Introductory Lesson 2

How the Guitar is Tuned

In this lesson we look a how the guitar is tuned, and how that makes it easier to play (No, it's still not easy.)

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In the first lesson we discussed how each string contains the entire Chromatic Scale between the Nut and Fret 12; and how each fret raises the pitch of the note played by a semi-tone or "half-step".

But what exactly is the relationship between the strings. When you strum across the strings without fingering any of them the resulting chord sounds completely random. There is no obvious pattern. So why are they tuned like this. And just exactly how are they tuned?

A Bit of Background

Well, let's just think about it for a minute. It's pretty obvious that much of the guitar player's time is spent down near the nut in the open position.

Most guitar players place their fingers along the frets, one finger per fret, in what we might call the "classic position". The tuning of the guitar is based on this idea. It allows you to play up to two octaves of popular scales like C, F, D, E, G and others in the open position without moving your hand from the classic setup.

In other words it is tuned to take advantage of the four finger classic setup.

Five Frets Apart!

As a result, the guitar strings are five frets apart. If you play up the A string, for example, you get to the fourth finger, and then can move to the open G string for the next semi-tone without having to move your entire hand up the neck.

The convenience of this is reflected when you play many of the most often used major scales. Take the C Scale for example. Starting at A3 with finger 3 you can go up an octave to B1, and beyond to G without moving your hand.

Or the G Scale is an even better example - two full octaves

So How Are The Strings Tuned

The bottom line is that each higher string is tuned 5 semi-tones - or 5 frets - higher than the previous one. For example, if you play Fret 5 of the A string (string 5) it is the same note as the 0pen value of the D string (string 4).

This makes Fret 5 one of the most important frets on the guitar - a "Super Fret". Most beginning guitar players soon learn that you can use Fret 5 to help you tune your guitar properly. If you have your low E string tuned properly, the next string (A) will be the same as fret 5 of the E string. And the third string (D) will be the same as fret 5 of the A string, and so on.

That is, until you get to the B string (string 2). That one is only 4 frets higher than the previous (G) string. Why the B string is different is due to a decision made by someone many years ago, and no doubt there are good reason why we do it that way - even if it is annoying for most new guitar players.

Now I've been assuming you know what note each individual string is tuned to. In case you don't, the sequence, starting at string 6, the fattest string is E-A-D-G-B-E. Memorize that sequence! You will refer to it a million times in your guitar playing career. A useful way to help you remember this is to memorize the phrase:

Eddie Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddie

So there you have it. Now you know how and why the guitar is tuned the way it is. All that's left is to learn how to play it!

What's next?

In the next lesson we'll look at hand technique - both your picking/strumming hand, and your fingering hand - and make some observations about the "proper" technique to use.