Guitar tuning

Drop B Tuning

B·F#·B·E·G#·C#

Tonal centre B (Drop D shapes, five semitones down) Also called BF#BEG#C# Difficulty Easy shapes, wants heavy strings or a baritone

Open on the Canvas → Explore chords in the app

Drop B is Drop D moved a long way down. Every string tunes down a minor third from standard to C# standard, then the 6th string drops another whole step to a low B. The power-chord shape is identical to Drop D — one finger across the bottom strings — it just sounds five semitones lower.

It is the tuning of modern heavy music. Machine Head used it across “Burn My Eyes” in the mid-1990s; since then it has become a default for metalcore, djent and progressive metal — Periphery, Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, Architects, Bring Me the Horizon. The low B matches a seven-string guitar’s bottom string, and many players use an extended-scale or baritone guitar to hold the tension.

How to tune to Drop B

From standard tuning:

6th (lowest) E → B (down a perfect fourth)
5th A → F# (down a minor third)
4th D → B (down a minor third)
3rd G → E (down a minor third)
2nd B → G# (down a minor third)
1st (highest) E → C# (down a minor third)

Open—Shape’s tuner listens for one string at a time and tells you which string it is and how far off — including in alternate tunings like this one.

What Drop B does well

One-finger power chords. The drop shape carries down to B — barre the bottom three strings anywhere for a fifth.
A near-seven-string low end. The 6th string sits at B, the same pitch as a seven-string guitar’s lowest string, on six strings.
Drop D shapes, transposed. Anything you play in Drop D or Drop C works here unchanged, just lower.
Tight, aggressive riffing. The low pitch and one-finger shapes suit fast, palm-muted rhythm parts — the core of metalcore and djent.

Common chords in Drop B

The shapes below are the same you would use in Drop D, transposed down. Each is the first voicing the engine returns; tap to browse the rest.

B 0 0 0 2 x 2 1 of 393 → B5 0 0 0 x x x 1 of 203 → Bsus4 0 0 0 0 3 3 1 of 619 → E 5 5 0 0 0 x 1 of 551 → E5 x x x 0 3 3 1 of 203 → F# x 0 2 2 2 0 1 of 181 → G#m x 2 0 x 0 2 1 of 397 → A x 3 x 0 x 0 1 of 319 →

Numbers read low string to high; 0 is open, × is muted.

A progression to try

A heavy B–E–F# loop on the low string:

B→E→F#→B

Songs in Drop B

Davidian — Machine Head
Metalcore, djent and progressive-metal rhythm parts broadly
Used by Periphery, Parkway Drive, Architects, August Burns Red

Where you’ll hear it

Metalcore, deathcore, djent and progressive metal — Machine Head, Periphery, Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, Architects, Bring Me the Horizon, Trivium. One of the defining tunings of heavy music since the 1990s.

Open a Drop B canvas — a tuning module already set, wired to a starter progression, every shape recalculated for you.

Open on the Canvas → Explore chords in the app

Drop B tuning FAQ

How do I tune to Drop B?

Tune every string down a minor third from standard first, which gives C# standard (C#, F#, B, E, G#, C#), then drop the 6th string another whole step to B. The result is B, F#, B, E, G#, C# from low to high.

Is Drop B the same as Drop D?

The shapes are identical — Drop B is the Drop D idea five semitones lower. Every power-chord and riff shape transfers directly.

Do I need a special guitar for Drop B?

It helps. The low B is a long way below standard, so on a normal 25.5-inch scale the 6th string can feel loose and buzz. A baritone or extended-scale guitar, or a very heavy 6th string, keeps it playable.

What is the lowest string in Drop B?

A low B — the same pitch as the bottom string of a seven-string guitar. Drop B is one way to reach that range on a six-string.

Can I use a capo in Drop B?

Yes — a capo raises all six strings equally, so the dropped 6th keeps its interval. A capo at the 2nd fret gives Drop C# pitch. Open—Shape recalculates every shape for the capo.

Related tunings

Drop D Drop C Drop C# Drop Bb Drop A Double Drop D