LOWERED STANDARD / REFERENCE
E flat standard tuning.
Lower every string by one semitone. Your familiar shapes keep their relationships, but every chord sounds one semitone lower.
6 STRING CHANGES
ALL STRINGS ↓ 1 SEMITONE
LOW TO HIGH · STRINGS 6 TO 1
AGT / TUNING MAP · 440 HZ
E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭
STRING 6
E♭
STRING 5
A♭
STRING 4
D♭
STRING 3
G♭
STRING 2
B♭
STRING 1
E♭
HOW TO TUNE
Lower all six strings together.
All strings are a semitone lower than standard. Recheck the tuning after a complete pass; a floating bridge may need several passes.
01 · String 6: lower E2 to E♭2 (1 semitone); String 5: lower A2 to A♭2 (1 semitone).
02 · String 4: lower D3 to D♭3 (1 semitone); String 3: lower G3 to G♭3 (1 semitone).
03 · String 2: lower B3 to B♭3 (1 semitone); String 1: lower E4 to E♭4 (1 semitone).
After each full pass, recheck all six strings with a chromatic tuner. Stop if a string feels unusually tight.
KEEP YOUR BEARINGS
Check notes before names.
A familiar grip can sound different after retuning. Read the tuning map and use the chord explorer before trusting a shape name.
Notes and fingerings are shown from string 6 to string 1.
WHAT ACTUALLY CHANGES
The same shapes. A different set of sounding chord names.
These are sounding pitches, shown from string 6 to string 1: E♭2, A♭2, D♭3, G♭3, B♭3, E♭4.
What transfers
✓ The standard string-to-string intervals are unchanged.
✓ Familiar chord and scale fingerings transfer unchanged.
✓ Capo 1 restores standard sounding pitches.
What needs checking
· An E-major shape now sounds E flat major.
· The diagrams use sounding chord names, not shape names.
· D♯ and E♭ name the same pitch here; the explorer uses sharp labels.
CHORD & SCALE EXPLORER
Start with E♭. Move from there.
Use the selected starter shapes, search another chord, or map a scale across frets 0 to 15. This explorer is set to E flat standard.
These selected charts are the practical starting points for this tuning.
Familiar shapes appear first where available. Choose a shape that suits your hand. Where a fifth is omitted, the chart says so. For a first set to practise, open Starter chords.
The high string is shown at the top and the low string at the bottom. Scroll horizontally on smaller screens.
LOW STRING ANCHORS
Find the roots on string 6.
These are single-note landmarks, not six-string chord grips. Use them to locate a root before choosing a chord shape.
E♭
OPEN
F
FRET 2
G♭
FRET 3
A♭
FRET 5
B♭
FRET 7
E♭
FRET 12
FIRST PROGRESSION
E♭ minor → G♭ major → D♭ major → A♭ major
Play the familiar E-minor, G-major, D-major and A-major shapes for one bar each. They sound E flat minor, G flat major, D flat major and A flat major.
SCALE MAP
E flat standard: find E♭ natural minor.
On string 6, play frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12: E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, then E♭.
Play the notes slowly in order, then reverse them. Keep the timing even and let each note speak.
0 · 2 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 8 · 10 · 12
Choose the same root and scale in the explorer to see the notes on all six strings.
The high string is shown at the top of the scale map. Each row follows one string.
RELATED TUNING
E flat standard or Standard?
Use E flat standard
Use E flat standard for a uniform semitone transposition. Use standard when you need E A D G B E without a capo.
Explore Standard
Open the related reference and compare the six string pitches before changing a familiar shape.
Explore Standard tuning →QUICK REFERENCE
E flat standard tuning checks
What are the open-string pitches?
Strings 6 to 1: E♭2, A♭2, D♭3, G♭3, B♭3, E♭4.
What do the chord names mean?
They name the sounding notes in this tuning. A familiar fingering can have a different chord name after retuning. The fingering numbers run from string 6 to string 1; x means mute.
Can I use a different octave?
Use the octave numbers in the tuning map. A pitch-class match alone does not tell you that a string is in the intended octave.
How do I get back to standard?
Return strings 6 to 1 to E2, A2, D3, G3, B3 and E4. Recheck every string with a chromatic tuner.