Drop A Tuner (7-String)
Tune your 7-string guitar to Drop A (A E A D G B E) using your microphone. The tuner below is already set to 7-string Drop A — press Start Recording and pluck your low string.
Auto-select string
Switches to string automatically
Target 55.00 Hz
Action Required
Start tuner and pluck highlighted note.
Peg Rotation & Offset
Standby
Headstock Alignment
Tap a peg to tune that string specifically.
Instrument
Tuning Preset
Reference Pitch
Concert pitch for A4. 440 is the standard; many orchestras use 442.
Quick Tuning Guidelines
- 1.Tap the Start Recording button at the top to initialize your microphone.
- 2.Pluck one string cleanly at a time. Let it vibrate naturally to get a continuous frequency reading.
- 3.Adjust your tuning pegs until the dial centers in the green zone (around 0 cents).
- 4.Watch indicators: amber is the currently selected note, green is the automatically detected audio feed.
String-by-String Frequency Chart
These are the exact target frequencies this tuner listens for, at A4 = 440 Hz equal temperament. String 7 is the low A; strings 6 to 1 are the same as standard tuning.
| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | A1 | 55.00 Hz |
| 6 | E2 | 82.41 Hz |
| 5 | A2 | 110.00 Hz |
| 4 | D3 | 146.83 Hz |
| 3 | G3 | 196.00 Hz |
| 2 | B3 | 246.94 Hz |
| 1 | E4 | 329.63 Hz |
How to Use This Drop A Tuner
- Press Start Recording on the tuner above and allow microphone access.
- The tuner is already on 7-String Guitar with the Drop A tuning selected.
- Check strings 6 to 1 first — they stay at standard E A D G B E.
- Lower string 7 a whole step from B (61.74 Hz) to A (55.00 Hz). Tune down past the note, then come back up to it so the string settles under tension.
- Recheck everything once. One string dropping a whole step barely moves the neck, so one pass is usually enough.
A quick check by ear: the 7th fret of string 7 is an E, and it should match the open 6th string exactly. Any wobble in volume between the two means the low A is slightly off.
What is Drop A Tuning?
Drop Ais the 7-string guitar's version of Drop D. Standard 7-string tuning is B E A D G B E, with every string a fourth apart except the major third between G and B. Dropping string 7 a whole step to A makes the gap between strings 7 and 6 a fifth instead of a fourth — and that one change turns the bottom three strings into a one-finger power chord.
The low A is A1 at 55 Hz, only a fourth above a 4-string bass's low E. That depth, with a fast, simple fingering for riffs, is why the tuning is so common in modern metal, djent and progressive music.
Setting Up a 7-String for Drop A
- String 7 gauge: go up to a .064–.070. The others can stay as they are, because they do not change pitch.
- Nut slot: check the heavier string drops into the slot cleanly. A binding string jumps in pitch as you tune and refuses to come back to zero.
- Intonation:move string 7's saddle back a little for the heavier gauge. The other saddles stay put.
- Floating bridge: a single string changing does unbalance a Floyd Rose slightly. If you switch tunings often, a fixed bridge or a tremolo stopper saves time.
Going Lower
Many 7-string players go further: Drop G♯ (Drop A tuned a semitone down) and Drop Gare common, as is tuning the whole guitar down a whole step to A standard, A D G C F A D. All of them keep the same relationship between the strings, so a riff learned in Drop A plays in every one of them. Use the tuner's chromatic display to reach any of those notes, and the string tension calculator to choose gauges that keep the feel.
Related: 7-string standard tuner, Drop B tuner for 6-string, and the full tunings chart.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the notes in Drop A tuning?
On a 7-string guitar, Drop A is A E A D G B E from the lowest string to the highest. Only string 7 changes: it drops a whole step from B to A. The other six strings stay in standard tuning.
Can I play Drop A on a 6-string?
Yes, but it is a different tuning: A E A D F♯ B, which is B standard with the low string dropped a further whole step. It needs a baritone guitar or very heavy strings, around .014–.070. This page is set up for the far more common 7-string version.
What gauge should the low A string be?
Most 7-string sets come with a .059 to .064 low B, which feels loose a whole step lower. For Drop A, players usually fit a .064 to .070 on a 25.5" scale, or use a 26.5" or 27" scale guitar, which gets a firm low A from a lighter string.
Why is the tuner slow to read the low A?
A1 is 55 Hz, two octaves below concert A and close to the bottom of what a phone microphone hears well. Pluck firmly over the neck pickup, mute the other strings, and hold the note for a second. Playing through an amp with the phone nearby helps.
How do I play a power chord in Drop A?
Bar strings 7, 6 and 5 at the same fret with one finger. Because string 7 is a fifth below string 6, those three notes are a root, fifth and octave — exactly as in Drop D on a 6-string, only a fourth lower.