true pitch and tune by ear.

  • Pick any instrument and tuning
  • Shift it down or up by half steps
  • Set A to anything: 440, 432, 442…

C G C F · Drop D shape · −2 st

The sound never leaves your device.

Keys: Space start or stop · ← → half step · ↑ ↓ A (Shift: bigger steps) · 1–9 string · M mode · R hear · − + volume · L copy link · Esc done

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tab: D

Tap Start, then pluck any string.

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Strings · tap to hear

Bass · Drop tuning

About Bass Drop C

D Standard with String 4 dropped a whole step, to C1: C G C F. Drop tunings make a power chord from one finger across the lowest three strings, so heavy riffs get easier to play.

Bass Drop C matches guitars in Drop C. String 4 goes down to C1, 32.70 Hz, which phone mics hear only faintly.

Also written: CGCF

How to get there from standard

  • String 4: lower 2 whole steps (E1 → C1)
  • String 3: lower a whole step (A1 → G1)
  • String 2: lower a whole step (D2 → C2)
  • String 1: lower a whole step (G2 → F2)

Quicker from D Standard: lower String 4 a whole step (D1 → C1).

4 strings

Notes and frequencies

Bass Drop C: notes and frequencies in Hz at three common A4 references
StringNoteA = 440A = 432A = 442
4C132.7032.1132.85
3G149.0048.1149.22
2C265.4164.2265.70
1F287.3185.7287.70

The tuner on this page works at any A4 from 300 to 600 Hz, and can shift the whole tuning by half steps or fine cents.

Low notes. The lowest string here is C1 at 32.70 Hz. Most phone mics lose a lot of level below 80–⁠100 Hz, so they mostly hear the string's overtones. If the reading jumps, play the 12th-fret harmonic with the ×2 harmonic mode, or plug in through an audio interface. That's physics, not you.

Measured

How the tuner hears C1

Bass Drop C goes down to C1 on String 4, 32.70 Hz. A phone mic hears C1 faintly: in our phone-mic model its fundamental arrives 19 dB quieter. Read from its overtones, C1 stayed within 2 ¢.

How the tuner listens →

String tension

Strings and tension

String 4: about 37% less tension. Strings 3–⁠1: about 21% less tension (approx., same strings, same scale length).

To keep the feel of a 45–⁠105 set at standard pitch, try about 50–⁠135 (approx.: string makers' charts differ, and many players simply like it looser).

Check string tension → String by string, with your own set and scale length.

Neighboring tunings

Higher tunings first. Each rung moves every string of Bass Drop C by a half step; in the tuner, the ◂ ▸ arrows on the tuning chip do the same.

  1. Drop DLow string down to D
  2. Drop C♯Drop D, 1 half step lower. Notes: C sharp G sharp C sharp F sharp
  3. Drop CThis pageDrop D, 2 half steps lower. Notes: C G C F
  4. Drop BDrop D, 3 half steps lower. Notes: B F sharp B E
  5. Drop B♭Drop D, 4 half steps lower. Notes: B flat F B flat E flat

Questions

What are the notes of Bass Drop C?

From String 4 to String 1: C1 G1 C2 F2. At A4 = 440 Hz the lowest string is 32.70 Hz and the highest is 87.31 Hz.

How is Bass Drop C different from C Standard?

C Standard lowers all four strings 2 whole steps (C F B♭ E♭). Bass Drop C takes only String 4 that low; the other strings stay at D Standard (G C F).

Do I need heavier strings for Bass Drop C?

String 4: about 37% less tension. Strings 3–⁠1: about 21% less tension (approx.). To keep the feel of a 45–⁠105 set at standard pitch, try about 50–⁠135 (approx.: string makers' charts differ, and many players simply like it looser).