Drop C# (Drop Db) Tuning

Drop C# tuning (C#-G#-C#-F#-A#-D#, also written Drop Db: Db-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb) is Drop D tuning lowered by a half step. Equivalently: tune the whole guitar down a half step (Eb standard), then drop the 6th string one more whole step to C#/Db. You keep Drop D's one-finger power chords on the bottom string, with a darker, heavier sound a semitone lower.

From standard tuning, lower every string a half step (E→Eb, A→Ab, D→Db, G→Gb, B→Bb, E→Eb), then lower the 6th string a further whole step from Eb/D# down to Db/C#. Use the tuner above — it is preset to Drop C#, so each string shows its target note as you play. Tune down past the note and come back up for better stability.

Yes — C# and Db are the same pitch written two different ways (enharmonic equivalents). Guitarists in metal circles usually say Drop C#, while Drop Db is common in rock contexts because the tuning is often reached from Eb standard (half step down), which is spelled with flats. This tuner displays flat names: Db-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb.

Alice in Chains built much of 'Dirt' on Drop Db — 'Them Bones' and 'Dam That River' are the classic examples. A Perfect Circle's 'Judith' is in Drop C#, and Van Halen's 'Unchained' is a famous early Drop Db riff. The tuning shows up across grunge, alternative metal, and hard rock wherever bands want Drop D weight with a half-step-darker color.

All three share the same shape — a dropped 6th string a whole step below the rest. Drop D (D-A-D-G-B-E) keeps standard pitch on five strings; Drop C# is everything lowered a half step from Drop D; Drop C (C-G-C-F-A-D) is a full step below Drop D. Riffs and power-chord shapes transfer directly between them — only the overall pitch and string tension change.