Half step down tuning (Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb) lowers every string on the guitar by exactly one semitone (one half step) from standard tuning. The strings are tuned to Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, and Eb from thickest to thinnest. All standard chord shapes and scale patterns remain the same — everything just sounds one semitone lower.

Guitarists tune half a step down for several reasons. Lower tension makes string bends and vibrato easier, which is why blues and rock players like Stevie Ray Vaughan (who used heavy strings) tuned down. It also gives the guitar a slightly darker, warmer tone. Some singers prefer the slightly lower pitch for their vocal range. And certain famous recordings were made this way, so matching them requires the same tuning.

Half step down tuning was used by Jimi Hendrix on songs like 'Purple Haze' and 'Voodoo Child.' Stevie Ray Vaughan used it as his standard tuning. Guns N' Roses songs including 'Sweet Child O' Mine' and 'November Rain' are in Eb. Kurt Cobain used it on many Nirvana recordings. Van Halen, Alice in Chains, and many classic rock and grunge bands also used this tuning.

Famous songs in Eb tuning include 'Purple Haze' by Jimi Hendrix, 'Texas Flood' and 'Pride and Joy' by Stevie Ray Vaughan, 'Sweet Child O' Mine' and 'November Rain' by Guns N' Roses, 'Come As You Are' and 'In Bloom' by Nirvana, 'Killing in the Name' by Rage Against the Machine, and many songs by Alice in Chains.

Yes — half step down tuning, Eb tuning, and Eb standard all refer to the same thing: every string lowered one semitone from standard EADGBE. The names come from the lowest string's note (Eb instead of E). Some players also call it 'flat tuning.' It is distinct from Drop Eb, which would lower only the lowest string.