Things You'll Need:
- Tuning source
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Step 1
Drop the pitch of the low E string (sixth string) by one and half steps, so that the sounding pitch of the string is one full octave below middle C. You can use an outside tuning source for this, or you can tune the open sixth string to one octave below the note sounded at the third fret of the A string.
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Step 2
Drop the pitch of the A string by one full step, to a sounding pitch of G. if you are not using an outside tuning source, tune the fifth string to one octave below the pitch of the open G string.
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Step 3
Drop the pitch of the D string (fourth string) by a whole step, to a sounding pitch of C. If you are using a piano as your tuning source, this new pitch is found at middle C.
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Step 4
Leave the G string (third string) alone. You will need to check the tuning, of course, but open C tuning doesn't change the sounding pitch of this string.
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Step 5
Raise the pitch of the B sting (second string) by a half step to a sounding pitch of C. If you don't have an outside tuning source, fret the G string at the fifth fret and tune the B string to that note.
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Step 6
Leave the high E string (first string) alone. You may need to fine-tune the first string, but open C tuning requires no major tuning changes for this one. Recheck the tuning of all the other strings, and you are good to go with a guitar tuned to open C.








