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"Guitar String Names: It's More Important Than You Think!"

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Sometimes it's important to cover all the basics. If you don't know all your guitar string names, now is the time to learn!

I don't care if you can sweep pick all the way up and down the neck. If you don't know your open string names, you are missing something important!

Guitar string names

It's simple. Your open strings are named after the note that they make when played open. Even if you don't read music notes, it's good to have your string names memorized.

Start with the sixth string (the fat one). What note is that string when played open? It's an E note.

Here is the entire set of strings and their corresponding note names:

1 - e

2 - B

3 - G

4 - D

5 - A

6 - E

Many times it is written like this: EADGBe, with the little e representing the smallest string: high e.

Laying it out this way is handy. For example, if you want to learn a song in a different tuning, the tabs will usually tell you the tuning in that order, from the sixth string to the first string.

Standard tuning is EADGBe. Other tunings will look different. But you still refer to the strings using their standard tuning names.

How to remember guitar string names

So what's a good way to memorize all these letters? Well, I once heard that Every Acid Dropper Goes Berserk Eventually. There's some good advice, kids! Don't do drugs! And keep it positive by remembering a good message about lsd! All the while learning something about guitar! ;)

There are other corny sayings for little kids, but they are too lame to get into on this cool website. Just use the good advice above!

Open string names and separate tunings

Some common tunings use the open string names to refer to the tuning itself, such as DADGAD. You can even say DADGAD like a word. Dadgad. Haha. The only difference from this tuning and standard tuning are strings 6 and 1. They go from E to D. That makes a cool tuning to use for songs in the key of D.

Some tunings don't name the open strings to refer to the tuning, like "half step down" or "drop D". But to learn the tuning, you would still need to know the open string notes that the tuning uses.

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How do you use all this information about string names?

Let's say your guitar is out of tune and you want to tune to standard, that is, EADGBe. Many electronic tuners require you to know the note name for the string you are tuning. If you are trying to tune your low E string, for example, and your tuner is showing 'A', it means you are WAY off!

So, you have to match the string name to the string your tuner "thinks" you are trying to tune. Luckily, as you practice tuning, you will get an idea of what an 'A' sounds like, what a 'G' sounds like, and so forth. This way you know if you are in "range" or not.

It also helps to have a general idea of the layout of all the notes. Let's say you want to tune your low E string to D for drop D tuning. Are you supposed to go up or down? Well, in the musical scale, D comes before E, so you go down. If you tune up when you are supposed to go down, or vice versa, you will be WAY off!

Now that you know all your open notes, it would be a good time to learn the fretboard notes on your guitar. You will be glad you did!

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