GUITAR TUNING

'Guitar tuning' refers to the pitch adjustments carried out on the individual strings of a guitar in order to achieve a prescribed arrangement of notes from the open (unfretted) strings. Many such arrangements are used, of which the most popular are detailed below.

Contents

Helmholtz notation

Equal temperament

Standard tuning

Alternate tunings

Rock music tunings

'Dropped C♯ or Dropped Db:' C♯-G♯-c♯-f♯-a♯-d♯'

'Dropped B:' Bˌ-F♯-B-e-g♯-c♯' or Bˌ-G♭-B-e-a♭-d♭'

'Drop B♭ Tuning:' B♭ˌ-F-B♭-E♭-G-C or B♭ˌ-E♭-A♭-D♭-F-B♭

A very low drop tuning used in metal and death metal bands. As with the Dropped B tuning, heavy gauge strings are required, and even minor modifications to some guitars.

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 2 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.

Classical guitar tunings

'"Pseudo Russian" or "g" tuning:' D-G-d-g-b-e'

Open tunings

'Open C:' C-G-d-g-c'-e'

'Open A:' E-A-e-a-c♯'-e'

Miscellaneous tunings

'All fourths:' E-A-d-g-c'-f'

'All fifths:' C-G-d-a-e'-b'

'Dobro:' G-B-d-g-b-d'

- A rather uncommon tuning, "hardcore" tuning is used by bands of hardcore, grindcore, and even some metalcore. It much resembles dropped C tuning, except for the high strings, which, depending on what is most useful for the guitarist, are tuned one semitone (a minor second) apart. This allows the guitarist to easily create the very harsh dissonance of the minor second.

'Nashville tuning' e" -a'-d'-g'-b-e

'Orkney tuning:' C-G-d-g-c'-d'

Sonic Youth

Complete range of string pitch combinations

References

See also

External links

Helmholtz notation

Helmholtz pitch notation is used in this article to define various guitar tunings. It is a system for naming notes of the Western chromatic scale that uses a combination of upper and lower case letters (A to G),[1] and the sub- and super-prime symbols ( ˌ ′ ) to describe each individual note of the scale. When notating the pitch of the guitar allowance has been made that the guitar is a transposing instrument that sounds one octave lower than it is notated. Thus middle C, or c', is found at the first fret of the second string on a guitar in standard tuning.

Equal temperament

The guitar is an equal tempered instrument.

Standard tuning

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 (thinnest)	'e''	329.628 Hz
2	'b'	246.942 Hz
3	'g'	195.998 Hz
4	'd'	146.832 Hz
5	'A'	110 Hz
6 (thickest)	'E'	82.407 Hz

Notes:

★ The guitar is a transposing instrument. Its pitch sounds one octave lower than it is notated, the pitches referred to above are referenced standard pitch (a'=440 Hz).

★ Letter names in table reflect true pitch in Helmholtz pitch notation.

★ In parts of Europe, including Germany, the natural symbol has been transformed into 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 5-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 4-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.

Alternate tunings

Alternate 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 alternate tuning arrangements in order to exploit the unique chord voicing and sonorities that result from them. Most alternate 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, alternate 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 mainly aim at making power chords much simpler to play.

'Dropped D:' 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 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 the lower open strings to sound the root and fifth of the D major scale as part of the bassline. Some guitarists choose to use a capo on the 2nd fret with this tuning so that they can retain the ease of playing power chords without the darker sound created by the D tuning.

'Dropped C♯ or Dropped Db:' C♯-G♯-c♯-f♯-a♯-d♯'

This tuning is the same as dropped D, but tuned one semitone lower.

'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 2 semitones. Technically a "drop C" tuning would be C-A-d-g-b-e'. However, the tuning technically known as "Dropped D tuned down 1 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 rock and heavy metal music bands as well as various popular metal bands to achieve a lower sound. Tuning a standard, non-baritone guitar any lower than this is difficult.

'Dropped B:' Bˌ-F♯-B-e-g♯-c♯' or Bˌ-G♭-B-e-a♭-d♭'

This tuning is the same as dropped D & 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. Heavier gauge strings are required 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.

'Drop B♭ Tuning:' B♭ˌ-F-B♭-E♭-G-C or B♭ˌ-E♭-A♭-D♭-F-B♭

This tuning is notable for its dark or almost evil sounding qualities. The first version is the "dropped" version.

'Dropped A:' Aˌ-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 are required, and even minor modifications to some guitars.

'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 Eb pentatonic minor formed by the black keys of a keyboard.
The tuning was made famous by Jimi Hendrix who used it a lot during his career and on all songs after Are You Experienced.

'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 tunes one whole step down. Although mostly utilized in heavy metal, one sometimes find this tuning in Blues, where guitarists use it to accommodate string bending.

C♯ Tuning:' C♯-F♯-B-e-g♯-c♯'

This tuning drops three semitones.

'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 2 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.

'B Tuning:'

Also known as "B Standard" tuning, this tuning is a common tuning of seven-string guitars, which are tuned Bˌ-E-A-d-g-b-e'. On a six string guitar, the tuning is modified to Bˌ-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 alternate tunings are used by artists largely as a matter of individual preference, in classical guitar styles, the decision to employ alternate tunings such as this largely resides with composers or (more usually) 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.

'"Pseudo Russian" or "g" tuning:' D-G-d-g-b-e'

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.
Various other scordatura have been utilised by composers and players, dependent on the demands of the music, for example Fernando Sor wrote pieces for the sixth string tuned to F and the twentieth century player John Williams tuned his fifth string to B for his transcription of ''Granada'' by Isaac Albéniz, recorded in 1980.

Open tunings

Main articles: Open tuning

An open tuning is a type of guitar tuning in which the open strings are tuned to form a common chord (usually major) which can be 'transposed' to any higher pitch simply by placing a finger across all of the strings at any chosen fret. Blues slide guitarists often take advantage of this effect, whereas fingerstyle guitarists tend to use various combinations of the open strings to provide a sustained chordal accompaniment to melodies played on fretted higher strings.

'Open C:' C-G-d-g-c'-e'

'Open D:' D-A-d-f#-a-d'

'Open E:' E-B-e-g♯-b-e'

'Open G:' D-G-d-g-b-d'

This tuning is commonly used for blues, or slide guitar. In classical guitar this is sometimes referred to as the dropped G tuning. It retains the relationship of the fourth between the two lower strings. This is also known as 'bluegrass guitar' tuning. Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones has become famously associated with this tuning after penning a number of hit singles in it, though he likely learned it from Ry Cooder. Muddy Waters, and Robert Johnson had used it before, and it is also frequently encountered in Folk music. Sometimes guitarists, Richards in particular, will remove the low "D" string so that they have easier access to the "G" chord rooted on the 2nd string. The Open G is also employed as the standard tuning of the Russian seven string guitar, as D-G-B-d-g-b-d'.

'Open A:' E-A-e-a-c♯'-e'

Miscellaneous tunings

'All fourths:' E-A-d-g-c'-f'

This tuning is like that of the lowest four strings in standard tuning. It removes from standard tuning the irregularity of the interval of a third between the second and third strings. With regular tunings like this, chords can simply be moved down or across the fretboard, dramatically reducing the number of different finger positions that need to be memorized. The disadvantage is that not all major and minor chords can be played with all six strings at once.

'All fifths:' C-G-d-a-e'-b'

This is a tuning in intervals of fifths like that of a mandolin or a violin. Has a remarkably wide range, though it is difficult to achieve (the high b" makes the first string very taut such that it will break easily), and may not play well on an acoustic guitar (the low C is too low to resonate properly in a standard guitar's body). Luthier Todd Keehn has made an all fifths tuned guitar that can be seen at his website, http://tkinstruments.com/. The guitar is able to intonate in this radical tuning by slanting all the frets and the nut, and allowing each string its own bridge; and thus its own scale length.

'DADGAD:' D-A-d-g-a-d'

Popularised by Davey Graham after having been inspired by Arabic oud tuning while living in Morocco, DADGAD tuning is now encountered used in Celtic music and contempory music.

'Dobro:' G-B-d-g-b-d'

This is commonly used for squareneck resonator guitars. The lack of a low D means that a complete strum does not have the same harmonic strength that the Open G has.

'"Hardcore" Tuning:' C-G-C-F-A-B♭'

- A rather uncommon tuning, "hardcore" tuning is used by bands of hardcore, grindcore, and even some metalcore. It much resembles dropped C tuning, except for the high strings, which, depending on what is most useful for the guitarist, are tuned one semitone (a minor second) apart. This allows the guitarist to easily create the very harsh dissonance of the minor second.

'Major third guitar tuning:' E-G♯-c-e-g♯-c'

This tuning devised in 1960s by jazz guitarist Ralph Patt. One large benefit of the major third tuning scheme is that all 12 notes in a chromatic scale are comfortably playable within the one position on a fretboard, making intricate single-line music easy to play and sight-read. Also, all chords are closely spread and the fingerings are the same for all 24 major and minor keys. This opens up endless harmonic possibilities for playing and transposing into any key and makes playing chords a comfortable task that is easy to learn. Though, this tuning scheme is not suitable for standard folk chords that are designed for standard guitar tuning and a lack of open A and D strings causes certain classical pieces to become difficult to play.

'Nashville tuning' e" -a'-d'-g'-b-e

This is achieved on a high-strung guitar - a guitar strung with only the doubling strings of a 12-string guitar set to recreate the sound of a 12-string guitar. The first (e) and second (b) strings use standard tuning. The third (g'), fourth (d') and fifth (a') strings are tuned an octave higher and the sixth (e") two octaves, making the sixth (e") string a duplicate of the first string (e). This is known as "Nashville tuning" when the strings are in standard tuning. Pink Floyd used this tuning in their songs 'Hey You', 'Dogs' and 'Comfortably Numb'

'Orkney tuning:' C-G-d-g-c'-d'

This alternative tuning is suited for Celtic fingerstyle guitar, jazz, blues or folk. Notably on the Led Zeppelin piece "The Rain Song".

'Robert Fripp's "New Standard Tuning":' C-G-d-a-e'-g'

This is a devised by Robert Fripp of King Crimson, used by most Guitar Craft students around the world. The tuning is similar to all fifths except the first string is dropped from b' to g'. Some guitarists maintain that the term 'New Standard Tuning' is a misnomer and consider it to be a source of controversy, but the name appears to have stuck due the absence of viable alternative designations. Time will tell whether the tuning is in fact accepted outside of GC as a viable all-purpose tuning.

Sonic Youth

Main articles: Sonic youth#Alternate tunings

Noise-rock/experimental band Sonic Youth has been using of hundreds of alternate tunings the last 25 years. For each song they choose to play with radical tunings.

Complete range of string pitch combinations

Each of the six strings can be alternately tuned as low as a whole step lower and as much as a whole step higher without stressing the neck or the strings. With five possible tunings for each string (+2, +1, 0, -1, and -2), there can be as many as 15,625 possible tunings for a six-string guitar.
Note that a standard guitar sounds one octave below pitch as written in standard notation. That is, the first string in standard tuning plays the E note that is a major third above middle C, and is written on the staff as a major tenth above middle C.
There are also tenor guitars, baritone guitars tuned BEADF♯B (or ADGCEA, GDGCDG, GDGCEA, GCGCEG, etc.) a fourth lower than a standard (prime) guitar, treble guitars tuned a fourth higher than a prime guitar and contrabass guitars, which are tuned one octave lower than prime guitars. Seven string guitars have an extra low string which is a B in standard tuning.

References

http://www.emptywords.org/playmates.htm

See also

★ Bass guitar tuning

★ List of guitar tunings

★ Scordatura

★ Stringed Instrument Tunings

External links

★ - A Simple Flash Guitar Tuner

★ Guitar Tuner - free Digital Guitar Tuner software with many tunings

★ Online Guitar Tuner - Standard Tuning

★ WA's Alternate Tunings for Guitar -- Comprehensive, categorized by key, illustrated with pictures and stories about players who use the tunings.

★ Drop D Tuning - How to use drop D tuning, with examples

★ Guitar Tuning - How To Tune A Guitar

★ Guitar Tuning

★ Online Guitar Tuner

★ Guitar Tuner

★ Visual Guitar Tuning Diagram

★ How to Tune a Guitar

★ Tips to keep Guitar in Tune