Theory for low tunings
Circle of fifths
Pick your tuning and mode — Drop, Standard, baritone, open or bass. The circle shows the key, its seven chords and the fret of each power chord on the lowest string.
- Key
- Tonic
- Open string
- Tritone (♭5)
- Borrowed
Tap a note to make it the tonic, or drag the outlined wedge round the circle to change key (the mode stays). On a keyboard, the arrow keys move by a fifth.
Progressions to play
Each progression picks the right mode and plays in the current key. Change the tuning while it loops to hear it in another key.
How to read the circle
Rings and neighbours
The outer ring holds the major keys, the middle ring their relative minors and the inner ring the diminished chord of each key. Neighbouring keys differ by a single note, so moving one step around the circle changes the sound only slightly.
The highlighted wedge
The outlined wedge is the key you picked: three major chords, three minor chords and one diminished. Changing the mode keeps the tonic and moves the wedge. Each step towards Locrian flattens one note.
What key is Drop C in?
A tuning has no key of its own, but riffs in Drop C usually centre on the open low C, so C minor (Aeolian) and C Phrygian are the usual choices. In any tuning, the open low string is the natural tonic.
Why one finger is enough
In Drop C the three lowest strings are tuned root, fifth and octave, so one finger across them plays a power chord. The fret strip shows where each chord of the key sits on that string.