Standard Guitar Tuning: The EADGBE Notes
Standard guitar tuning, the default setting of the Guitar Tuner, is E A D G B E, read from the low 6th string (the thickest) to the high 1st string (the thinnest). Tuned to the usual reference of A4 = 440 Hz, the low E sounds at 82.41 Hz and the high E at 329.63 Hz, exactly two octaves higher. Nearly every chord chart, tab and lesson assumes these six notes unless it says otherwise.
If you need a way to remember the order, the classic mnemonic is "Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie."
Standard guitar tuning notes and frequencies
| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 6th (thickest) | E2 | 82.41 Hz |
| 5th | A2 | 110.00 Hz |
| 4th | D3 | 146.83 Hz |
| 3rd | G3 | 196.00 Hz |
| 2nd | B3 | 246.94 Hz |
| 1st (thinnest) | E4 | 329.63 Hz |
The number after each letter is the octave, in what's called scientific pitch notation. Octave numbers count up from C, so middle C is C4 and the A above it is A4. That's why the low and high strings share a letter but not a number: E2 and E4 are the same note name two octaves apart, and the high E vibrates four times as fast as the low one (82.41 × 4 = 329.64, within rounding).
These frequencies come from 12-tone equal temperament, the system that splits each octave into 12 equal semitones. With A4 fixed at 440 Hz, every other note is 440 multiplied by a power of 2. A2 is two octaves below A4, so it lands on a round 110.00 Hz. The rest have decimals. The A4 reference itself is a convention, and What Is Concert Pitch? A Pitch Changer Guide explains where it comes from.
One notation quirk worth knowing: guitar music is written an octave higher than it sounds. Guitar parts use treble clef, sometimes with a small 8 under it, so the low E appears on the page as E3 even though the string sounds E2. This keeps the notes on the staff instead of buried in ledger lines.
Why fourths, plus one major third
Look at the gaps between neighbouring strings and a pattern shows up. A semitone is one fret, and four of the five gaps are the same size:
- E to A: perfect fourth (5 semitones)
- A to D: perfect fourth (5 semitones)
- D to G: perfect fourth (5 semitones)
- G to B: major third (4 semitones)
- B to E: perfect fourth (5 semitones)
Add them up: 5 + 5 + 5 + 4 + 5 = 24 semitones, which is two octaves. That's how the two E strings end up matching. If every gap were a fourth, the total would be 25 semitones, and the top string would be F instead of E, a semitone away from the low string's note name.
The fourths are a practical choice. With the strings five semitones apart, a scale moves across to the next string after a few frets, so your fretting hand can cover a lot of notes without shifting position. The single major third between G and B is what makes the common open chord shapes (E, A, G, C and D) fall under the fingers the way they do. Change it and those familiar shapes no longer fit the same way.
For the arithmetic behind semitones, and the cents a tuner displays, see Semitones and Cents: A Pitch Changer Guide.
The fifth-fret check
You can hear these intervals on the guitar itself. Fretting a string at the 5th fret raises it five semitones, which gives you the open note of the next string up. The exception is the G string, where the 4th fret gives B, because that gap is a major third. Players use this to tune strings against each other; the full procedure is in How to Tune a Guitar With an Online Tuner.
Using a standard tuning guitar tuner
The Vocal Cut tuner opens in Guitar mode, and in that mode it is a standard tuning guitar tuner: the six notes in the table above are the only targets it knows. Each reading snaps to whichever of those strings is nearest, and the display shows how many cents sharp or flat you are. Within 5 cents either side, the note turns green and reads "In tune."
Tap any of the string buttons (E2, A2, D3, G3, B3, E4) to hear its reference tone, which is handy for tuning by ear. The "A4 =" field defaults to 440 Hz and accepts anything from 415 to 466 Hz, and the targets and tones follow it. The microphone signal is analysed live in your browser, so your audio never leaves your device.
For the string-by-string walkthrough, including how to read the needle and why you tune up to a note, follow How to Tune a Guitar With an Online Tuner.
Tunings built from standard (C standard, E-flat standard, drop D)
Standard tuning also works as a template. Several common tunings keep its exact interval pattern and just move the whole set down:
- E-flat standard: every string a semitone down, giving Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb.
- D standard: every string a whole step (two semitones) down, giving D G C F A D.
- C standard: every string two whole steps (four semitones) down, giving C F Bb Eb G C.
Because the gaps stay the same, every chord shape and scale pattern you know still works. It all just sounds lower.
| String | C standard | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 6th | C2 | 65.41 Hz |
| 5th | F2 | 87.31 Hz |
| 4th | Bb2 | 116.54 Hz |
| 3rd | Eb3 | 155.56 Hz |
| 2nd | G3 | 196.00 Hz |
| 1st | C4 | 261.63 Hz |
Drop D is different. It lowers only the 6th string, from E2 down to D2 (73.42 Hz), and leaves the other five in standard. That breaks the pattern on purpose, so the lowest three strings form an easy one-finger power chord.
If you want a guitar tuner for C standard, or for any of these tunings, switch the tool to Chromatic mode. Guitar mode always snaps to the nearest E-standard string, so a string tuned to C2 will be read as a badly flat E2. Chromatic mode shows the note the string is actually playing, which is what you need when the target isn't E A D G B E. It names notes with sharps, so for C standard the 4th string reads A♯2 and the 3rd reads D♯3. Those are the same pitches as Bb2 and Eb3, just spelled differently.
Related
The bass is tuned E1 A1 D2 G2, the same notes as the guitar's lowest four strings, an octave down. How to Tune a Bass With an Online Bass Tuner covers it. If you play with a capo, Transpose a Song for Capo With a Pitch Changer works through the semitone arithmetic for moving a song into a comfortable key.
Frequently asked questions
What are the notes in standard guitar tuning?
Standard guitar tuning is E A D G B E, from the thickest 6th string to the thinnest 1st string. In scientific pitch notation those notes are E2, A2, D3, G3, B3 and E4. With A4 set to 440 Hz, they sound at 82.41, 110.00, 146.83, 196.00, 246.94 and 329.63 Hz. The two E strings are the same note two octaves apart.
Why is the B string tuned differently?
Every other pair of neighbouring strings is a perfect fourth (5 semitones) apart, but G to B is a major third (4 semitones). That one shorter gap makes the total span exactly 24 semitones, two octaves, so both outer strings are E. It also makes common open chord shapes such as E, A, G, C and D playable with the fingerings guitarists use.
What is C standard tuning?
C standard tuning lowers every string of standard tuning by four semitones (two whole steps), giving C F Bb Eb G C from low to high. The low string sounds at 65.41 Hz and the high string at 261.63 Hz. The intervals between strings are unchanged, so chord shapes still work. To tune to it with an online tuner, use a chromatic mode rather than a standard-tuning guitar mode.
Is standard tuning the same on acoustic and electric guitar?
Yes. Acoustic and electric six-string guitars both use E A D G B E at the same pitches, from E2 at 82.41 Hz up to E4 at 329.63 Hz. Classical guitars with nylon strings use the same notes too. The strings differ in material and gauge, but the target notes and the tuning process are identical.
What frequency is the low E string?
The low E string in standard tuning is E2, which sounds at 82.41 Hz when the tuning reference is A4 = 440 Hz. The high E string is E4 at 329.63 Hz, exactly two octaves above. If your tuner uses a different A4 reference, such as 442 Hz, the low E target shifts up slightly to match.