Standard tuning
Encyclopedia
In music, standard tuning refers to the typical tuning
of a string instrument
. This notion is contrary to that of scordatura
, i.e. an alternate tuning designated to modify either the timbre
or technical capabilities of the desired instrument.
; together with their respective standard tunings, they are:
The double bass is sometimes thought to belong in the viol
family, for a number of reasons (see article). Even so, one can't name standard tunings for other viols, as their popularity and accessibility is much less than that of violins.
Another interesting issue is that of the members in a violin octet
. Despite their low popularity, there is a rigorous system of tunings for these violins.
. Guitar
s and bass guitar
s have more standard tunings, depending on the number of strings an instrument has:
Alternate tunings are used widely, from transposing up or down with the same intervals, open tunings which are tuned to a specific chord, or more extreme tunings such as those made popular by the alternative rock band Sonic Youth involving unison pairs and discordant intervals.
The exception (major third instead of a fourth) in a guitar's standard tuning is to be explained by overtone
s and the tendency of thinner strings to vibrate sympathetically with the low strings.
In standard notation, the guitar sounds one octave lower than it is written. This is to avoid switching between treble and bass clef, or using ledger lines or 8vb, since it is very common to play past the 12th fret on the E string(E5) and drop down to lower open string notes. This is also more practical for the whole playing range of E2-C#6 (on a 21-fret guitar), as it can fit easily into the treble clef when written as E3-C#7.
Other plucked string instruments and their respective standard tunings include:
Musical tuning
In music, there are two common meanings for tuning:* Tuning practice, the act of tuning an instrument or voice.* Tuning systems, the various systems of pitches used to tune an instrument, and their theoretical bases.-Tuning practice:...
of a string instrument
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
. This notion is contrary to that of scordatura
Scordatura
A scordatura , also called cross-tuning, is an alternative tuning used for the open strings of a string instrument, in which the notes indicated in the score would represent the finger position as if played in regular tuning, while the actual pitch is altered...
, i.e. an alternate tuning designated to modify either the timbre
Timbre
In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the...
or technical capabilities of the desired instrument.
Bowed strings
The most popular bowed strings used nowadays belong to the violin familyViolin family
The violin family of musical instruments was developed in Italy in the sixteenth century. The standard modern violin family consists of the violin, viola, cello, and double bass....
; together with their respective standard tunings, they are:
- ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- G3 D4 A4 E5 (ascending perfect fifthPerfect fifthIn classical music from Western culture, a fifth is a musical interval encompassing five staff positions , and the perfect fifth is a fifth spanning seven semitones, or in meantone, four diatonic semitones and three chromatic semitones...
s, starting from G below middle C) - ViolaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- C3 G3 D4 A4 (strings are tuned a perfect fifth below a violin's standard tuning) - CelloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- C2 G2 D3 A3 (an octave lower than the viola) - Double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
- E1 A1 D2 G2 (ascending perfect fourthPerfect fourthIn classical music from Western culture, a fourth is a musical interval encompassing four staff positions , and the perfect fourth is a fourth spanning five semitones. For example, the ascending interval from C to the next F is a perfect fourth, as the note F lies five semitones above C, and there...
s, where the highest sounding open string coincides with the G on a cello). - Double bass with a low C extension - C1 E1 A1 D2 G2 (the same, except for low C, which is a major thirdMajor thirdIn classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the major third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. It is qualified as major because it is the largest of the two: the major third spans four semitones, the minor third three...
below the low E on a standard 4-string double bass) - Double bass with a fifth string - B0 E1 A1 D2 G2
The double bass is sometimes thought to belong in the viol
Viol
The viol is any one of a family of bowed, fretted and stringed musical instruments developed in the mid-late 15th century and used primarily in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The family is related to and descends primarily from the Renaissance vihuela, a plucked instrument that preceded the...
family, for a number of reasons (see article). Even so, one can't name standard tunings for other viols, as their popularity and accessibility is much less than that of violins.
Another interesting issue is that of the members in a violin octet
Violin octet
The violin octet is a family of stringed instruments developed in the 20th century primarily under the direction of the American luthier Carleen Hutchins. Each instrument is based directly on the traditional violin and shares its acoustical properties, with the goal of a richer and more homogeneous...
. Despite their low popularity, there is a rigorous system of tunings for these violins.
Plucked strings
Standard tunings in plucked string instruments cover many different instruments which are plucked either by the fingers or with a plectrumPlectrum
A plectrum is a small flat tool used to pluck or strum a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick, and is a separate tool held in the player's hand...
. Guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s and bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
s have more standard tunings, depending on the number of strings an instrument has:
- 6-stringed guitar (most popular) - E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4 (ascending perfect fourths, with an exception between G and B, which is a major thirdMajor thirdIn classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the major third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. It is qualified as major because it is the largest of the two: the major third spans four semitones, the minor third three...
. Low E falls a major third above the C on a standard tuned cello. Some common mnemonics for standard tuning are "Eddie ate dynamite; good-bye Eddie", "Eat Apples Daily, Grow Big Ears", "Every animal deserves good breakfast everyday", "Eat All Day, Get Big Easy" and "Every American Dog Gets Bones Easily", which aid beginners in remembering the string tuning sequence from low to high. Ed Hamell has suggested "Every Acid Dealer Gets Busted, Eventually" as a more memorable alternative.
Alternate tunings are used widely, from transposing up or down with the same intervals, open tunings which are tuned to a specific chord, or more extreme tunings such as those made popular by the alternative rock band Sonic Youth involving unison pairs and discordant intervals.
- 7-stringed guitar - B1 E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4 (identical, except for the low B, which is a perfect fourth below the low E on a 6-stringed guitar)
- 8-stringed guitar - F#1 B1 E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4 (identical to the 7-stringed guitar, with the addition of a low F# string a perfect fourth below the low B)
- 4-stringed bass guitar (most popular) - E1 A1 D2 G2 (its standard tuning coincides with that of a 4-stringed double bass)
- 5-stringed bass - B0 E1 A1 D2 G2 (identical to 4-stringed bass with the addition of a low B string a perfect fourth below the E).
- 6-stringed bass - B0 E1 A1 D2 G2 C3 (identical to 5-stringed bass with the addition of a high C string a perfect fourth above the G).
- Baritone(older use)/ 6 string bass(older use) such as the Fender bass VI - E1 A1 D2 G2 B2 E3 (like a standard guitar but an octave lower, and often played like a standard guitar rather than a bass guitar.
- Baritone guitar (contemporary versions)- B1 E2 A2 D3 F#3 B3 a fourth below standard tuning, although A1 to A3; a fifth lower is also used.
- 12-string guitar E3 E2 A3 A2 D4 D3 G4 G3 B3 B3 E4 E4 where pairs are played 'as one string'
The exception (major third instead of a fourth) in a guitar's standard tuning is to be explained by overtone
Overtone
An overtone is any frequency higher than the fundamental frequency of a sound. The fundamental and the overtones together are called partials. Harmonics are partials whose frequencies are whole number multiples of the fundamental These overlapping terms are variously used when discussing the...
s and the tendency of thinner strings to vibrate sympathetically with the low strings.
In standard notation, the guitar sounds one octave lower than it is written. This is to avoid switching between treble and bass clef, or using ledger lines or 8vb, since it is very common to play past the 12th fret on the E string(E5) and drop down to lower open string notes. This is also more practical for the whole playing range of E2-C#6 (on a 21-fret guitar), as it can fit easily into the treble clef when written as E3-C#7.
Other plucked string instruments and their respective standard tunings include:
- MandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
: G3 D4 A4 E5 (same as standard violin tuning) - MandolaMandolaThe mandola or tenor mandola is a fretted, stringed musical instrument. It is to the mandolin what the viola is to the violin: the four double courses of strings tuned in fifths to the same pitches as the viola , a fifth lower than a mandolin...
: C3 G3 D4 A4 (same as standard viola tuning) - Five-stringed banjo: G2 D3 G3 B3 D4 for bluegrass; old time and folk banjoists use this and a wide variety of other tunings
- Soprano UkuleleUkuleleThe ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
: G4 C5 E5 A5 (C6) - Requinto Jarocho: C3 D3 G3 C4 (G string tuned the same as a guitar's).