Description

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 interval between one string and the next is mostly kept consistent, with the first (e) to second (b) string as well as the third (G), fourth (D), fifth (A) and sixth (E) all being a five-semitone interval (a perfect fourth). This 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 exception of this is the relation of second string (b) to the third (G), where the interval is only four semitones (a major third). This exception is there to make barre chords possible.

Standard tuning is also called "E standard", since both the highest and the lowest strings are tuned to the note E. This is a reference to the fact that other tunings preserve the same relationship between strings, but tune all of them down (common) or up (rare) by some amount. See "Eb Standard" and "D standard".

As with any tuning, you can use an electric tuner to tune each string, but there are also some other common methods that have developed for tuning standard tuning:

- Fretting method (also called 5:th fret method). This uses the fact that the note of each open string is the same as a fretted note on a thicker string:
5:th fret on low E is the same as open A.
5:th fret on A is the same as open D.
5:th fret on D is the same as open G.
4:th fret on G is the same as open b.
5:th fret on b is the same as open high e.
Start with one string which is in tune, and then compare it to the strings next to it to tune those.

- Harmonics method. Same as the fretting method above, but instead of comparing the 5:th fret of a string to the next open string, you compare the 5:th fret harmonic on one string with the 7:th fret harmonic on the next. This works between all the strings except between G and b. Instead, compare the open b string to the 7:th fret harmonic of the low E string.

- Open chord method. Tune the lowest E string. Then finger an E major chord, and tune each strings so that it is in tune with the chord.