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Guitar string notes refer to the different pitch each guitar string produces when it’s played open. An open string means you don’t press the string down against the guitar fretboard (also known as fretting). The note each guitar string produces depends on your tuning. There are different tunings to choose from, but the most common is the standard tuning.
The guitar string notes in standard tuning are E, A, D, G, B, and E, from the lowest (thickest) string to the highest (thinnest) string.
Understanding the notes of each open string is fundamental for playing chords, scales, and songs on the guitar.
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Open guitar string names
There are usually six strings on a guitar. When tuned to the standard EADGBE tuning, the guitar string notes are as follows:
- 6th string (low E): E note
- 5th string (A): A note
- 4th string (D): D note
- 3rd string (G): G note
- 2nd string (B): B note
- 1st string (high E): E note
When you hold a guitar in your lap and look down, the thickest and lowest E string (6th string) is the one closest to you. When tuning your guitar, it’s a good idea to first tune the low E string to the correct pitch. Once the low E is tuned correctly, you can use it as a reference sound to tune the other five strings.
If you find it difficult to remember the names of each string, you can use this fun mnemonic to help you recall guitar string notes: “Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie.”
And there you have it! The guitar string notes from lowest to highest: EADGBE.
The musical alphabet
Now you know the names of the notes an open guitar string produces, but did you know that you can play the same notes in different positions on the guitar fretboard?
To understand this, you must first realize that the musical alphabet consists of seven notes: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. On top of that, there are sharps and flats that are half-steps away from the so-called natural notes. You can think of sharps and flats as “in-between” notes, located between two natural notes.
The same note can be played in different positions on the guitar fretboard.
The reason you can play the same note on different positions of the guitar fretboard is that the two notes are an octave apart. What does this mean? Although the two notes have the same name, their pitch is different, or more specifically, an octave higher or lower.
You can even find different octaves on the same guitar string, just 12 frets higher or lower. For instance, on the G-string, you can play the G note either with an open string or an octave higher on the 12th fret.
Here’s an example of notes on different octaves on the guitar fretboard:
Understanding these concepts is key to navigating the fretboard and finding notes across different guitar strings. Being able to play the same notes in various positions offers you flexibility when playing melodies, chords, and scales.
Finding guitar notes on the fretboard
Finding notes on the fretboard can seem challenging at first. Luckily, it gets easier and more intuitive with enough practice. Try this to learn how to navigate the guitar fretboard:
- Start with open strings: Play each string open and listen to the note it produces (E, A, D, G, B, E). This helps you memorize the string names and how each individual string sounds. Just make sure you tune your guitar first.
- Find the fretboard marks: When you look down at the fretboard, you’ll notice small dots on top of certain frets and on the side of the guitar neck. There are usually dots on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th fret and beyond. These dots help you locate different frets more easily and move between different notes and chords smoothly.
- Move up the fretboard: Begin by finding the same note on a different guitar string. For example, the E note played on the open high E-string (the thinnest string) can also be found on the 5th fret of the 2nd string (B) and the 9th fret of the 4th string (G).
- Use the 12th fret as a reference: The 12th fret marks an octave, where the notes repeat. For example, the open low-E string (the thickest string) produces the E note on the 12th fret as well, just one octave higher.
Learn to play basic open chords
Understanding guitar string notes is the first step toward building chords and playing scales. A guitar chord consists of multiple notes played on different strings and strummed simultaneously.
To play a chord, you must first study its chord diagram, which shows the strings and notes you should play. Many chords also require you to omit certain strings, such as the D chord, which uses only the four highest strings. The chord diagram tells you how to position your hand so that your fingers don’t get all tangled up!
Some basic guitar chords for beginners to learn include the major G, C, and D chords.
Master the guitar fretboard with scales
Once you get the hang of playing chords, you can start exploring guitar scales. Simply put, a guitar scale is a sequence of notes played in a specific order. Just like each guitar chord, a scale is named after its root note (i.e. the note on which the scale begins). By understanding scales, you’ll have greater control of the fretboard and can improvise your own songs and guitar solos much easier.
Improvising a solo or writing your own songs is easier when you understand how scales work.
How a guitar scale sounds depends on the interval (or distance) between its notes. For instance, a major scale pattern consists of seven notes with whole and half steps between them. Common guitar scales include major, minor, and pentatonic scales.
The C major scale consists of the following notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Locating these notes on the fretboard allows you to play the scale in different patterns and across different octaves.
What’s the best way to tune a guitar?
Knowing the names and notes of each open string makes tuning your guitar easier. Correct tuning is crucial for playing your guitar and making it sound good. Just try playing with an out-of-tune guitar, and you’ll hear what we mean!
A tuner app is the easiest way to tune your guitar to standard and alternate tunings.
There are a few different ways to tune your guitar. Skilled guitar players can tune their instrument by ear after using a reference sound (such as a piano note) to tune the low E string. However, the most reliable guitar tuning method is using a tuner – and not just any tuner. Although tuner devices are good at their job, they can be expensive and quite impractical.
Luckily, you can use a tuner app that uses your device’s microphone to pick up the sound of your guitar. The tuner then tells you whether the string’s pitch is too low (flat) or too high (sharp). Turn the guitar’s tuning pegs to tighten or loosen the strings until each string has the correct pitch.
Download the GuitarTuna tuning app for free on your iOS or Android device to tune your guitar and other string instruments whenever and wherever you want. You can even find alternate tunings in the app. The easy-to-use, user-friendly app gives you visual feedback and reference sounds to help you get your instrument in tune.
Learn guitar string notes with Yousician
Now you know enough about guitar string notes, standard guitar tuning, a bit about music theory, and basic chords to get started on your guitar-playing journey. These are skills that every beginner guitarist should know. Luckily, Yousician helps you deepen your knowledge and learn even more, thanks to its interactive music learning technology and gameplay.
Learning guitar has never been this fun! Follow interactive guitar tutorials and play along to your favorite songs. Yousician uses your device’s microphone to listen as you play and gives you real-time feedback about your timing and accuracy. Download Yousician for your computer or Android and iOS devices.
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