Tuning
Standard tuning
Helmholtz notation Note: This article uses Helmholtz pitch notation to define Guitar tunings.
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As its name implies, standard tuning is by far the most popular tuning on a 6-string Guitar. It comprises the following note arrangement.
String Note Frequency
1 (Highest) e’ 329.6 Hz
2 b 246.9 Hz
3 g 196.0 Hz
4 d 146.8 Hz
5 A 110.0 Hz
6 (Lowest) E 82.4 Hz
Notes: Easy way to remember the notes-Easter Bunny Gets Drunk At Easter or, in the opposite direction: Eat Apples Daily, Grow Bigger Everyday
The Guitar, as conventionally fretted, is an equal tempered instrument.
The Guitar is a transposing instrument. Its pitches sound one octave lower than they are notated. The pitches referred to above are referenced standard pitch (a’ = 440.0 Hz.).
Letter names in table reflect pitch in Helmholtz pitch notation.
In parts of Europe, including Germany, the B natural is instead spelled as the letter H: in German music notation, H is B♮ (B natural) and B is B♭ (B flat).
This pattern can also be denoted as E-A-d-g-b-e’. (See note for an explanation of the various symbols used in the above table and elsewhere in this article.)
Standard tuning has evolved to provide a good compromise between simple fingering for many chords and the ability to play common scales with minimal left hand movement.
The separation of the first (e’) and second (b) string, as well as the separation between the third (g), fourth (d), fifth (A), and sixth (E) strings by a five-semitone interval (a perfect fourth) allows notes of the chromatic scale to be played with each of the four fingers of the left hand controlling one of the first four frets (index finger on fret 1, little finger on fret 4, etc.). It also yields a symmetry and intelligibility to fingering patterns.
The separation of the second (b), and third (g) string is by a four-semitone interval (a major third). Though this breaks the fingering pattern of the chromatic scale and thus the symmetry, it eases the playing of some often-used chords and scales, and it provides more diversity in fingering possibilities.
Tuning with a tuning fork and harmonics: Tune the A string to the fork. Then make a harmonic at the 7th fret producing a 329.6 Hz E. Tune the 1st string open to that, and then make a harmonic on the 5th fret of the 6th string, and tune the 6th string until the 5th fret’s harmonic is also at 329.6 Hz E. Then on the 1st string play the 7th fret’s harmonic and tune the b string so the 5th fret’s harmonic matches the e string’s 7th fret harmonic. Next play the 5th fret harmonic on the a string, and tune the d string so its 7th fret harmonic matches the 5th fret harmonic on the a string. Finally, play the 5th fret harmonic on the d string and match the g string’s 7th fret harmonic to that.
The chromatic (equal tempered) musical scale and the natural musical scale have note pitches that are very similar. The natural musical scale uses natural harmonic pitches. For example, the A note has harmonics pitches for the D and E notes. The Guitar fretboard can approximately accommodate to tuning to the chromatic or natural musical scale by adjusting the intonation by a little. Intonation is tuning of the fret notes to other fret notes so that most of the fretboard pitches are tuned to the pitches of the musical scale of a particular Guitar string. Intonation tuning is done by adjusting the string lengths at the bridge. The open sting note of a particular string is kept constant so that when adjusting the string length, most of the fretboard pitches are closely matched to the pitches of the musical scale for this string.
Alternative tunings
Alternative tuning refers to any open string note arrangement other than that of standard tuning detailed above. Despite the usefulness and almost universal acceptance of standard tuning, many Guitarists employ such alternative tuning arrangements in order to exploit the unique chord voicing and sonorities that result from them. Most alternative tunings necessarily change the chord shapes associated with standard tuning, which results in certain chords becoming much easier to play while others may become impossible to play.
As a standard set of Guitar strings is designed to be tuned to the standard notes, alternative tunings may require not just a different tuning, but re-stringing of the Guitar with strings better suited to the open string note. In turn, further adjustments to cope with the different tensions placed on the Guitar may be required, and in extreme tunings, fitting different components to cope with the different gauges used.
Rock music tunings
Guitar tunings in rock music and metal are employed in order to make power chords easier to play and/or to make the sound “heavier”.
Drop D tuning: D-A-d-g-b-e’
This tuning is not only used by metal and rock bands, but also folk musicians. It allows power chords (also known as bare fifth chords) to be played with a single finger on the lowest three strings. It is also used extensively in classical Guitar music and transcriptions since it allows open strings to sound the tonic and dominant as part of the bassline in the keys of D and D minor. Some Guitarists choose to use a capo on the second fret with this tuning so that they can retain the ease of playing power chords without the darker sound created by the D tuning.
Double Drop D tuning: C-A-d-g-b-d’
Neil Young uses this tuning almost exclusively when playing on Old Black. this tuning allows him to play 5th chords on the bass strings, (not unlike Drop D) but also allows him to fret the higher strings of a barre chord with one finger. Famous uses of this tuning are on the tracks Cinnamon Girl, Cortez the Killer and Ohio (with CSNY).
Dropped C: C-G-c-f-a-d’
This tuning is the same as dropped D, but each string is lowered an additional whole step, or two semitones. Technically a “drop C” tuning would be C-A-d-g-b-e’. However, the tuning technically known as “Dropped D tuned down one whole step” is commonly referred to as “Dropped C” tuning, as very few people drop only the sixth string. This gives the Guitar a very low and heavy sound, and usually requires extra-thick strings to maintain tension. This tuning is frequently used by hardcore bands as well to achieve a lower sound. Tuning a standard, non-baritone Guitar any lower than this is difficult.A simple way to obtain drop D tuning is to flatten your your 6th string to where the 7th fret 6th string is the same pitch as your fith string open if you are in standard tuning. Anberlin Guitarist Joseph Mulligan used this tuning often on the band’s third studio album, “Cities”.
Dropped B: B-F♯-B-e-g♯-c♯’
This tuning is the same as dropped D and C, but lowered from dropped C an additional semitone, or half step. This tuning is very popular with alternative metal/post-grunge bands. It has also become popular with doom metal/post-metal bands[citation needed]. Heavier gauge strings are recommended for this tuning, which may also require widening the string grooves in the nut of the Guitar as well as re-adjusting the tension in the neck.
Dropped A: A-E-A-d-f♯-b or Aˌ-A-d-g-b-e’
A very low drop tuning used in metal and death metal bands. As with the Dropped B tuning, heavy gauge strings and sometimes minor modifications to the Guitar are required as the strings tend to “rattle”. The second version (A A D G B E) has been used by Thrice in songs such as “The Earth Will Shake” and “Firebreather”, and bands like Deadsy use it as their main tuning.
A Tuning: Aˌ-D-G-c-e-a
A very low tuning also used in Death metal and mostly in Grindcore. Heavy gauge strings are required for this and modifications to most Guitars. The tuning is being used by some Grind bands like The Berzerker. In a new clip on Youtube from the recording of The Berzerker’s newest album, the Guitarist notes that he uses 3 bass string gauges: 66-56-46. These three are thick strings and require modifications to the Guitars in order to tune them. The heavy gauge strings are required for fast picking.
E♭ tuning: E♭-A♭-d♭-g♭-b♭-e♭’
This tuning is achieved when all the strings are flattened by a half step. This can be combined with other tuning techniques such as dropped D tuning and makes no difference to fingering. Often the key will be considered by the players as if played in standard tuning. This tuning can be used for a number of reasons: to make larger strings bend more easily, to make the tone heavier, to better suit the vocalist’s range, to play with saxophone family more easily, or to play in E♭ pentatonic minor formed by the black keys of a keyboard.
Jimi Hendrix used the E flat tuning on the entirety of the album “Axis: Bold as Love”[citation needed], as well as in Electric Ladyland and live performances. Guns N’ Roses favoured E flat tuning[citation needed] because it allowed Axl Rose’s voice to be accentuated on the high notes. It is also used by Metallica to compliment James Hetfield’s voice[citation needed] on the Load and Reload albums. Slayer and many other thrash metal bands use Eb tuning.
D tuning D-G-c-f-a-d’
Also known as “One Step Lower” and “Whole Step Down”, this tuning is basically E Standard with all six strings tuned one whole step down. Although mostly utilized in heavy metal (especially Death metal), one sometimes find this tuning in Blues, where Guitarists use it to accommodate string bending.
D♭ tuning D♭-G♭-C♭-F♭-A♭-d♭’-
Black Sabbath used this tuning on many of their earlier albums.
Black Sabbath Guitarist Tony Iommi used D♭ tuning, or 1 1/2 step down because of his accident in a factory when he lost 2 of his fingertips. Playing Guitar with prosthetic fingers is hard with a standard tuned Guitar, so Tony down tuned to D♭.[citation needed] Other users of this tuning include Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit, Funeral for a Friend and Pantera Guitarst Dimebag Darrell, who used this tuning on The Great Southern Trendkill.[citation needed].
C tuning: C-F-B♭-e♭-g-c’
C standard tunes the strings of the Guitar to produce a low tone. This tuning is commonly used by metal and hard rock artists as it is two whole steps below standard tuning. This tuning can also be written as C-F-A♯-d♯-g-c’. It allows for a low, heavy sound, while still maintaining the intervals present in standard tuning. Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss fame is known for using this tuning almost exclusively.[citation needed]
B tuning:
Also known as “B Standard” or “Baritone” tuning, this tuning is a common tuning of seven-string Guitars, which are tuned B,E,A,d,g,b,e’ (however this is just an extended version of E standard tuning). On a six string Guitar, the tuning is modified to B,E,A,d,f♯,b. Notable users includes death metal acts Carcass, Bolt Thrower and Amon Amarth.
B♭ tuning
Takes B Standard on either a six or seven string Guitar down a semitone (or half step). For example, Guitarists such as Trey Azagthoth of Morbid Angel fame has utilized this on seven string Guitars.[citation needed] The tuning result is (from low to high) B♭, E♭, A♭, d♭, g♭, b♭, e♭.
However, on a six string Guitar (from low to high) it would be B♭, E♭, A♭, d♭, f, b♭.
Classical Guitar tunings
The classical Guitar developed over a period of 500 years and a number of Guitar tunings are commonly used this genre, some based upon historical practice. Unlike other musical styles, in which alternative tunings are used by artists largely as a matter of individual preference, in classical Guitar styles, the decision to employ alternative tunings largely resides with composers or arrangers of musical transcriptions. Thus, classical Guitarists performing known transcriptions are assumed to be using defined tunings.
Renaissance lute tuning: E-A-d-f♯-b-e’
This tuning may also be used with a capo at the third fret to match the common lute pitch: G-c-f-a-d’-g’. This tuning also matches standard vihuela tuning and is often employed in classical Guitar transcriptions of music written for those instruments.
A versatile tuning examples of which can be heard in Choro de Saudade by Agustín Barrios and also in well known transcriptions of La Maja de Goya by Enrique Granados and Sevilla by Isaac Albéniz.
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