Drop C tuning

Drop C tuning is an alternative guitar tuning where at least one string has been lowered to a C, but most commonly refers to CGCFAD, which can be described as D tuning with a 6th string dropped to C, or drop D tuning transposed down a whole step. Because of its heavier tone, it is most commonly used in rock and heavy metal music.[1][2][3][4][5]

Drop C tuning (CGCFAD)

Variations

• CGDGBE – Dropping the low E string to a C, and the A string to a G, to make a fifth chord. The rest of the strings remain the same.[6]
• CADGBE – This is achieved by taking standard tuning (EADGBE), and dropping the low E to a C. All other strings remain in standard tuning.[7]

Artists that have used CGCFAD

A-F

• A.N.I.M.A.L. (from Acosados Nuestros Indios Murieron Al Luchar to El Nuevo Camino Del Hombre albums)
• A Day to Remember
• Acid Drinkers (on newest albums)
• Alesana (on most songs of their Confessions album)
• All Them Witches (on most songs from Dying Surfer Meets His Maker)
• Allison (on the song "Matar o Morir")
• Alter Bridge (on some songs such as "Isolation")[8]
• American Head Charge (on the song "Seamless")
• Anberlin
• And So I Watch You from Afar
• Arch/Matheos[9]
• Architects (on the album Nightmares)
• Arsis
• Arsonists Get All the Girls
• As Blood Runs Black
• As I Lay Dying
• Asking Alexandria (from the whole Reckless & Relentless album and on the song "Break Down the Walls")
• Atreyu
• August Burns Red
• Avenged Sevenfold (on the songs "Second Heartbeat", "Radiant Eclipse", and "Victim")
• Bad Omens
• Baroness
• Beartooth
• Becoming the Archetype
• Before the Dawn (since their third album The Ghost until their split-up)
• Berri Txarrak (after their first album)
• Biffy Clyro (on many tracks, including "That Golden Rule", "The Captain", "Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies" and "Stingin' Belle")
• Black Label Society
• Black Stone Cherry[10][11]
• Black Veil Brides
• Blessthefall
• Born of Osiris (along with drop G-tuned 7-string guitars)
• Breaking Benjamin (the majority of We Are Not Alone, and some songs from later albums)
• Breaking Point
• Bring Me the Horizon (on some songs and the majority of Sempiternal)
• Buckethead (on "Nottingham Lace")
• Bullet for My Valentine
• Buried in Verona
• Byzantine
• Cancer Bats
• Celldweller
• Chevelle (all albums since Hats Off to the Bull, as well as live performances of "Sleep Apnea")
• Charon (on their recent material)
• Children of Bodom
• Chimaira[12] (on most songs after their first album)
• Closure in Moscow
• Code Orange
• Coldrain (on their recent material along with D tuning)
• Colour Haze
• Converge (since Jane Doe, tuned to CGCFG#C in some songs, CGCFAD and DGCFAD)
• Corrosion of Conformity
• Counterparts
• Crossfade
• Crown the Empire
• Crush 40 (on "I Am...All of Me")
• Cry of the Afflicted
• Courage My Love (on "You Don't Know How" from Becoming)
• Cult of Luna (on their self-titled debut album)
• Dååth[4]
• Damageplan (on "Reborn" from New Found Power)
• Darkest Hour
• Darkness Divided
• Davey Suicide
• David Wilcox (on "That's What the Lonely Is For" from Big Horizon)
• Deathstars
• Deez Nuts
• Deftones (on the album White Pony and other songs on later album)
• Demon Hunter (on their self-titled debut album)
• Destrage
• DevilDriver (mostly on The Last Kind Words and later albums and live) performances
• Disciple
• Disillusion
• Disturbed (on some songs since Ten Thousand Fists)
• Dope[13]
• Draconian (on their recent material)
• Dream Evil (on some songs)
• Drowning Pool
• Edguy (on the song "Ministry of Saints")
• Edgewater (on the songs such as "Break Me Out")
• Empatic
• Enter Shikari
• Escape the Fate[14]
• Eskimo Callboy
• Evans Blue
• Evanescence (on some songs)
• Evergrey (on most of their songs)
• Every Time I Die (on some songs from Low Teens)
• Fair to Midland (as low 4 guitar strings and high 2 C guitar strings)
• Falling in Reverse
• Famous Last Words (on Two-Faced Charade album)
• Fantômas (on most of their songs)
• Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas (on most of their songs)
• Firewind
• For Today
• Fozzy
• From First to Last
• Fuel (on the song "Won't Back Down")

G-M

• Ghost (on the song "Mummy Dust" and their covers of "It's a Sin" by Pet Shop Boys and "Missionary Man" by Eurythmics)
• Ghost Bath
• Glamour of the Kill
• God Forbid (along with D tuning, it's their main tuning)
• Godsmack (along with D tuning, it's their main tuning)
• Gojira (on The Way of All Flesh and L'Enfant Sauvage, as well as some songs on Magma)
• Greeley Estates (on their Album Go West Young Man, Let the Evil Go East)
• Green Arrows (from the second album)
• Halford
• HammerFall (on "One More Time")
• Hands Like Houses
• Haste the Day
• Heaven & Hell (on "Follow the Tears") [15]
• Hellyeah
• Helmet (since Size Matters)
• He Is Legend
• Holy Soldier (on "Promise Man")
• HUM (on some songs from Downward Is Heavenward and most songs from Inlet)
• I Set My Friends on Fire
• I, the Breather
• Icarus the Owl
• Ice Nine Kills (throughout The Burning EP and some songs from other albums)
• Ill Niño
• In Fear and Faith
• Intervals
• Isis (on their earlier demos)
• It Dies Today
• Iwrestledabearonce
• Job for a Cowboy
• Killer Be Killed
• Killswitch Engage
• King Buzzo
• King's X[16] (most later material and live performances, also used on some songs since Dogman)
• Kittie
• Lamb of God (on the songs "Resurrection Man" and "Bloodshot Eyes" from their self-titled album)
• Linkin Park (on the song "Rebellion")
• Loma Prieta
• Lostprophets
• Lower Definition
• Luxtorpeda
• Marmozets
• Mastodon (on some songs)
• Maximum the Hormone
• Mejibray
• Metallica (on most songs from St. Anger)
• MewithoutYou
• Misery Signals (on most albums)
• Miss May I
• Motionless in White
• Mötley Crüe (on some songs from Motley Crue, on the song "Mutherfucker of the Year")
• Mudvayne
• Murderdolls

N-S

• Neck Deep (except from Rain in July, some songs from The Peace and the Panic (C#) and some songs live (B and Standard).)
• Neil Young
• Nickelback (on some songs) [17][18]
• Nine Inch Nails (on "Into the Void")
• Nirvana (on "Blew" and "Something in the Way")
• Nonpoint
• Nothing More
• Oceana
• Of Mice & Men
• Oh, Sleeper
• Ozzy Osbourne (on "I Don't Wanna Stop")
• Painted in Exile
• Pantera (on "I'll Cast a Shadow" from Reinventing the Steel)
• Papa Roach
• Parkway Drive (on their earlier EPs)
• Periphery
• Pianos Become the Teeth
• Pillar
• Planetshakers
• P.O.D.
• Poison the Well
• Poisonblack
• Porcupine Tree (on "Anesthetize")
• Primal Fear (latest albums along with D standard)
• Probot
• Prong
• Radiohead (on the non-album track "Ill Wind" and "The Numbers")
• Rammstein (live renditions of "Mein Herz brennt", on the albums Reise, Reise and Rosenrot in full, and half of the album Liebe ist für alle da)
• Red Fang
• Rob Zombie
• Rush (on "Totem")
• Sacred Mother Tongue
• Savatage (on "Power of the Night", "Hall of the Mountain King", and some songs on later albums)
• Scarlxrd (on "Chxke")
• Scorpions (on "321")
• Secrets
• Seether (since Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces)
• Sentenced (on their recent material)
• Shadows Fall
• Shinedown (on some songs from Leave a Whisper, as well as "Devour" and "Enemies")
• Shiner
• Sick Puppies
• Skillet
• Skrape
• Sleeping with Sirens
• Slipknot (on their demo Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.)
• Slo Burn
• Sólstafir (on some songs)
• Sonic Syndicate
• Soulfly (on "Sodomites")
• Soundgarden (on "4th of July")
• Steve Vai
• Still Remains
• Stiff Valentine
• Stratovarius (on the song "My Eternal Dream")
• Stray from the Path
• Strung Out (on some songs)
• Stuck Mojo (a lot of songs)
• Sum 41 (on the songs "A Murder of Crows" and "Goddamn I'm Dead Again")
• Superheaven
• Swallow the Sun
• System of a Down (on their first three albums and the songs "Question!" from Mezmerize and "Dreaming" from Hypnotize)

T-Z

• Taproot (from Blue-Sky Research and onwards)
• Texas Hippie Coalition
• Texas in July
• The Agonist
• The Amity Affliction
• The Black Dahlia Murder (on their earlier metalcore EPs)
• The Browning
• The Color Morale
• The Crimson Armada (on the album Guardians)
• The Faceless
• The Fall of Troy (on "Nobody's Perfect")
• The Ghost Inside (on their cover of "Fortunate Son")
• The Human Abstract
• The Ocean
• The Ongoing Concept
• The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
• The Unguided
• The Used
• The Venetia Fair
• Theatre of Tragedy (on some songs from their final two albums, Storm and Forever Is the World)
• Theory of a Deadman[19]
• Thirty Seconds to Mars
• Threat Signal (on their first two albums)
• Three Days Grace (on some songs from their first two albums)
• Thrice
• Throwdown
• Times of Grace
• Tonight Alive
• Tool
• Triggerfinger[20]
• Truckfighters
• Unida
• Uriah Heep (on "The Wizard")
• Vanna
• Vein
• Virgin Black
• Vopli Vidopliassova (on most songs)
• War of Ages
• We Came as Romans
• Wednesday 13
• While She Sleeps
• Whitesnake
• White Zombie
• Wintersun[21] (on some songs)
• Within the Ruins (on many songs; since the album Phenomena they use the 7-string variation CFCFB♭DG)
• Wovenwar
• Yellowcard
• Zakk Wylde

Artists that have used CADGBE

• Bob Dylan – predominantly in the period 1965-1966.[22]
• Deftones on some songs such as "Swerve City" and "Hearts/Wires", tuned down a full step.
• John Mayer – on the song "Neon".[23][24]
• Mark Tremonti on the song "My Champion" (tuned down a half-step; Myles is in Open F# tuning)
• Muse – on the songs "Map Of The Problematique"[24][25] & "Dead Inside"
• Nickelback[18]
• Brad Richter – on the piece "Flirtation"[26]
• Sevendust on the song "Mountain" (tuned down one and a half steps)
• The Tallest Man on Earth – on the song "The Sparrow and the Medicine".[27][28]

Artists that have used CGDGBE

• Gotthard − on the song "Anytime Anywhere"
• Keola Beamer[29]
• Melvins – on the song "Evil New War God"
• Mortal − on the song "Paradigm One"
• Pavement
• Richard Thompson[30][31]
• Soundgarden[32]
• Retrofoguetes – Julio Moreno (album Enigmascope Volume 1)

References

1. Aledort, Andy (7 April 2010). "Atreyu: Prior Convictions". Guitar World. Retrieved 23 November 2011. ...drop C tuning, which is like drop D but with all of the strings down a whole step [low to high: C G C F A D]. Drop C sounds a little more brutal. Because of its deeper, heavier sound, it is commonly used in metal.
2. Perry, Megan (November 2004). Wired: musicians' home studios : tools & techniques of the musical mavericks. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-87930-794-3. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
3. Guitar Player Magazine (1989). Jim Hatlo (ed.). Hot Licks. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-88188-910-9. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
4. Emil, Werstler (7 August 2008). "Emil from Daath Talks Guitars". Roadrunner News. Roadrunner Records. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
5. Guitar Setup for Drop C Tuning article explains drop tunings for rock guitars and metal bands on the Guitar Repair Bench Luthier Website
6. Lidel, Paul (July 2001). The Pro Guitarist's Handbook: Tips and Tools to Survive as a Working Rock Guitarist, Book & CD. ISBN 9780739011249.
7. Hodge, David (2010). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Guitar (illustrated ed.). Alpha Books. ISBN 978-1-61564-021-8.
8. Freed, Nick. "Album Review: Alter Bridge – AB III". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
9. Michael Kizer; Jim Matheos (21 October 2011). "Jim comments briefly on the tunings used on Sympathetic Resonance". Archived from the original on 4 June 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
10. "Rig Rundown - Black Stone Cherry's Chris Robertson". All Axess. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
11. "Rig Rundown - Black Stone Cherry's Ben Wells". All Axess. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
12. "Rob Arnold of Chimaira – Guitar Rig and Gear Setup – 2009". GuitarGeek. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
13. Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation (1 April 2002). Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation; Jeff Kitts; Brad Tolinski (eds.). Guitar World Presents Nu-Metal. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-634-03287-5. Retrieved 24 November 2011. dropped c guitar.
14. "Bryan Monte Money of Escape The Fate – Guitar Rig and Gear Setup – 2008". GuitarGeek. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
15. Mercedes-Benz Enthusiast Channel 1 (12 July 2009), HEAVEN & HELL - Follow The Tears, retrieved 5 April 2016
16. "Ty Tabor of King's X – Guitar Rig and Gear Setup – 2008". GuitarGeek. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
17. "Rig Rundown - Nickelback's Chad Kroeger & Ryan Peake". Premier Guitar. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
18. "Nickelback Equipment". Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2014. ...(Drop D One Whole Step Down CGCFAD, Drop C CADGBE and Drop B BADGBE)
19. "Backstage with Theory of a Deadman HQ(Guitar Edge.com)". Guitar Edge. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
20. Adriaensen, Wouter. "Ruben Block gear". Blues Online. Retrieved 13 May 2014. Ruben also plays ... a Melody Maker in CGCFAD tuning - which is dropped D tuning one full tone down...
21. "Rigged: Wintersun". MetalSucks.net. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
22. "Roadmaps for the Soul". dylanchords.info. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
23. "CADGBE Guitar Tuner". gtdb.org. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
24. "The Uses of Drop D and Drop C Tunings Today". 16 September 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
25. Delany, Ross (31 July 2006). "Muse - Black Holes and Revelations". Retrieved 14 May 2014.
26. Richter, Brad (3 October 2005). Brad Richter, Solo Guitar Collection. Mel Bay Publications. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-7866-6744-4. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
27. The Tallest Man On Earth - Topic (30 November 2014), The Sparrow and the Medicine, retrieved 4 March 2019
28. "The Tallest Man On Earth - Sparrow And The Medicine (Guitar Pro)". tabs.ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
29. "A Brief History of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar" (PDF). Dancing Cat Records. Retrieved 13 May 2014. ... C-G-D-G-B-E Tuning (often called "Keola's C", because it has been used most prominently by Slack Key guitarist Keola Beamer)
30. "Q&A re: Gear and Tunings". richardthompson-music.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
31. Little, Guy (29 December 2013). "Richard Thompson". Acoustic Magazine. Retrieved 13 May 2014. My main tunings are: drop D, DADGAD and CGDGBE…
32. Rotondi, James (June 1994). "Alone in the Superunknown". Guitar Player. Retrieved 13 May 2014.