Names of guitar strings. Guitar tuning Letter symbols for the strings of a six-string guitar

In the previous article, the issue of low tuning guitar. In this article I would like to discuss it in more detail.
Let me remind you that the standard tuning of a six-string electric guitar is: E[E]-A[A]-De[D]-G[G]-B[H]-E[E], starting from the sixth string. Let's look at the prerequisites for switching to a different guitar tuning. Down tuning is used in extreme music to create a tighter, heavier and more powerful sound. You can also give an example of when musicians playing in rock bands decide to use a lower tuning to make it easier for the vocalist to sing. That is, they adapt to a certain person and a certain style of music. By the way, you can also raise the tuning of the guitar, adapting to the singer’s vocal abilities. Also, the use of a low guitar tuning is due to a different chord fingering. That is, the tuning of the guitar is selected for the convenience of playing chords.

When using a lower tuning electric guitar, the string tension will naturally decrease and thin strings may simply hang. Therefore, you need to select thicker sets of strings.
I can say that there are quite a lot of options for tuning a guitar. We'll look at a few common ones. Using their examples, you can choose the optimal system for yourself or come up with your own.

1. Lower by half a tone. In this case, the system becomes as follows: Re#-Sol#-Do#-Fa#-Aa#-Re#.
2. Decrease one tone. Guitar tuning: D[D]-G[G]-Do[C]-F[F]-A[A]-D[D].
3. A formation called "Drop D". In this case, only the sixth string is lowered by tone: Re[D]-A[A]-Re[D]-Sol[G]-Bi[H]-Mi[E]. In this case, there is a fifth between the sixth and fifth strings and you can play various riffs by pressing these two strings with one finger.

Guitar tuning: Drop D

4. Build called "Drop C". The sixth string is lowered by two tones. The remaining strings are one tone. Then the guitar tuning looks like this: Do[C]-G[G]-Do[C]-Fa[F]-A[A]-D[D]. The tuning is lower than described above, but similarly you can play chords on two low strings with one finger.

Guitar Tuning: Drop C

5. And in conclusion, let's look at one more system. I remember him from the song Kashmir by Led Zeppelin. It looks like this: Re[D]-A[A]-Re[D]-Sol[G]-A[A]-Re[D].

Led Zeppelin

Many guitarists wonder which strings will best suit their tuning. When choosing, it is worth remembering that preferences for tension and string diameter are a very individual thing. It is for this reason that you should not take information from of this material as an absolute truth: we will present the most generalized and averaged data, according to which you can choose the optimal thickness of the set to suit your preferences.

For ease of reading the article, we will use whole string thickness designations (for example, 9-42 instead of 0.009-0.042).

Factors influencing the choice of string thickness

• Guitar scale: the longer it is, the tighter the strings will be, all other things being equal. In the table below we will be using the standard 25.5" scale. If you have a guitar with a smaller scale, then you will need to make a slight adjustment and go with a thicker set.
• String tension: The higher their tension, the thicker the strings - accordingly, they have a more powerful and voluminous sound. However, on the other hand, thicker strings have a smaller vibration amplitude, which is why their sound is not as rich in overtones, it is duller and flatter - this is especially audible on thin strings without winding.
• Third string: in most sets this is not wound (plain). In sets with a first string thickness of 12 or more, the third string is usually wrapped. IN in this case It’s worth considering that braiding increases tension - you’ll have to forget about bending by one and a half to two tones, although, on the other hand, in lowered tunings the third wound string sounds much fuller and richer.
• Today you can buy guitar strings in balanced sets (8-38, 9-42, 10-46, 11-50, 12-54, 13-56, etc.) and unbalanced(9-46, 10-52, 11-52, 12-56/60, etc.)

The former are usually used for standard tuning or a tuning lowered across all strings by an equal number of semitones. The second type is ideal for lovers of drop tunings (the 6th string is lowered by whole tone), as well as for those who use hybrid and open settings guitars.

• The thickest sets of strings (12-60, 13-72, etc.) are best suited for long-scale guitars - baritones. They have a scale length of 26 inches or more, and are used in very low tunings (for example, Standard A and lower).

In principle, such kits can also be used for instruments with a standard scale for deeply lowered tuning, but before purchasing you should consider a couple of nuances:

• You may simply not have enough scale adjustment options at the bridge, since lower tuning requires retuning. In this case, either replacing the bridge or switching to a thinner set will help.
• If you use a thicker set, you will either bore out the string grooves on the nut or simply won't be able to fit the strings into them. When switching back to thinner strings, they will hang around in the counterbore grooves, making it difficult to fine-tune the guitar.

In addition, thick strings may not fit into the peg - it will also have to be bored.

Which strings are suitable for a particular tuning?

Helpful Tip: If you want to tune your guitar to B Standard or lower, consider buying a baritone or 7- string guitar- you need to understand that not all types of 6-string electric guitars are intended for experiments with strong lowering of the tuning.

Let us repeat that these recommendations are conditional and partly subjective. Suffice it to remember the great SRV, which used the 13-56 kit for the Standard Eb build: therefore, the most important thing is your feelings. Try several different sets, experiment - and you will certainly find the optimal set for your music!

Based on materials from an article by Egor Kalgannikov, 12.2013.

One of the problems that every guitarist faces while learning is choosing a guitar tuning. Guitar tuning is determined by the sound of open strings; accordingly, the transition to one or another key is carried out by tuning the strings to the corresponding notes. Below is a list of the most widely used tunings:

. "Spanish" or standard. This tuning is considered a classic. This is where mastery of playing technique begins. Many people continue to play it after completing their training, since this system is universal. Designation - EBGDAE, according to strings (1st to 6th).

Drop D. One of the popular tunings, often used in rock music, especially by hard rock performers. Literally translated as "lowered D". The reason for this name lies in the fact that in this tuning the 6th string sounds a tone lower than in the standard tuning, that is, it corresponds to the note D (D). This type of tuning sounds best on an electric guitar.

Drop C. This guitar tuning, like the previous one, is based on the fact that the sixth string sounds a full tone lower than the first. However, with Drop C, strings one through five are first tuned exactly one step down from standard tuning. That is, we get DAFCGC. In this tuning the guitar sounds lower and heavier. Used primarily in heavy music.

Open D. This tuning is most often used when playing slide guitar.

Elevated and lowered tunings. Often musicians lower or raise the guitar tuning by a semitone, a tone, or even more. All strings can be tuned the same or differently. However (especially classic ones) when played in high formation they are at risk of getting damaged.
. Instrumental scale. Implies a standard tuning for another instrument. You can tune it like a balalaika, charango, or cithara.

I would also like to mention that the guitar, unlike many musical instruments, is not tuned in fifths. Why, despite the fact that the fifth gives the purest and most pleasant sound, is the guitar tuned in such an incomprehensible, at first glance, way? The answer to this question is more than simple: standard guitar tuning provides the greatest simplicity and ease of play.

Where to start? Naturally, with mastering the technique of playing in the classical (Spanish) system. Only after studying musical literacy, especially chords, you can choose in which tuning it is more convenient to play this or that chord, this or that song. It is worth noting that it will be much more difficult for a beginner to play in an alternative formation, especially if he does not know the barre technique.

If you play or plan to play in the future, it's worth Special attention on the geometry of the neck, especially the height of the strings. The guitar may need to be re-tuned to avoid loose strings and rattling when played in the new tuning. Electric guitars for beginners are not designed for playing alternative tunings, and their sound, for example, in Drop C, may not please you. Be sure to take this into account when purchasing!

A natural question arises: "how to tune a 6 string guitar for a beginner?". If you have big plans and want to become a guitarist from God, at a minimum you need to be able to tuning your guitar correctly. But even if there are no such plans, you will still have to tune the guitar).

“I can’t tune my guitar” is a phrase you can often hear from a beginning guitarist, but first, let’s figure out how the strings should be tuned. The strings on a guitar are numbered from bottom to top, from the thinnest string to the thickest..

10 Tips: How to Play Guitar with Good Technique

With classic guitar tuning The 6th string is tuned to , the Latin designation "E" is often used. Usually the sixth string is tuned first, and the rest from there, but more on that a little later. This is how the strings should be tuned when classical system:

• e (first, most thin string- note "mi")
• B (second string, note "B")
• G (third string, G note)
• D (fourth string, note "D")
• A (fifth string, note "A")
• E (the sixth, thickest string is the note "E")

Now that we know how the strings should be tuned, let's try to tune them. By the way, you know ? To do this, we will use pegs or, as some beginners call them, “twists”). can be turned in one or the other direction.

By turning the peg clockwise we tighten the string, giving it a higher sound, and accordingly turning it counterclockwise we loosen the string and it sounds lower.

When tuning a 6 string guitar, turn you need to be careful so as not to break the string, especially for beginner guitarists. With experience, you will feel the tension of the string much more accurately, but for now, be more careful and turn the “twisters” carefully.

Tuning the 6th string

First of all, we tune the sixth string on the guitar. To do this, we need a so-called reference sound, specifically the note “E”. Where can I get it? You can listen to it on our website, take it on another tuned musical instrument, you can use a tuning fork, or go to YouTube and search for “E notes for guitar tuning” or something like that.

Some people have perfect pitch and can determine the pitch of a note without using the above methods. This quality of hearing can be developed, but as a rule it is innate. However, not all professionals have such skills, so the method proposed below is used by both experienced guitarists and beginners.

And so, we have found a “sample” note, let’s start tuning. Tuning a 6-string guitar, as well as playing any other musical instrument, requires at least some degree of hearing. The presence of hearing in a beginner is very easy to determine, if you are able to distinguish which of two notes sounds higher and which lower, then you definitely have hearing. This is what we need now.

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Play standard note "mi" and at the same time start plucking the sixth string of your guitar. Do you feel the difference? Does your guitar string sound lower than the reference note? So you need to tighten it up a little, twist smoothly and continue tuning the 6th string until our string and the reference note sound . Try tightening and loosening the string a little until you achieve the desired sound.

Tuning the rest of the strings

can be tuned in a similar way, using reference notes, but as a rule, “in everyday life” they are tuned relative to the 6th string. The procedure is as follows:

We will use the 6th string clamped on the 5th fret and the 5th string open (that is, not clamped on any fret). We alternately pluck the fifth and sixth strings and adjust the sound of the fifth string until we achieve unison.

The remaining strings are tuned according to a similar pattern, but with a slight correction (pay attention to the setting of the second string). I will describe the entire string tuning scheme:

• Sixth string - tune either by reference note or by ear.

In this article on the site we will talk about alternative guitar tunings.

Unusual setting guitars are a type of tuning that differs from the classical and generally accepted fourth tuning.

It is important to understand that we are talking here about open strings, that is, notes will be extracted from open strings without pressing.

Classic setting six string guitar in notes it looks like this (from the first string to the sixth): E (mi), H (si), G (sol), D (re), A (la), E (mi).

This tuning is used by guitarists 95% of the time and is considered the default tuning.

For example, if you see a chord grid with the indicated finger placement, it means that this classical tuning is implied, and you only need to use it.

On the other hand, there are a lot musical groups, who take advantage of their individual customization of tools. Often, such an alternative tuning differs little from the generally accepted one, and the changes affect only individual strings.

For example, the sixth bass string in heavy musical styles often drops a tone lower - from MI - to RE, adding an additional seventh string SI (the thickest).

Similar techniques of alternative tuning are used on the bass guitar, especially the five-string, where instead of the classical MI there is a SI or even a SI-flat in the bass.

If you look at the tabs of the same Korn, Sepultura or Cannibal Corpse, you will definitely notice the use of alternative guitar tuning.

However non-standard setting The guitar is not limited to just one string. The same metal bands, in order to give the music more heaviness and darkness, rebuild the entire guitar.

For example, a classical guitar tuning often shifts entirely down a half step, moving from the general tuning of fourths MI to the general tuning of RE.

All this is implemented simply: all the strings of the guitar are lowered at the same interval lower, which achieves a special lowered sound.

On the other hand, alternative guitar tunings are often used in other styles.

In jazz, in blues, in grunge and even in rock.

For example, when playing with a slider (a special tip placed on the guitarist’s finger), it is very convenient to line up the guitar in fifths, so that when the fret is pressed, a whole chord can be heard without dissonant notes. Similar practices are found in other styles of music.

Unusual guitar tuning, alternative tuning

In order not to bore the reader with long stories, we will present several alternative tuning options for a six-string guitar. You can use these settings variations at your own discretion.

For example, to diversify your playing, to find new musical ideas, to change the monotonous classical sound of an instrument...

Alternative guitar tuning is usually implemented so that everything open strings instrument created a specific minor or major chord.

When playing in this tuning, you can simply press entire frets of the guitar and get new chords.

For example, by tuning a guitar in D major and plucking all the strings at the fifth fret, you will get a pure G major, and at the seventh fret you will get an A major.

Note: The examples below indicate an alternative order of notes from the SIXTH string to the FIRST string (the sixth is the far left and the first is the far right).

To execute correct setting you will have to either tighten or loosen individual strings, go beyond the generally accepted tuning.

1. Alternative guitar tuning in D major (D):

2. Unusual guitar tuning in G major (G):

3. Tuning a six-string guitar in the key of C major (C):

4. Alternative tuning E major (E):

5. Non-standard system G minor (Gm):

6. Alternative guitar tuning in D minor (Dm):

7. Unusual system six-string guitar in the key of A minor (Am):

And a few more completely unusual configuration options:

8. SOL fret tuning (G):

9. Alternative tuning in PE fret (D):

10. Guitar stand in A major (A major):

11. Tuning a guitar with sol bass:

12. Unusual tuning of an instrument with bass BEFORE:

13. Bass retuned to PE (D):

14. Guitar tuning with a lowered first string:

Note: "B" is the symbol for B-flat, and simply B is written as "H". Moreover, in the pictures for this article, “B” indicates the note SI.

This confusion is associated with the notation of the SI note in various options musical notation, but don't let that scare you. In the article, the pure note SI is designated exclusively as “H”.

As you can see, there are different approaches to rebuilding a six-string instrument. In some cases, all notes are changed, and in some situations, only some strings are twisted (not all).

For example, changes are often made to the bass strings, and you may see this variation especially often. The most problematic type of guitar tuning is adding strings.

To implement such a tuning, you will either need to use a seven-string instrument, or shift all the strings, adding a thick B string in the bass.

In general, such alternative settings you could come up with your own by experimenting with different guitar tunings.

Don't think that everything possible options are limited only to the 14 examples described above. In fact, there are many, many more alternative configuration methods!