The notes of the six strings
| 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 two outer strings are both E, two octaves apart: the thickest string is called the low E and the thinnest the high E. Tap a note to hear it:
How guitar strings are numbered
Strings are numbered from the thinnest to the thickest: the high E is the 1st string and the low E is the 6th. “High” and “low” describe the pitch, not the position — when you hold the guitar, the low E string is the one at the top, closest to your face.
Ways to remember the notes
- From the 6th string to the 1st: Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie.
- Or: Elephants And Donkeys Grow Big Ears.
- From the 1st string to the 6th: Easter Bunny Gets Drunk At Easter.
Notes on the fretboard
Each fret raises a string by one semitone (a half step). There is no note between B and C or between E and F, so those pairs are only one fret apart; every other pair of letters has a sharp in between. At the 12th fret every string plays its open note again, one octave higher.
| String | Open | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (E) | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E |
| 2 (B) | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B |
| 3 (G) | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E | F | F♯ | G |
| 4 (D) | D | D♯ | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D |
| 5 (A) | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A |
| 6 (E) | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E |
Thinnest string first, as in guitar tab. Sharps (♯) can also be written as flats: A♯ is the same note as B♭.
Why the G and B strings are different
Most neighbouring strings are five semitones apart, so the 5th fret of one string gives the note of the next open string. Between G and B the gap is four semitones, so there it is the 4th fret. That one exception makes standard chord shapes comfortable to play — and it is why the 5th-fret tuning method has a 4th-fret step.
Other tunings
Alternate tunings change some of these notes — Drop D lowers the 6th string to D, for example. The tunings page lists the notes for each, and the frequency chart gives the exact pitch of every string.