Guitar tuning · D A D G A D
DADGAD tuner.
D A D G A D: lowest string D2. Tune with your mic or by ear, at A4 = 440 or any pitch you need.
Tuner · Any tuning
Tune your guitar.
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…
D A D G A D
Check string tension →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
Ready
Strings 1 → 6
3 times each
Tap Start, then pluck any string.
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Strings · tap to hear
Instrument
Try uke, bari, 5 string, cello…
Tuning
DADGAD
Shape
Shift
Standard pitch
Higher or lower
Fine-tune
Moves every string a little, for example to match a recording.
Custom tuning
Any strings, any notes
One row for each string. The top row is the top string, usually the thickest.
Start from
Strings
+ adds a lower string at the top. − takes the top string away.
Notes from C0 to C8. Type a note like D2, F♯3 or B♭1, or use − and +.
Save and use keeps it on this device (up to 8 tunings). Use without saving tunes with it for now.
Reference A
Slider 380–500 Hz. Type any value from 300 to 600 Hz.
More pitches
Sound
Violin, viola, cello and double bass start with Bowed, the rest with Acoustic.
Note length
Match a recording Beta
Find the A a song was recorded at, then tune to it and play along.
…listening
Play the song, loud and clear.
Result
This recording sits on A 440
The tuner already matches it: nothing to change.
A recording is only known within a half step: if the song is a half step down, also change the tuning.
Beta: tested on real records and synthetic songs. Check the result by ear.
Nothing is uploaded: the sound is measured on this device.
Settings
Mode
Guided: one string at a time, from the thickest.
Meter
Bar: a slider with a mint in-tune zone.
Note length
How long a tapped string and Hear sound. Repeat plays the string again every few seconds, Continuous holds it: tap it again to stop.
Reference sound
Violin, viola, cello and double bass start with Bowed, the rest with Acoustic. A sound you pick stays.
Volume
Phone speakers play very low notes an octave up.
Note names
Sharps and flats
Octave numbers (E2, E4)
Tells the two E strings apart: E2 is the low one, E4 the high one.
Frequencies (Hz)
Each string's pitch in hertz, such as 82.4 Hz.
In tune within
Precise is not used with harmonics: Normal ±3 applies.
Harmonic mode
For one low string: play its 12th-fret harmonic (×2) or its 5th-fret one (×4).
Pro view
The pitch heard in Hz, tenths of a cent and the input picker. Turns on octave numbers and frequencies.
Device names appear after you allow the microphone.
Input channel
Auto picks the channel with sound. Interfaces: choose the input your instrument is plugged into.
Background
Night ocean, cosmos, forest and more.
The sound never leaves your device. No account, no cookies.
Guitar · Alternate tuning
About DADGAD
The name spells the notes. Three strings drop from standard, and the open strings ring a suspended chord, neither major nor minor. The notes: D A D G A D.
DADGAD is the classic tuning of Celtic and folk guitar. It suits fingerstyle playing, with open strings ringing under the melody. Its three low strings are the same as in Drop D, so one-finger power chords still work.
Also written: DADGAD
How to get there from standard
- String 6: lower a whole step (E2 → D2)
- String 5: no change (A2)
- String 4: no change (D3)
- String 3: no change (G3)
- String 2: lower a whole step (B3 → A3)
- String 1: lower a whole step (E4 → D4)
Quicker from Open D: raise String 3 a half step (F♯3 → G3).
Why players use it
Why DADGAD
DADGAD has no third in its open chord, so the same drones work under major and minor melodies alike. Strings 3 and 2, G and A, are only a whole step apart, so notes on neighbouring strings rub against each other and ring on together, a harp-like effect that fingerstyle players build whole tunes on.
On the records
Who plays in DADGAD
Davy Graham brought it into British folk guitar in the early 1960s. Jimmy Page carried it from his Yardbirds solo piece White Summer into Led Zeppelin's Black Mountain Side (1969) and later Kashmir on Physical Graffiti (1975). TuneLit has five songs in it: those two, David Gilmour's acoustic on Poles Apart from The Division Bell (1994), which he said grew out of the tuning, and Radiohead's Little by Little (2011) and Desert Island Disk (2016).
Songs on TuneLit
Famous songs in DADGAD
5 songs · 3 bands
Every DADGAD song on TuneLit
Open a band to see its songs in this tuning. Each song opens on its album page, at its own Tune button, set to the pitch of the record.
Led Zeppelin 2 songs
Radiohead 2 songs
Pink Floyd 1 song
Playing tips
Playing in DADGAD
Check the changed strings by octaves: String 2 should match String 5 one octave up, and String 1 should match String 4. A capo moves the whole drone to a new key: Desert Island Disk has one at the 5th fret, which turns the open strings into G D G C D G. Little by Little sits about 17 cents flat on the record, so start from its Tune button.
6 strings
Notes and frequencies
| String | Note | A = 440 | A = 432 | A = 442 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | D2 | 73.42 | 72.08 | 73.75 |
| 5 | A2 | 110.00 | 108.00 | 110.50 |
| 4 | D3 | 146.83 | 144.16 | 147.50 |
| 3 | G3 | 196.00 | 192.43 | 196.89 |
| 2 | A3 | 220.00 | 216.00 | 221.00 |
| 1 | D4 | 293.66 | 288.33 | 295.00 |
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.
Measured
How the tuner hears D2
DADGAD goes down to D2 on String 6, 73.42 Hz. A phone mic hears D2 faintly: in our phone-mic model its fundamental arrives 6 dB quieter. Read from its overtones, D2 stayed within 1 ¢.
String tension
Strings and tension
Strings 6, 2 and 1: about 21% less tension (approx., same strings, same scale length).
Most players keep their usual strings for this. If the lowest string feels floppy or buzzes, go one gauge heavier on that string only.
Check string tension → String by string, with your own set and scale length.
Neighboring tunings
Higher tunings first. Each rung moves every string of DADGAD by a half step; in the tuner, the ◂ ▸ arrows on the tuning chip do the same.
- DADGAD +2DADGAD, 2 half steps higher. Notes: E B E A B E
- DADGAD +1DADGAD, 1 half step higher. Notes: E flat B flat E flat A flat B flat E flat
- DADGADThis pageRinging folk and Celtic sound. Notes: D A D G A D
- DADGAD −1DADGAD, 1 half step lower. Notes: C sharp G sharp C sharp F sharp G sharp C sharp
- DADGAD −2DADGAD, 2 half steps lower. Notes: C G C F G C
Questions
What are the notes of DADGAD?
From String 6 to String 1: D2 A2 D3 G3 A3 D4. At A4 = 440 Hz the lowest string is 73.42 Hz and the highest is 293.66 Hz.
Why is it called DADGAD?
The name spells the open strings from String 6 to String 1: D A D G A D. Together they make a Dsus4 chord, neither major nor minor, which suits Celtic and folk music.
Can I use DADGAD at A = 432 or 442?
Yes. Tap the A 440 chip and choose 432 or 442, or type any value. String 6 is 72.08 Hz at A = 432 and 73.75 Hz at A = 442.