E Flat Tuning (Eb) On Guitar: How To Tune Down

E flat tuning lowers every guitar string by a half step, so the six open strings read Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb and Eb.

You’ll also see it called Eb standard, half step down tuning, or D# tuning, since D#, G#, C#, F#, A# and D# are the same notes under other names. Your chord shapes stay exactly the same; everything just sounds a half step lower.

Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Slash, Nirvana and Metallica all used it. Below I go through how to tune to it, why players do it, what changes on your guitar, and 10 songs to play once you get there.

How to tune your guitar to E flat

You need a tuner: a clip on tuner, a pedal or a free app all work. Then lower each string until the tuner shows its new note:

1. Low E string (6th string): Tune down to Eb (D#)
2. A string (5th string): Tune down to Ab (G#)
3. D string (4th string): Tune down to Db (C#)
4. G string (3rd string): Tune down to Gb (F#)
5. B string (2nd string): Tune down to Bb (A#)
6. High E string (1st string): Tune down to Eb (D#)

Tune up to each note, not down to it. Take the string a little below Eb, then bring it up until the tuner says Eb. Fender gives the same advice: a string you tune upward holds its pitch better. When all six are done, check them once more before you play.

Why guitarists tune down a half step

One big reason is the voice. Tuning down lowers every song by a half step, which helps a singer reach the high notes, and bands often do it live to make things easier for a singer whose voice has aged.

Looser strings also bend more easily, and the guitar sounds a little deeper and heavier. Stevie Ray Vaughan tuned a half step down and used unusually heavy strings, gauges .013 to .058. Tuning down takes some of the strain out of strings that thick.

Plenty of famous players did it. Jimi Hendrix tuned down a half step on songs like Little Wing and Voodoo Child (Slight Return), Slash used it on Sweet Child O’ Mine and Welcome To The Jungle, Nirvana used it a lot, and Metallica played most of Load and Reload in E flat.

What changes on your guitar

The strings get loose, and at first it is strange to play. Lower tunings can also make strings buzz. If yours do, a slightly heavier set brings back some of the tension, for example 10s instead of 9s.

After the change, check the intonation at the 12th fret: the fretted note should match the harmonic there. If it’s off, or the buzz stays, a small setup fixes it, usually at the saddles or with a little truss rod adjustment.

A guitar with a floating tremolo needs more care. Its bridge sits where the pull of the strings and the pull of the springs in the back cancel out. Tune down and the strings pull less, so the springs tip the bridge back and knock the other strings out of tune. Loosen the claw screws in the back about a half turn at a time and retune after each change, until the bridge sits where it did before. A fixed bridge, like on a Les Paul or a hardtail Strat, has none of this: you just tune down.

Chords, capo and playing along

Your chord shapes do not change. An E shape now sounds as Eb, a G shape as Gb, and every chord and scale comes out a half step lower than its name.

Want to play a song in standard tuning without retuning? Put a capo on the 1st fret. It raises every string a half step, which takes you right back to standard pitch. It works the other way too: you can play an E flat song in standard tuning, but it will sound a half step higher than the record.

10 songs in E flat tuning

Every song below is played with the guitar tuned down a half step, and each tab says so. For 40 more, see my list of songs in Eb tuning.

Song	Artist	Tab
November Rain	Guns N’ Roses	Tab
Sweet Child O’ Mine	Guns N’ Roses	Tab
Welcome To The Jungle	Guns N’ Roses	Tab
Beat It	Michael Jackson	Tab
Hey Joe	Jimi Hendrix	Tab
Little Wing	Jimi Hendrix	Tab
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)	Jimi Hendrix	Tab
Man In The Box	Alice In Chains	Tab
Pride And Joy	Stevie Ray Vaughan	Tab
Fuel	Metallica	Tab

Questions about E flat tuning

Is E flat tuning the same as D# tuning? Yes. Eb and D# are the same pitch, so Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb and D# G# C# F# A# D# are one tuning with two names.

Is it the same as D standard? No. D standard, D G C F A D, is a whole step down, so it sits another half step below E flat. I have a separate list of songs in D standard.

Will tuning down hurt my guitar? No. It lowers the pull of the strings on the neck. The worst that usually happens is a little buzz, which a heavier set of strings or a small setup fixes.

Give E flat a week. The strings get loose and it is strange to play at first, but keep at it, and a lot of great rock songs open up. Good luck and keep on rockin’!