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 setting 6 string guitar 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 each string to 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 system which is more often called standard formation guitars.
In short, any tuning is written as a sequence of notes of the 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 has already been 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 at the moment. For standard tuning this is:
- 1 string — E 4 — 329.63 Hz
- 2nd string — B 3 — 246.94 Hz
- 3rd string — G 3 — 196.00 Hz
- 4th string — D 3 — 146.83 Hz
- 5 string — A 2 —110.00Hz
- 6th string — E 2 — 82.41 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 weak point. 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, and 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 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
Each string on a guitar has its own name and letter designation. In this short note, let's figure out how all the strings of a guitar are designated.
As you know, there are six strings on a regular guitar. There are, of course, other types of guitars: the bass, for example, has only four strings; The Russian guitar has seven strings, there are twelve-string guitars, etc. We will look at the most common type of guitar - six string guitar.
Guitar strings are counted starting from the most thin string– to the thickest bass string. The thinnest is the first string. Accordingly, the thickest is the sixth string. When you hold the guitar in the position in which you play it, the first string of the guitar is lower, i.e. closer to the floor, and the very last, sixth string is higher. Bass strings differ from non-bass strings in that bass strings have a metal winding, so they are thicker in volume and produce a lower sound.
So, now about the names of the strings.
the first string is E,
second string – B,
third string – G,
fourth string – D,
fifth string – A,
the sixth string is E.
In some works, composers slightly modify the tuning of the guitar, for example, they rearrange the sixth string instead of the note E to the note D, or less often, instead of the fifth string A, they rearrange its sound into the note G. But these are exceptional cases that are quite rare.
In addition to the usual names, each string also has its own letter designation. These are the letters of the Latin alphabet that indicate the strings of a guitar.
As you noticed, the first and sixth strings have the same names. But this does not mean that these strings sound the same. The only thing they have in common is the name. In fact, the first E string belongs to the second octave, and the sixth E string belongs to the scarlet octave. Those. the distance between these strings is as much as two octaves!
Since not all letter designations of notes are indicated above, but only designations of guitar strings, I decided to simultaneously note the letter designations of all existing notes in music. As we know, there are only seven of them - do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si. For convenience of letter designation, we will begin to list the notes not from C, but from A. It will be more convenient this way:
If you look closely, it becomes obvious that we are looking at the initial letters of the Latin alphabet. In my opinion, this method of recording makes memorization much easier. letter designations all existing notes.
Attention! Take a guitar training course! Course duration: 90 minutes!
The guitar is one of the most famous and at the same time unpredictable instruments that can touch the most sensual strings of the soul. But the guitar itself also has them.
Few people pay attention to the name of the strings on a guitar, considering it completely unnecessary. But often the performance of any composition depends on the setting. Any dissonance causes associative rejection of the composition as a whole. But in this material The focus will be on instrument tuning and use for beginning players.
Guitar string name: classic version
In general, it is considered a classic. However, one can recall quite a lot of examples of great composers who preferred seven strings to six (at least Vysotsky).
However, according to music theory and solfeggio, the names of the strings do not differ at all. Based on the rules established general theory music, the notes by which any instrument is built have their own names and abbreviations in the form of Latin symbols and language interpretations. In our case it is:
- C - to.
- D - re.
- E - mi.
- F - fa.
- G - salt.
- A - la.
- H - B (B - B-flat is indicated separately).
(sharps, flats, bekars or their double versions) are applied accordingly. But there are only 6 strings.
The string on the guitar at the top of the neck has the same sound as the first string at the bottom three octaves apart. Therefore, both the first and sixth are, as it were, dominant, but only in relation to a 6-string instrument (the main tuning is in E minor).
Mi-si-sol-re-la-mi: is the sequence in tuning correct?
Quite often, many beginning guitarists trying to understand the basics of the technique are immediately faced with the problem of tuning, not knowing which string corresponds to which symbol in the designation or sound.
If you go through the search, sequentially from the sixth string to the first, it will look like “e-la-re-sol-si-mi”. And the above sequence is reverse.
Such a sequence is not suitable for a flat sequence, since it should look like “si-mi-la-re-sol-do-fa”. However, we digress from the topic.
Fundamental tone and tuning
The name of the strings, as is already clear, is standard for any instrument. As for the (6-string) this is done quite simply.
There are several ways in which a beginning musician can use the unison of an open string lower on the neck with one that is clamped at the fifth fret above. All strings, except the third, are built according to this rule. You can use the harmonic effect on different frets (the strings vibrate among themselves) or turn on a distortion effect, which will add drive and increase vibration. That is, the strings will have to be retuned until the sound matches completely. Professional electric guitars have a special micro-tuning device on the soundboard for this purpose).
Basic chords for beginners
Many beginning guitarists tend to associate the note “A” with the chord, which is the second simplest chord in guitar technique.
It consists of only three fingers: two on the second fret (fourth and third string) and one on the second string on the first fret. The note “A” in this case acts as a tonic.
But the simplest chord is still the E minor chord. There are only two strings - the fifth and fourth on the second fret. A major chord played from “E” involves holding the third string on the second fret, and a major chord with the tonic “A” is even simpler - three fingers on the second fret (second, third and fourth string).
Barre technique
Although the name of the strings on a guitar no longer causes misunderstanding, it is especially worth noting a technique called barre (clamping index finger all right).
Any standard chord can be built using this technique. In fact, the same simple applications indicated above can be applied to this case, but only the nut near the tuning mechanism on the headstock acts as a barre.
Varieties of playing techniques
The name of the strings on a guitar is often emphasized with certain symbols, although it is not directly advertised. For example, in the standard version the third, fifth, seventh and twelfth frets are designated (sometimes the ninth). For many famous guitarists you can find all sorts of signs, including skulls or something else. These guitars are made to order.
And playing any instrument is quite difficult, be it fingerpicking, strumming, tapping, sliding, etc. With the advent of “gadgets”, technology has reached new level. That alone is worth it... And modern guitarists generally demonstrate such miracles of technology that it simply boggles the mind.
The same Steve Vai, Marty Friedmann or Kirk Hammett are the only ones of our time. And by the way, even though they know classical school, do not always use it in their improvisations. For example, Friedman tends to play in fifths, or nine notes per pass. And everyone's technique is different. But if you set a goal, nothing is impossible. Maybe the modern reader will become a great guitarist in the future, who knows?
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.
The classic tuning of a six-string guitar in notes 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, 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 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 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!
Beginning guitarists often wonder: what tuning does this or that favorite rock band play in? How to tune a guitar so that you can comfortably play known and favorite songs? In this article I will briefly give examples guitar tunings in rock music and their representatives (musicians, groups).
I will immediately give a list of the notations used:
- C - note C
- D - note D
- E - note E
- F - note Fa
- G - note Sol
- A - note A
- B (or H) - note B
- # - sharp - raising a note by a semitone. Half a tone on a guitar - one fret.
- b - flat - lowering the note by a semitone.
- The notes in the tuning tablature are arranged in order from the 1st (thin) string to the 6th (thick) string. For example, E B G D A E.
1. Standard, E (standard, Spanish or classical tuning).
The simplest and most famous guitar tuning. Tablature of the system: E B G D A E - Mi Si Sol Re La Mi. This system is used mainly by rock music luminaries, old-school musicians and adherents of light genres.
Groups and musicians who play in standard tuning:
- AC/DC
- Led Zeppelin
- Metallica
- Gun's & Roses
- Nightwish
- Deep Purple
- Nirvana (semitone lower)
- Blink 182
- Sum 41
- Joe Satriani
- Carlos Santana
- Aria, Kipelov (half a tone lower)
- Nickelback
- Placebo
- Rage Against The Machine
- Queen
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Rise Against
- Scorpions
- Steve Vai
- Chuck Berry
- Bon Jovi
- 30 Seconds To Mars
2. Drop D (lowered D)
This tuning differs from the standard one in that the 6th string on the guitar is lowered one tone. In consonance with the 4th and 5th strings it gives an octave. Tablature: E B G D A D. Like any lowered tuning, it is convenient in that you can play “zeros” (so-called open strings) and previously familiar chords can be pressed with just one finger, plus two more low chords are added that are not available when playing standard system.
Bands that play Drop tuning D:
- Asking Alexandria
- Avenged Sevenfold
- Evanescence
- Linkin Park (later albums)
- Papa Roach
- Rage Against The Machine
- three days Grace
- Thousand Foot Krutch
- Queens of the Stone Age
- Deftones
- fall out Boy
- Shinedown
- Amatory
3. Drop C# (lowered C sharp)
This is a tuning in which all the strings are lowered by another semitone, unlike the D tuning. Tablature: D# A# F# C# G# C#.
Bands that play in the Drop C# tuning:
- Linkin Park
- Attack! Attack!
- Breaking Benjamin
- Papa Roach (some songs from recent years)
- Limp Bizkit
- H-Blockx
- Staind
- Deftones
4. Drop C (lowered C)
This lowered tuning is quite common in alternative and metalcore music. Tablature: D A F C G C.
Bands that play in the Drop C tuning:
- Bullet For My Valentine
- As I Lay Dying
- Atreyu
- Periphery
- three days Grace
- System of a Down
- Godsmack
- Nine Lashes
- Breaking Benjamin
- 12 Stones
- Disturbed
- Lumen
- Nickelback
- Skillet
- Rammstein
- Evans Blue
- August Burns Red
5. Drop B (lowered C)
Down tuning B is an alternative standard formation seven-string guitar. It allows you to tune a six-string guitar as low as a seven-string guitar would sound, plus it allows you to play chords more comfortably. Tablature: C# G# E B F# B. Seven-string guitar tablature: E B G D A E B.
Bands that play in the Drop B tuning:
- Parkway Drive
- Slipknot
- Thousand Foot Krutch
- Bleeding Through
- Linkin Park
- Amatory
- Limp Bizkit
- Skillet
- Veil of Maya
- Stigmata
6. Drop A# (lowered A sharp)
This tuning is also an alternative to the seven-string guitar, lowered a half step. Tablature: C G D# A# F A#. Seven-string guitar tablature: D# A# F# C# G# D# A#.
Bands that play in the Drop A# tuning:
- Bring Me The Horizon
- Parkway Drive
- Breaking Benjamin
- Obey The Brave
- The Ghost Inside
- Korn (7-strings)
7. Drop A (lowered A)
Extremely low build. Tablature: B F# D A E A. Seven-string guitar tablature: D A F C G D A.
Bands that play in Drop A tuning:
- My Autumn
- Betraying The Martyrs
- Emmure
- Born Of Osiris
- Within The Ruins
This is not a complete list of all guitar tunings. In addition to standard and lowered schemes, others are used: for example, when not only the 6th string is lowered, but also the 1st string. This technique is used in blues; it allows you to produce beautiful sounds by playing a slide on the first three strings. Also, in addition to seven-string guitars and baritones (guitars with an increased scale), there are now eight-string and even nine-string electric guitars. Accordingly, the tunings of these guitars are much lower.
Do you know what strings are needed for a certain tuning?
The list of musicians and groups is also far from complete. If you have suggestions for adding to the article or questions about what tuning a certain group plays in, write in the comments!