🎸 Guitar String Tuning Reference

A reference of common 6-string guitar tunings, from string 6 (lowest) to string 1 (highest).

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What standard tuning actually is

The list runs from string 6, the thick low one, to string 1. Standard tuning is four perfect fourths with a major third between strings 3 and 2, spanning two octaves:

E2     A2     D3     G3     B3     E4
82.41  110.0  146.83 196.0  246.94 329.63   Hz
   P4     P4     P4     M3     P4

f = 440 × 2^(n/12)   n = semitones from A4

Those are equal-temperament values with A4 at 440 Hz. The octave numbers use scientific pitch notation, which starts each octave at C - that is why the second string is B3 while the first, only five semitones higher, is already E4.

What each alternate tuning changes

Drop D lowers string 6 alone by a tone, so strings 6-5-4 become D-A-D and a power chord takes one finger.
Open G (D G D G B D) and Open D (D A D F# A D) sound a major triad unfretted, so a barre at any fret is a chord - the slide player's reason for using them.
DADGAD keeps the G, giving D A D G A D - a Dsus4 with no third, sitting between major and minor.
Half step down (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb) and full step down (D G C F A D) move every string equally, so shapes still work and only the pitch drops.

Slackening every string a whole tone drops the pull on the neck by roughly 20 lb. Players who live in D tuning go up a gauge, then reset the intonation and neck relief.

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes of standard guitar tuning?

E, A, D, G, B, E from the sixth string to the first - E2 at 82.41 Hz up to E4 at 329.63 Hz. Every gap is a perfect fourth except G to B, which is a major third.

Is Eb tuning the same as half step down?

Yes. Every string drops one semitone to Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, Eb. Fingerings do not change; the guitar simply sounds a semitone lower, which is why singers ask for it.

What is the difference between Drop D and DADGAD?

Drop D moves one string. DADGAD moves three, the sixth to D and the top two to A and D, leaving a suspended chord open. Standard chord shapes survive Drop D but not DADGAD.