Drop C chords, scales and fretboard notes

Drop C chords are played in C G C F A D, lowest to highest: Drop D a whole step lower, so every string sits below Standard. A Drop D shape keeps its frets and sounds a whole step lower: C is 0 0 0 2 3 2, the shape Drop D calls D.

The strings of Drop C

Every string moves: the lowest drops two whole steps, from E to C, and the other five one whole step each. It is not Drop C#, which is a half step higher.

This page is a chart, not a tuner. TabTunix has a tuner that names the note a string plays and lists Drop C to tune to. All five tunings stand side by side under guitar tunings, and DADGAD and Drop D have pages like this one.

The six strings of Drop C from the lowest, each with Standard's note and its change in half steps
StringDrop CStandardHalf steps
6th (lowest)C2E2−4
5thG2A2−2
4thC3D3−2
3rdF3G3−2
2ndA3B3−2
1st (highest)D4E4−2

Which standard shapes work in Drop C

A Drop D shape keeps its frets here and sounds a whole step lower: 0 0 0 2 3 2 is D in Drop D and C here, X 0 2 2 2 0 is A there and G here.

No chart for Standard carries over fret for fret, since all six strings moved: X 3 2 0 1 0 is C in Standard and Bb here. Read a chord by what sounds, and take its frets from these diagrams.

Drop C power chords

On the three lowest strings one finger holds a power chord: left open they sound C5, and one finger across them moves it up the neck, D5 at fret 2 and F5 at fret 5. G5 to B5 stand here on the next string, in Standard's shape: on the low string they lie at frets 7 to 11.

  • C50 0 0 X X X
  • C#51 1 1 X X X
  • D52 2 2 X X X
  • Eb53 3 3 X X X
  • E54 4 4 X X X
  • F55 5 5 X X X
  • F#56 6 6 X X X
  • G5X 0 2 2 X X
  • Ab5X 1 3 3 X X
  • A5X 2 4 4 X X
  • Bb5X 3 5 5 X X
  • B5X 4 6 6 X X

Every chord in Drop C

Beyond the major and minor chords above, the chord library holds all 504, sevenths and sus chords among them, each with its shapes in Drop C.

Show

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C

0 0 0 2 3 2

Notes

Degrees: R 3 5. Notes: C E G.

Inversions

Voicings

Major

Minor

Suspended

Power Chords

Medium adds the sixths, added ninths and sevenths. Pro shows every chord on the root.

Drop C scales

A scale in Drop C shifts on all six strings: each note of the lowest string lies four frets higher than in Standard, and each note of the other five two. Here is C natural minor on the whole neck.

Three scales to start with, each with every position on its own page, which opens in Standard and can be set to Drop C:

Every other scale is under guitar scales.

Degrees: R 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. Notes: C D Eb F G Ab Bb.

35791517192112CDEbFGAbBbCDEbFGAbBbGAbBbCDEbFGAbBbCDEbFCDEbFGAbBbCDEbFGAbBbFGAbBbCDEbFGAbBbCDEbBbCDEbFGAbBbCDEbFGDEbFGAbBbCDEbFGAbBbC

Every note in Drop C

How the notes repeat is under every note on the fretboard.

35791517192112CDbDEbEFGbGAbABbBCDbDEbEFGbGAbABbGAbABbBCDbDEbEFGbGAbABbBCDbDEbEFCDbDEbEFGbGAbABbBCDbDEbEFGbGAbABbFGbGAbABbBCDbDEbEFGbGAbABbBCDbDEbABbBCDbDEbEFGbGAbABbBCDbDEbEFGbGDEbEFGbGAbABbBCDbDEbEFGbGAbABbBC
E Dorian across the fretboard in Drop D, every note colored by its degree, and the chords that fit the scale

In the app

Play in Drop C

Look up a chord or a scale in TabTunix and you see it and hear it in Drop C, so your ear learns how low each shape sits along with your hand. Keep C natural minor in Drop C as an exercise with a target tempo, and come back to it until it runs clean.

More on getting a scale under your fingers in how to practice scales.

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Questions about Drop C

Often metal and heavy rock: every string sits lower, and the three lowest open strings make a C power chord under one finger.

Tune down to Drop C and play these chords. Free, for Mac and Windows.

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