Guitar String Names: E A D G B E and How to Remember Them

Almost every guitar lesson, chord chart and tab starts by assuming you know the string names. A teacher will say "put your finger on the A string" or "strum from the fifth string," and a set of strings comes with six labeled packets. Once the names and numbers click, the rest of the guitar gets much easier to follow. This guide gives you the names in order, shows you how to tell which string is which, and then walks you through tuning them yourself.

The six string names, in order

E · A · D · G · B · E

Hold the guitar in playing position and start with the string closest to your face. That is the thickest string, and it is tuned to a low E. Moving toward the floor, the strings are:

• 6th string: low E. The thickest string and the lowest note on the guitar. It sits closest to your face, nearest the ceiling.
• 5th string: A. The next string down. This is the note most bands and orchestras tune to.
• 4th string: D. The middle string on the thick side.
• 3rd string: G. The middle string on the thin side.
• 2nd string: B. The second-thinnest string.
• 1st string: high E. The thinnest string and the highest open note. It sits closest to the floor.

Both outside strings are called E. They play the same note name, two octaves apart, which is why players say "low E" and "high E" to tell them apart. "Low" and "high" describe the sound, not where the string sits. The high E is the string physically closest to the floor, which surprises a lot of beginners.

The string numbers: why string 1 is the thin one

Guitar strings are numbered from the thinnest to the thickest. The high E is string 1, the B is string 2, the G is string 3, the D is string 4, the A is string 5 and the low E is string 6. Chord charts, method books and string packets all use these numbers.

Guitar tab, the simple notation most players learn from, draws six lines. The top line of tab is the high E (string 1) and the bottom line is the low E (string 6). It looks upside down at first, because the top line is the string nearest the floor. Picture yourself looking down at the guitar in your lap and it starts to make sense.

Easy ways to remember the string names

A short sentence where each word starts with a string's letter is the fastest way to lock in the order. Pick one that sticks:

• Thick to thin (6 to 1): "Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie." Another favorite is "Every Amateur Does Get Better Eventually."
• Thin to thick (1 to 6): "Easter Bunny Gets Drunk At Easter." Handy when you read tab, which lists the strings from the high E down.
• Make your own. Kids often remember a silly sentence they made up themselves better than any famous one. Any six words starting with E, A, D, G, B, E will do.

After a few weeks of playing you will stop needing the sentence. Your fingers learn the strings the same way they learn the keys on a keyboard.

How to tell which string is which

1. Look at the thickness. The thickest string is always the low E (string 6), and the thinnest is always the high E (string 1). The others step down in thickness in between.
2. Look at the winding. The thicker strings are wrapped with a fine coil of wire, so they look ridged. On most acoustic sets the bottom four (E, A, D, G) are wound and the B and high E are plain. On most electric sets only the bottom three are wound, and the G is plain.
3. Hold the guitar in playing position. The low E is nearest your face. The high E is nearest the floor. If you play left-handed, this is still true: the low E stays on top, closest to you.
4. Follow the string to its tuning peg. Each string has its own peg at the headstock. On a guitar with three pegs on each side, the low E, A and D usually go to the pegs on one side and the G, B and high E to the other. On a guitar with all six pegs in a row, the low E goes to the peg nearest the nut.
5. Check the color of the ball end. Many brands color-code the little brass ring on the end of each string so you can sort a new set. The colors vary from brand to brand, so check the chart on the packet rather than guessing.

Standard tuning: the notes and how to tune

Standard tuning is E, A, D, G, B, E from the thickest string to the thinnest. Music teachers write the exact pitches as E2, A2, D3, G3, B3 and E4; the number tells you which octave the note is in. The open A string vibrates 110 times a second, exactly two octaves below the A that orchestras tune to.

The easiest way to get in tune is an electronic tuner. A clip-on tuner grips the headstock, feels the vibration of the string, and shows the note name with a needle or light. Here is how to use one:

1. Clip the tuner on the headstock and turn it on. Make sure it is set to guitar or chromatic mode, and to A = 440 Hz if it asks.
2. Pluck the low E string (string 6) and let it ring. The tuner shows the nearest note.
3. Turn the tuning peg slowly. Tightening raises the note; loosening lowers it. If you are below the note, tighten until the needle reaches the center. If you go past it, loosen a little below and come back up, which helps the string hold its tune.
4. Repeat for A, D, G, B and high E, in that order.
5. Go around once more. Tuning one string changes the pull on the neck slightly, so a second pass catches small slips. New strings stretch, so expect to retune several times in their first day or two.

How to tune a guitar by ear (the 5th-fret method)

No tuner? You can tune the guitar to itself. This gets the strings in tune with each other. If the low E is a little off, the whole guitar will be off by the same amount, but it will still sound right on its own.

1. Tune the low E (string 6) as close as you can, using a piano, another instrument or a tuning app.
2. Press the low E at the 5th fret and pluck it. That note is A. Now pluck the open A string (string 5) and turn its peg until the two notes match.
3. Press the A string at the 5th fret. That note is D. Tune the open D string (string 4) to match it.
4. Press the D string at the 5th fret. That note is G. Tune the open G string (string 3) to match it.
5. Press the G string at the 4th fret, not the 5th. That note is B. Tune the open B string (string 2) to match it. This is the one exception, and it is the step people most often get wrong.
6. Press the B string at the 5th fret. That note is E. Tune the open high E string (string 1) to match it.

When two notes are close but not quite matched, you will hear a slow wobble, called a beat. Turn the peg slowly. The wobble gets slower as the notes come together and disappears when they match.

Why the 4th fret on the G string? Every pair of neighboring strings is five frets apart, except the G and B, which are four frets apart. That one change is what makes common chord shapes fit comfortably under your fingers.

Drop D and other common tunings

Standard tuning is the starting point, but players often retune one or more strings for a different sound. The string names change with the tuning, so a guitarist will say "my low string is a D" when they are in drop D. A few you will meet often:

• Drop D (D A D G B E). Lower only the low E string by one whole step, to D. Check it by playing the open D string (string 4): the new low string should sound the same note, one octave lower. Popular in rock and folk, because a single finger across the three thickest strings plays a power chord.
• Half step down (E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭). Every string lowered by one fret's worth. The chord shapes stay the same, the sound gets a little deeper, and the strings feel slightly looser.
• Whole step down (D G C F A D). Every string lowered by two frets' worth. Used for a heavier sound or to suit a lower singing voice.
• Open G (D G D G B D). Strumming the open strings plays a G chord. Common in blues and slide guitar.
• Open D (D A D F♯ A D). Strumming the open strings plays a D chord. Loved by folk and slide players.
• DADGAD (D A D G A D). A ringing, open sound used a lot in Celtic and acoustic fingerstyle music.

If you lower strings often, retune slowly and give the neck a few minutes to settle. A capo is a different tool: it clamps across a fret to raise every string at once without retuning.

String gauges, and which strings are wound

A string's thickness is called its gauge, measured in thousandths of an inch. A set is usually named by its thinnest and thickest strings, so a "10–46" set has a .010 high E and a .046 low E. Thinner strings are easier to press down and bend; thicker strings sound fuller and stay in tune more firmly.

• Electric guitar. The most common set is 10–46, often called regular light. A 9–42 set is lighter and easier on new fingertips. The low E, A and D are wound; the G, B and high E are usually plain steel.
• Steel-string acoustic. Sets are heavier, because the strings must drive a hollow wooden top. 12–53, called light, is the most common; 11–52 or 10–47 are easier for beginners. The low E, A, D and G are wound with bronze or phosphor bronze, which gives them their golden color. The B and high E are plain steel.
• Plain or wound? A plain string is a single solid wire. A wound string has a steel core with a second wire wrapped tightly around it. The wrap adds weight, so the string can play a low note without being too stiff to press down.

When it is time for a fresh set, our step-by-step guide to restringing a guitar shows you how to change all six strings without losing track of which goes where. You can browse acoustic guitar strings and electric guitar strings in our shop.

Nylon strings vs steel strings

Classical guitars use nylon strings, and the names are exactly the same: E, A, D, G, B, E, in standard tuning. What changes is the material. The three thin strings (high E, B and G) are clear or colored nylon. The three thick strings (D, A and low E) have a soft core wrapped in fine silver-colored wire.

• Feel. Nylon strings are softer and sit at lower tension, so they are gentle on the fingertips. That is why a classical guitar is a popular first guitar for young children.
• Sound. Nylon gives a warm, round tone. Steel gives a bright, ringing tone that cuts through a band.
• Attachment. Most nylon strings are tied around the bridge. Steel acoustic strings have a ball end held under a bridge pin.
• Good to know. Never put steel strings on a guitar built for nylon. Steel pulls much harder and can damage the neck and bridge. Buy the type of string your guitar was made for.

Bass string names: E A D G

E · A · D · G

A standard 4-string bass guitar uses the same names as the four thickest guitar strings: E, A, D, G, from the thickest to the thinnest. Each one sounds one octave lower than the matching guitar string, which is what gives the bass its deep sound. The numbers work the same way: the thin G is string 1 and the thick E is string 4.

• Remember them: "Every Apple Does Good." Any four words starting with E, A, D, G will do.
• Tune by ear: the 5th-fret method works on every pair. The 5th fret of E matches the open A, the 5th fret of A matches the open D, and the 5th fret of D matches the open G.
• All four are wound. Bass strings are thick; a common set is 45–105.
• More strings: a 5-string bass adds a low B below the E (B E A D G). A 6-string bass adds a high C as well (B E A D G C).

Want to know the rest of the instrument? See our guide to the parts of a bass guitar, and our bass strings when it is time for a new set.

Good to know

• The guitar is tuned in fourths, except one string. Each string is five frets above the one before it, except the B, which is four frets above the G. This is why some chord shapes change when they cross from the G string to the B string.
• 7-string and 12-string guitars. A 7-string guitar adds a low B below the low E. A 12-string guitar has six pairs of strings; the four thickest pairs pair a normal string with a thinner one an octave higher, and the B and high E pairs are tuned the same.
• Learning the parts helps too. The nut, the frets and the tuning pegs all come up when you talk about strings. Our guides to the parts of a guitar and the parts of an electric guitar explain each one with a labeled diagram.
• A tuner is worth having. A clip-on tuner is the fastest way for a beginner to stay in tune. See our guitar tuners.

Guitars to learn the strings on

Every guitar below uses standard E A D G B E tuning. Prices and stock update automatically.

Shopping for a child? Our guide to choosing the right size guitar for a child explains which size fits which age. You can also browse all our guitars.

Frequently asked questions

What are the names of the 6 guitar strings?

In standard tuning, from the thickest to the thinnest: E, A, D, G, B, E. The thick one is called low E and the thin one high E. A popular way to remember them is "Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie."

Which guitar string is number 1?

String 1 is the thinnest string, the high E, closest to the floor when you hold the guitar. String 6 is the thickest string, the low E, closest to your face.

What notes are the guitar strings tuned to?

E2, A2, D3, G3, B3 and E4, from the thickest string to the thinnest. The two E strings are two octaves apart.

What is the easiest way to remember the guitar strings?

Use a sentence: "Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie" for thick to thin, or "Easter Bunny Gets Drunk At Easter" for thin to thick. After a few weeks of playing, most people know them without the sentence.

What are the bass guitar string names?

On a 4-string bass, from the thickest to the thinnest: E, A, D, G. They are the same names as the four thickest guitar strings, one octave lower. A 5-string bass adds a low B.

Why do you use the 4th fret on the G string when tuning?

The B string is four frets above the G, while every other pair of neighboring strings is five frets apart. So the G string's 4th fret plays B, the note you tune the open B string to.