Letter designation for strings on a guitar. Which strings are best suited to a particular tuning? Open D major Open D - DADF#AD

If you have already decided to start playing the guitar, then the first thing you need to do when you pick up the instrument is to tune the guitar. About how it is carried out 6 string guitar tuning and this article tells the story. Let's look at how to tune a guitar with and without a tuner. Never play an out of tune guitar - it will completely damage your hearing!

Standard guitar tuning

Tuning a guitar requires that each string sound a specific note. The set of notes of all strings is called the tuning of a guitar. Tuning a 6-string guitar can be done in different tunings, but we will focus on the most common - classical tuning, which is more often called standard guitar tuning.

In short, any scale is written as a sequence of sound notes open strings from the first to the sixth. The standard tuning is written like this:

E B G D A E

What does it mean in Russian:

Mi Si Sol Re La Mi

As you can see, the first and sixth strings sound the note Mi , but in the case of the sixth string it is Mi second octave (thick string), and the first string produces Mi fourth octave (thin). There will be more about this a little later.

Guitar tuner

In the age of technology, it would be strange if there was no gadget for tuning a guitar. But it exists and there are just a lot of options. Not only is this a very convenient thing, it is also very cheap.

This is a small clothespin that attaches to the headstock, i.e. to the place where the pegs are on the guitar. The clothespin contains a sensor that detects sound vibrations going about t strings Thanks to this, the tuner does not pick up external noise.

We will look at what these strange letters on the screen are, but for now I want to please you. The cost of this miracle on AliExpress only 3$. In music stores, such tuners are sold many times more expensive. I recommend purchasing it if necessary. It will come in handy, I use this myself. It's better to buy in this store .

Tuner for tuning a guitar on your phone

Today there is more than one online service for tuning a guitar. There are also enough programs for PC, for example the same Guitar Pro allows you to do this. But it is much more convenient to install the application on your smartphone and not depend on the Internet and/or computer.


There are tons of guitar tuning apps for smartphones. But the most complete and advanced among them all was and remains to this day the gStrings guitar tuner. I've been using it for 5 years now.

You can download it from Google Play Market A.

After all the changes made by the developers, the application has become maximally adapted to living conditions. You just need to take your phone out of your pocket, open the app and start plucking strings, not necessarily guitar strings. The application is omnivorous and is great for tuning a guitar, as well as for tuning a bass guitar, violin and any other instrument. Even the drums were once pulled up on it.

At the top of the tuner screen are consecutive notes. In the center is a tuned note, and an arrow indicates what to do with this note. If the arrow is to the left of the center of the screen, it means the note is not played. If it’s to the right, it’s overtightened.


A note is considered tuned if the arrow points to the center, i.e. on the note itself, while its color changes, in this case from gray to white. Today, all tuners have a similar intuitive interface.

As already shown above, notes are indicated by the first letters of the English alphabet. The letters go as in the English alphabet, in order, but starting with the note A:

  • Do - C
  • D - D
  • Mi - E
  • Fa - F
  • Salt G
  • A - A
  • C - B

When talking about standard tuning, octaves were mentioned. Which octave a note belongs to is indicated in the program by a number next to the note. Under the note, its frequency is indicated in Hertz (Hz). The center of the screen shows the sound frequency in this moment. For standard tuning This:

  • 1 stringE 4329.63 Hz
  • 2nd stringB 3246.94 Hz
  • 3rd stringG 3196.00 Hz
  • 4th stringD 3146.83 Hz
  • 5 stringA 2110.00Hz
  • 6th stringE 282.41 Hz

Don't get confused! otherwise in best case scenario You'll break the string, or at worst, you'll damage the guitar.


Tuning a 6 string guitar by notes

Today, given that everyone has a smartphone or two in their pocket, this option for tuning a guitar can be considered outdated, but you shouldn’t write it off. One way or another, everyone who plans to continue playing the guitar should know it. You never know, suddenly the battery on your smartphone runs out)


The method is based on the fact that each subsequent string is tuned to the previous one by ear, by resonance. As we already know, the open first string produces the note Mi. If we hold down the second string at the fifth fret, we will also get the same note Mi and a resonance will arise between them, i.e. they will begin to enhance each other's sound.

This means that in order to tune the second string, it needs to sound the same as the open first string at the fifth fret. Therefore, we clamp the second string at the fifth fret, pluck the first string, and then the second, and try to determine whether the second string sounds higher or lower.

At the same time, to make it easier to determine whether the second string is understretched or overtightened, you can move from the fifth fret to other frets and look for which fret the resonance will occur on. If it occurs on higher frets (6,7,8...) then the second string should be tightened even more. If resonance occurs if you hold the second string at lower frets (1-4), then the second string is overtightened.

Guitar beats and tuning

When you come very close to the desired note and the difference between the notes is very close, so-called beats occur. Beating is the result of a slight difference between two close frequencies that are trying to resonate, but because of the slight difference, the sound is either strengthened or weakened. Graphically it looks like this:


When setting acoustic guitar, the beats are not only perceptible by ear, but also clearly felt by the body when touching the soundboard (body) of the guitar. This is especially noticeable on the upper bass strings, due to their thickness and lower sound frequency.

The closer the sounds of two notes correspond to each other (the second string on the fifth fret and the open first), the faster the beats will occur. And when the notes coincide, the beats will stop altogether. You just have to feel it and then you can adjust it without thinking.

By analogy for the other strings. The third string should sound the same as the second open string when plucked at the fourth fret. To tune the 4th, 5th and 6th strings, you should clamp them at the fifth fret and compare their sound with the sound of the previous string.


It turns out that all strings except the third are tuned according to the resonance between them at the fifth fret and the previous string, and the third string is similar, but is clamped at the fourth fret.

Sheet music for guitar tuning

In this way, you can tune the guitar in reverse order or starting from any string, but there is one thing in this method weakness. Initially, one of the strings must be tuned from outside. The tuning fork was invented for these purposes. A standard tuning fork produces an A note with a frequency of 440 Hz. Those. This is the first string on the fifth fret.


Especially for you, a 20-second file with the note A (440Hz) produced by a standard tuning fork was created in the Audacity audio editor. Well, at the same time, 20 seconds of the sound of the first string.

Download or listen online sheet music for guitar tuning:


You can create the sound of any note yourself in Audacity. How to do this, read the article:

Another instrument, such as a piano or a second guitar, can also serve as a reference. But it’s better to memorize some melody for yourself, preferably using all the strings separately, by playing which you could accurately determine whether the instrument is out of tune and which strings should be tuned.

For me personally, such a melody is the introduction of Viktor Tsoi’s song “Aluminum Cucumbers.” If you develop auditory memory and remember the sound of notes, then you can tune a guitar without a tuning fork, and even more so without tuners, without any problems. It just takes practice and regular play.

And finally, a video showing another guitar tuning option:

The article was written exclusively for the site

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. Here's how the strings should be tuned in classical tuning:

  • e (the first, thinnest string is the note "E")
  • 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 “twists” 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.

How to learn to play guitar from scratch at home?

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 standard 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.

There are a lot of bands in the world that play in a variety of tunings. It seems that one can get confused in such diversity. But if you look closely, it turns out that almost all tunings belong to one of several common types that I will now describe.

In the pictures below I have depicted the “formulas” of these types. It’s not very visual, but it’s beautiful and New Year’s-like. The numbers indicate the interval between adjacent strings. For example, in standard system the second string is 5 semitones lower than the first, the third is 4 semitones lower than the second, and so on.

This sequence is familiar to anyone who has tuned a guitar “by itself”:

Any tuning with the same sequence of intervals (5-5-5-4-5, if you count from bottom to top) is also a standard tuning, only lowered (or higher). The same chord and scale fingerings will work in it. Any part written in E standard can be played in D standard tuning, it will simply sound a tone lower. The very essence of the tuning - the intervals between adjacent strings - remains the same.

From a "just play" point of view EADGBE- this is the same as DGCFAD. I want to play something from Death, and a guitar in standard tuning is not a problem, we look for taboos and play. It will just sound a tone higher. Because the TYPE of structure is the same. Other options:
- raise the original by a tone in the audio editor and play along with it.
- lower the guitar with a pitch shifter in real time and play to the unaltered original.
- record the minus in standard tuning and play to it.

And if the intervals are different, then we are talking about a different TYPE of structure. If you want to play something from Killswitch Engage, you need to understand what type of system it is. And it turns out that they CGCFAD- this is the same as DADGBE, but a tone lower. So all you have to do is switch to good old DropD.

The easiest way to determine the type of tuning is to read this post, and then enter the tuning in guitarpro and raise and lower the whole thing until something familiar or as close as possible to the standard appears:

I have provided examples for each type of structure. If I write only the name of the group, it means that this structure is the main one for it. It's the same with albums. If a song is listed, the band made one or more songs in that tuning, but used others more often.

Then I indicate the pros and cons of the tuning and which version is closest to the standard tuning (“for testing”). If “for trial” is not indicated, it means that the tuning requires a custom set of strings in any of its variants.

Standard tuning

Standard tuning is a tuning in which all intervals between the strings are 5 semitones, and only between the 2nd and 3rd strings there are 4 semitones. The most standard version (which is simply called the standard tuning) is the one that begins and ends with E - EADGBE. All other options are named by open note, which is obtained on the first or sixth string: for example, D standard.

E standard EADGBE The vast majority of all groups in the world. True, it is not so easy to find a large/famous group that would play ONLY in Mi standard. All the heroes of rock are the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and so on, at least sometimes they turned to other systems. Even AC/DC has several songs in Eb standard. Perhaps the only classic of rock that can be cited is Queen, and even then I’m not entirely sure ( update: Queen also disappears: they have Headlong in DropD).
It’s even more difficult with metalheads. All the major groups either started out playing in lower tunings or switched to them over time. Well, again, Burzum and Darkthrone probably have everything in standard order.
Eb standard EbAbDbGbBbEb Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Guns"n"Roses
D standard DGCFAD Death, Children Of Bodom, Nightwish, Gojira, Ghost, Nirvana in "Lithium", Metallica in "Sad But True"
C# standard C#BEG# Black Sabbath on the album "Master Of Reality", My Dying Bride, Limp Bizkit Dying Fetus
C standard CFBbEbGC Dethklok, High on Fire, In Flames, Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss
B standard BEADF Amon Amarth, Crowbar, Soilwork, Carcass, Type O Negative, Sepultura in "Roots"
Bb standard BbEbAbDbFBb Cannibal Corpse in "Blowtorch Slaughter"
A standard ADGCEA KYPCK

Some groups (Placebo, Vektor), on the contrary, raise the standard tuning by a semitone. Johnny Marr of the Smiths used a tuning a step higher than standard on some songs ("This Charming Man").

+ Standard tuning is the ideal compromise between range and ease of playing chords and melodies. Friendly with many tonalities. This is done especially clearly after you try several alternative tunings: many of them are better than the standard one in one of the parameters, but they are necessarily worse in another or several. The standard has become a standard for a reason - it is the most practical and universal.
Sometimes you want something different)

Drop tunings

Drop tuning is a standard tuning with the sixth string lowered a tone.
They are named after the open note produced on the sixth string. For example, DropD is DADGBE.

+ Range extension down, power chords with one finger, and their extensions up (like 447454), the first five strings are tuned as in the standard - play solos as much as you want
Slightly less versatility than standard tuning. The increased “gap” between the 5th and 6th strings somewhat limits play in the lower range.
To try: DropD (DADGBE)

Open formations

They are obtained when all the strings are tuned to the notes of a chord. Usually major or minor. They are called by the name of the chord. There is no clear connection between the name of the system and the system. For example, " open A major" is any tuning where there are open strings A, C# and E (and no others). It could be EEAAC And EAC#AC or even reduced AEAEAC#.

The most common options:

5-7-5-4-3

Open G DGDGBD Rolling Stones in "Brown Sugar" and "Start Me Up", Alter Bridge in "Watch Over You"
Open A: EEAAC Led Zeppelin in "In My Time of Dying", White Stripes in "Seven Nation Army"
Open F: CFCFAC Led Zeppelin in "When the Levee Breaks"

7-5-4-3-5

Open D DADF#AD Joni Mitchell in Big Yellow Taxi
Open E EBEG#BE Derek Trucks

7-5-7-5-4

>
Open C CGCGCE Devin Townsend
Open B BF#BF #BD #

To try: Open G, Open D, Open C

+ Suitable for playing with a slide
They are friendly to one or two keys, but can be very uncomfortable in others, and are not always friendly with scale-like passages.

Modal scales

That's what they call it open formations, based on a chord that is not major or minor. Typically this is a sus2 or sus4 chord.

The most famous of them is the “Celtic tuning” (opened by Dsus4):


Standard option - DADGAD(Led Zeppelin in "Kashmir", Staind in "Epiphany"). Lowered versions of this tuning were used by Mark Tremonti in Creed and Alter Bridge, Russian Circles and Sevendust.

Drone formations

Tunings where all or almost all the strings are tuned to the same note (not necessarily the same octave).

DDDDDD- The Velvet Underground in "Venus In Furs"
BDDDDD- Goo Goo Dolls in "Iris"

+ Very different
Very specific

"Seven-string without a sixth"


This is a standard tuning in which the sixth string is lowered not by a tone, as in drop tunings, but by 5 semitones. It turns out like a seven-string with a missing sixth string. And the fingering, which usually gives a fifth on the 5th and 6th strings, now gives an octave.

+ Fingerings can be moved anywhere on the fingerboard without having to adjust them. Complete symmetry.
You'll have to forget about open chords and barre chords.
To try: EADGCF or D #BE (if you don’t want to tune the first and second strings higher)

Fifth scale (all Fifths)


Each next string is a fifth (7 semitones) higher than the previous one.

One of the main versions is CGDAEB. The lower C then turns out not too low for acoustics, but the upper B turns out to be very high - a fifth higher than the standard upper E. On a guitar with a standard scale and ordinary strings, this B is unattainable: the string will simply break before reaching it.
This guy from YouTube very carefully used thin string to get the top C.
A this Instead of the first string, I installed a fishing line with a cross-section of 0.5 mm on the classical guitar, in combination with five nylon strings from the usual set.

The other extreme is to start with a standard high E and work fifths down from there. It will work out FCGDAE, the first string is as in standard tuning, and the sixth is almost an octave lower than the sixth in standard tuning. This is too low to produce clean notes on a standard scale guitar with this string. You will need a baritone or multi-scale guitar.

+ Complete symmetry, as in the fourth tuning. Huge range (almost an octave wider than standard tuning).
You need a custom set of strings and a willingness to make compromises (or order an instrument with a multi-scale). You'll have to forget about small intervals and chords in which the notes are close to each other. Playing scales and melodies will require increased stretching.

By the way, a mandolin is tuned to fifth tuning ( GDAE), and that's it bowed instruments, except double bass: for example, violin in GDAE, and the cello in СGDA. In addition, there are four-string tenor guitars which have 4 strings and are tuned in fifth tuning CGDA.

"New Standard Tuning"


A tuning invented by Robert Fripp to solve the problem of the fifth tuning. He replaced the top fifth with a minor third, and it turned out CGDAEG. Upper Sol is also high, but already achievable. Can be used standard strings 9 or 10 gauge. But it’s better to assemble a custom kit.

"Nashville tuning"


-8 in the formula means that the 2nd string is tuned not higher than the third, but 8 semitones LOWER. “Nashville tuning” usually works out like this: we take a set of strings for a 12-string and put only the “thin” half of it on the 6-string, tuning it in the same way as on a 12-string. Now the first and second strings are tuned the same as in standard tuning, and all the others are tuned an octave higher. The result is a “ringing” tuning with a reduced range, in which some notes in the chords will be duplicated. This tuning is suitable for overdubs and any additional parts. For example, you can record the same chord part on a 6-string in standard tuning and the same chord in Nashville tuning. In essence, it turned out to be a 12-string, but the only difference is that this is not one performance, but two slightly different ones, which will give more volume, besides, these are two separate tracks and can be panned in different directions.

Double-drop tunings


They are obtained when, in standard tuning, not only the sixth, but also the first string is lowered by a tone.

Double Drop D DADGBD Neil Young on "Cortez The Killer", Led Zeppelin on "Going To California"
Double Drop B BF#BEG Isis

To try: DADGBD. It's funny that this system is “one step away” from each of the three above - DropD (DADGBE), Open G (DGDGBD) and DADGAD.

Now about the seven-string guitar.

The standard seven-string tuning is a six-string E standard plus a 7th string in B.





Seven string B standard BEADGBE Dream Theater in "Caught In A Web", Steve Vai in "Riddle", Joe Satriani in "Mind Storm", Fallujah
Seven string Bb standard BbEbAbDbGbBbEb Morbid Angel, early Meshuggah, Nevermore
Seven string A standard ADGCFAD Fear Factory, Korn
Seven string Ab standard AbDbGbBEAbDb Deftones on "Hexagram"

Seven-string Drop tuning is a seven-string standard in which the seventh string is lowered a tone.






Seven-string DropA AEADGBE Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, later Scar Symmetry. Jazz guitarist George Van Eps, who played a seven-string electric guitar back in the 60s, also used this tuning.
Seven-string DropAb AbEbAbDbGbBbEb Periphery on seven-string songs
Seven-string DropG GDGCFAD Vildhjarta, Emmure
Seven-string DropF# F#BEG# Rivers Of Nihil, Deftones on Saturday Night Wrist album
Seven-string DropD DADGCEA Black Tongue

Some people take the six-string drop tuning and add a seventh string from the bottom. It can be a third lower:



Six-string DropD + low B BDADGBE Animals As Leaders in "Cafo"
Six-string Drop C# + low A# A

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 of musical groups that take advantage of their individual tuning of instruments. 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, classic guitar tuning Often the whole thing shifts down a semitone or tone, moving from the general tuning of MI fourths 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 tuning of a guitar is usually implemented so that all of the instrument's open strings produce 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 option 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!

Non-classical settings are used for the convenience of playing certain musical genres or pieces of music.

Classic setting method

  1. tuning fork
  2. The 1st string is used to tune the 2nd string, which, being pressed at the V fret, should sound the same as the 1st open (not pressed) string.
  3. The 3rd string, pressed at the 4th fret, is tuned to the 2nd open string.
  4. The 4th string, pressed on the V fret, is tuned to the 3rd open string.
  5. The 5th string, pressed at the V fret, is tuned to the 4th open string.
  6. The 6th string, pressed at the V fret, is tuned to the 5th open string.

Tuning with harmonics and temperament

Allows for much more precise tuning, since the accuracy of the frets is not always sufficient.

  1. The 1st string is tuned using the reference sound - the sound of a tuning fork - or the sound of an already tuned musical instrument.
  2. The 6th string is tuned so that its harmonic at the 5th fret sounds in unison with the 1st string.
  3. The 5th string is tuned so that its harmonic at the 7th fret sounds in unison with the 1st string, and then it is slightly pulled up so that a beat occurs with a frequency of 0.372 Hz (one beat in 2.7 seconds).
  4. The 4th string is tuned so that its harmonic at the 7th fret sounds in unison with the harmonic of the 5th string at the 5th fret, and then slightly tightened so that a beat occurs with a frequency of 0.497 Hz (one beat per 2.01 seconds).
  5. The 3rd string is tuned so that its harmonic at the 7th fret sounds in unison with the harmonic of the 4th string at the 5th fret, and then slightly tightened so that a beat occurs with a frequency of 0.664 Hz (one beat per 1.51 seconds).
  6. The 2nd string is tuned so that its harmonic on the 5th fret sounds almost in unison with the harmonic of the 1st string on the 7th fret, but is slightly shortened so that a beat with a frequency of 1.12 Hz is heard (one beat per 0.9 seconds).

When tuning using the tuning fork A (“A”), the 5th string is tuned first (the harmonic on the V fret in unison with the tuning fork), then the 1st and 6th, and then the 4th, 3rd and 2nd.

If you have good hearing and have gained enough experience, you can do without using harmonics, catching the beat of overtones in the sound of open strings.

Since changing the string tension leads to deformation of the guitar body and detuning of the remaining strings, it is recommended to tune the guitar in 2-3 iterations, the first of which can be done without temperament (without carefully counting the beat frequency).

Lower tunings of a six-string guitar

Decreased (i.e. lower than the normal EBGDAE tuning) tunings are used for more comfortable playing a certain key, or to obtain a lower, “heavy” sound. In particular, many rock guitarists love the so-called. Drop tunings, which are named by adding to “Drop” a note on the 6th string that drops 1 tone below the first (for example: Drop C = DAFCGC). To change from a classical tuning to some lower tuning, all the strings of the guitar are lowered by a certain interval (for example, to change to tuning D, you need to lower all the strings of the guitar by a tone). To lower the guitar's tuning by more than a tone, you may need to change the strings to thicker ones due to the weakening of their tension. Also, for tunings below B (B), mostly baritone guitars are used.

String Scale E♭ (E-flat) Build D (re) Scale D♭ (D-flat) Build C (before) System B (si)
Note Frequency (in hertz) Note Frequency Note Frequency Note Frequency Note Frequency
First e♭¹ (E-flat first octave) 311.13 d¹ (D first octave) 293.66 d♭¹ (D-flat first octave) 277.18 c¹ (to the first octave) 261.63 b (B small octave) 246.94
Second b♭ (B-flat small octave) 233.08 a (A small octave) 220.00 a♭ (A-flat small octave) 207.00 g (small octave sol) 196.00 g♭ (G-flat small octave) 185.00
Third g♭ (G-flat small octave) 185.00 f (f small octave) 174.62 e (minor octave E) 164.81 e♭ (small octave E-flat) 155.56 d (small octave D) 147.83
Fourth d♭ (D-flat small octave) 138.59 c (to small octave) 130.82 B (big octave B) 123.48 B♭ (B-flat major octave) 116.54 A (A major octave) 110.00
Fifth A♭ (A-flat major octave) 103.80 G (major octave G) 98.00 G♭ (G flat major octave) 92.50 F (major octave F) 87.31 E (major octave E) 82.41
Sixth E♭ (major octave E-flat) 77.78 D (major octave D) 73.91 D♭ (D-flat major octave) 69.30 C (to major octave) 65.41 B¹ (B counter octave) 61.74
Notes



Open C

One of characteristic features is the ease of extracting basic major chords. A simple barre on the 2nd fret will give "D", 4th fret will give "E", 5th fret will give "F" and so on. Open strings will give you "C".

In order to tune a guitar in “Open C”, you need (starting from the “standard tuning”): 1st string (thin) Leave as in the “standard tuning” - “E” (“E”)
2nd string. Raise half a step to “C” (“C”)
3rd string. Leave as in “standard tuning” - “Salt” (“G”)
4th string. Lower one step to “Before” (“C”)
5th string. Lower one step to “Salt” (“G”)
6th string (thick). Lower by two steps from “E” to “Do” (“C”)

Raised tunings of a six-string guitar

Tuning a guitar, especially a classical one, can damage the instrument., as well as to injuries due to a sudden break of a tightened string.

To increase the tuning, you can use a capo. If rebuilding your guitar is necessary, it is recommended to use a thinner set of strings.

String Build F (fa) Tuning F# (F-sharp) Tuning G (sol) G# scale (G sharp) System A (la)
Note Frequency (in hertz) Note Frequency Note Frequency Note Frequency Note Frequency
First f¹ (fa first octave) 349.23 f¹# (F-sharp first octave) 369.99 g¹ (sol of the first octave) 392.00 g¹# (G-sharp first octave) 415.30 a¹ (A first octave) 440.00
Second с¹ (to the first octave) 261.63 с¹# (C-sharp of the first octave) 277.18 d¹ (D first octave) 293.66 D¹# (D-sharp first octave) 311.13 e¹ (E first octave) 311.13
Third g# (G-sharp small octave) 207.00 a (A small octave) 220.00 a# (A-sharp small octave) 233.08 b (B small octave) 246.94 c¹ (to the first octave) 261.63
Fourth d# (d-sharp small octave) 155.56 e (minor octave E) 164.81 f (f small octave) 174.62 f# (F-sharp small octave) 185.00 g (small octave sol) 196.00
Fifth A# (A-sharp major octave) 116.54 B (big octave B) 123.48 c (to small octave) 130.82 c# (C-sharp small octave) 138.59 d (small octave D) 147.83
Sixth F (major octave F) 87.31 F# (F-sharp major octave) 92.50 G (major octave G) 98.00 G# (G-sharp major octave) 103.80 A (A major octave) 110.00
Notes




"Drop D" formation

This tuning differs from the classical one in that it is lowered by tone sixth string. It is often used by hard rock electric guitarists because it makes it easier to play 5th chords. power-chord), also some works were written for him classical guitar(in the keys of D major and D minor).

"Drop C" formation

Used to produce an even lower and “heavier” sound on an electric guitar. Unlike the classical system, all strings except the sixth tune in to tone below and sixth string- on two tones.
Like Drop tuning D is used to play fifth chords.

Double Drop-D formation

The tuning is similar to Drop D, differing in that the first string is lowered a tone. For tuning from classical tuning first And sixth the string is lowered to tone.
In this tuning, the top four open strings of the guitar form a G major chord, making it easier to play with slide. Double drop D was often used by performer Neil Young.

Build "DADGAD"

The tuning most often used in folk music. It was invented by British guitarist David Graham for more convenient playing from notes recorded for violin or bagpipes.
To reorganize the “DADGAD” system from the classic one, it is necessary to lower it to tone first, second And sixth strings.

Build "DADDAD"

The “Papa-Papa” tuning is most suitable both for use in folk music (Celtic) and for playing rhythm guitar parts in “heavy” (alternative) music, 4 notes at a time. To change the tuning “DADDAD” from the classical one, you need to lower it to tone first, second And sixth strings. A third tune in unison with fourth.

Build "Open D"

In this tuning, the open strings form a D major chord. It is used primarily on slide guitars.
To rebuild into this system from the classical first, second And sixth strings drop to tone, third goes down to semitone.

"Open G" build

In this tuning, the open strings form a G major chord.
To change to "Open G" tuning from the classic first, fifth And sixth strings drop to tone.

"New Standard"

Also known as "Crafty tuning". A tuning developed by musician Robert Fripp and used by him since 1983. Unlike the classical “quart” tuning, the tuning proposed by Robert Fripp is closer to bowed string instruments, and first, second And third the strings are tuned similarly to a violin. Tuning to this tuning may require replacing the lower strings with thicker ones and the upper strings with thinner ones.

"Alternative tuning Cross A"

E-A-E-A-E-A. "Sitar A" is an alternative lowered guitar tuning. Reminds me of the sound of an Indian sitar. Great for creating Indian (oriental) music.

Seven-string tunings

Standard

The structure of the strings of a seven-string guitar is mixed - third-fourth, so the chord of the open strings is consonant (major quarter-sixth chord), unlike a six-string guitar. This system is considered classical (academic).