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Guitar tunings are differing pitch arrangements of open (unfretted) strings used for the guitar. Many arrangements are possible, some of the most popular are detailed below.
[edit] Standard tuning
 By far the most popular tuning on a 6-string guitar, it consists of the following notes.
The pitches referred to above are referenced standard pitch (a' = 440.0 Hz.). In some regions of Europe, especially Germany and Poland, the B natural is indicated with the letter H: in 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. 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 of one string so that most of the fretboard note pitches are tuned to the pitches of the musical scale. Intonation tuning is done by adjusting the string lengths at the bridge. The open string 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. Tune the open string by adjusting the string tension at the tuning gear using a decent electronic tuner for tuning. Then check the intonation tuning of the fifth, seventh, ninth and twelfth fret note pitches of this string by ear using an electronic chromatic pitch pipe that comes with the above tuner. If these pitches are too high, move the bridge saddle back (away from fretboard) by about 0.5 to a few millimetres. If these fret note pitches are too low, then move the bridge saddle forward a little instead. Next tune intonation of other strings each in same way. [edit] Alternative tuningsAlternative 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. [edit] Lower tuningsFrom standard EADGBE, all the strings are down-tuned by the same degree of one semitone. Typically requires thicker gauge strings per two steps.
Tunings as low as A tuning may be practiced on an unmodified instrument, although a baritone guitar is better-suited to avoid warping, as its neck and truss rod are designed for their tension. F and octave tuning are impractical for the standard guitar, since its scale is too short for a clear sound and unmodified tuners are not built to admit bass guitar gauge strings. [edit] Higher tuningsFrom standard EADGBE, all the strings are tuned up by the same degree of one semitone. String tension will be higher. Typically requires thinner gauge strings, particularly the first string which could be as thin as six hundredths of an inch (about the thickness of a single human hair).
[edit] Dropped tuningsThese tunings have the 6th string tuned one full step below the other strings. Some of these may require a baritone guitar due to the extremely low notes. Others can be achieved using a capo and/or a partial capo.
[edit] Double-dropped tuningsSimilar to the dropped tunings, except that both the 1st and 6th strings are dropped one full step.
[edit] Five-string tuningsThough five-string guitars are generally rare, a five-string tuning may be necessary in a pinch when a string breaks on a standard six-string (usually the upper E) and no replacement is immediately available. Some basic five-string tunings include:
[edit] Seven-string tunings
[edit] Seven-string dropped tuningsThese tunings have the added low 7th string tuned one full step below the other strings.
[edit] Eight-string tunings
[edit] 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.
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.
[edit] Open tunings
In guitar playing, an open tuning is one where the strings are tuned so that a chord is achieved without fretting, or pressing any of the strings. With such a tuning, other chords may be played by simply barring a fret or through the use of a slide; many well-known slide guitarists prefer open tuning, and some develop a variety of their own personal version of open tuning, as the result of many factors within their careers. Open tunings are common in blues music and some rock and folk music. They are particularly used in steel guitar and bottleneck guitar playing. The names of some tunings vary between genres; for example in Hawaiian music, for slack-key guitar, an example would be the taro patch, or open G tuning, with strings low-high D-G-D-G-B-D. But in bluegrass music, open G can mean G B D G B D. Open G was used in rock by Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones as well as in Mississippi blues by Son House, Charley Patton, and Robert Johnson, and in "Fearless" by Pink Floyd[1]. [edit] Examples[edit] Major Open tuningsMajor open tunings (giving a major chord with the open strings) include:
[edit] Cross-note tuningsThe above open tunings all give a major chord with open strings. Since it is highly likely guitarists will need to play minor chords as well, open tunings must be adapted to allow this by lowering the pitch of one of the strings forming the open chord by half a step. To avoid the relatively cumbersome designation "open D minor", "open C minor", such tunings are sometimes called "cross-note tunings". The term also expresses the fact that, by fretting the lowered string at the first fret, it is possible to produce a major chord very easily. Cross-note or open E-minor was used by Bukka White and Skip James[2]. Cross-note tunings include
[edit] Modal tuningsSometimes a guitarist will want a tuning that will permit very easy chords but not be definitively minor or major. In this case, modal tunings can be used. They can be especially effective with droning open strings, and give "suspended" second or fourth chords: Modal tunings include:
[edit] "Extended chord" tuningsThese tunings allow a guitarist to play an open seventh, ninth, eleventh or thirteenth chord. One or more of the strings is retuned to the appropriate note of the required scale. Such tunings may be either minor or major. Examples are:
[edit] Steel guitarOn table steel guitar and pedal steel guitar, the most common tunings are the extended-chord C6 tuning and E9 tuning, sometimes known as the Texas and Nashville tunings respectively. On a multiple-neck instrument, the near neck will normally be some form of C6, and the next closest neck E9. Necks with 12 or more strings can be used with universal tunings which combine the features of C6 and E9. On a 12 string pedal steel guitar, all 12 strings are tuned and played individually, not as 6 double courses as on the 12 string guitar. On lap steel guitar there is often only one six-string neck. C6 tuning is popular for these instruments, as are open G, E6 and E7 tuning. [edit] Miscellaneous tunings[edit] E-E-E-E-E-EUsed on Joe Satriani's New Last Jam and Mind Riot by Soundgarden. [edit] D-A-D-G-A-DOften vocalized as "Dad-Gad", DADGAD is common in Celtic music, and is also heard in rock music an example of which is Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir". Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page popularized this British Isles folk-derived tuning, used by musicians including Bert Jansch, in rock music[1]. All Time Low is known for playing a lot of their acoustic songs in this tuning. [edit] 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. This tuning is sometimes adopted by guitarists who are proficient at two-handed tapping, as it allows for symmetrical scales all the way up and down the fretboard. A notable example is Stanley Jordan. [edit] 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 impossible to achieve with standard equipment (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). Some guitarists, notably Robert Fripp of the band King Crimson use all fifths tuning with a g' instead of a b' on the first string, making that interval a minor third rather than a perfect fifth. This tuning is often called "New Standard Tuning" by its users. Another variation of the all fifths tuning utilizes an additional bass string as an alternative to a high b: F-C-G-d-a-e This tunes the top 4 strings to the standard mandolin/violin tuning and adds bass missing from those instruments.  [edit] Mi-composé: E-A-d'-g-b-e'Mi-composé is a tuning commonly used for rhythm guitar in African popular music forms such as soukous and makossa. It is similar to the standard guitar tuning, except that the d string is raised an entire octave. This is accomplished by replacing the d string with an e' string and tuning it to d'. [edit] Gorac: B-G-D-G-A-EThis tuning is two and a half steps down from standard tuning at the low B. [edit] Ostrich Tuning: D-D-D-D-d-dOstrich tuning is a tuning where all strings are tuned to the same note[3], creating an intense, chorused drone. [edit] Complete range of string pitch combinationsEach 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 are as many as 15,625 (5x5x5x5x5x5 or 5^6) possible tunings for a six-string guitar. In standard notation, music for guitar is written in treble clef, one octave above sounding pitch. This means, for example, that the open E of the first string in standard tuning, which sounds at a major third above middle C, 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. To compensate for string stretching when played, intonation or string length tuning can be done by tuning the twelfth fret notes to the twelfth fret harmonic pitches for each string. The twelfth fret harmonics pitch should match the fundamental frequency of the open string notes. [edit] See also[edit] References[edit] External links
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