The Map
How the six strings relate
Standard tuning has one deliberate irregularity, and it explains a lot of chord shapes.
Take the guided lessonMostly a repeating pattern
From the low E to the A string is five frets. A to D is five frets. D to G is five frets. That is why the fifth fret tunes the next string up.
Then G to B is four frets, not five. Then B to high E is back to five.
The six open strings
Six notes: E, A, D, G, B, E. The top and bottom strings are the same note two octaves apart, which is why a shape that uses both often sounds so full.
Why break the pattern on purpose
All fives would be tidier to learn, and some tunings do exactly that. Standard tuning gives up that tidiness to put more notes within reach of one hand position.
The four fret jump at the G string is what makes common open chords playable without stretching. It is also why shapes shift by a fret when they cross that string, and why the same chord looks different depending on which strings it sits on.
Every octave shape, scale pattern and CAGED form in this course has one version that crosses the B string and one that does not. That is the whole reason.
The map, written out
Six strings, and the distance from each one to its neighbour. One row breaks the pattern.
| String | Open note | Frets to the next string | Tune it at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th, low E | E | 5 | Fret 5 gives you A |
| 5th | A | 5 | Fret 5 gives you D |
| 4th | D | 5 | Fret 5 gives you G |
| 3rd | G | 4 | Fret 4 gives you B, the exception |
| 2nd | B | 5 | Fret 5 gives you high E |
| 1st, high E | E | n/a | Two octaves above the 6th string |
This table is also the fastest way to tune without a tuner, which is why the fifth fret method works on every string except one.
How many frets apart are the G string and the B string?
Put the open strings in order, lowest pitch first
- 1lowest first
- 2lowest first
- 3lowest first
- 4lowest first
- 5lowest first
- 6lowest first
Which of these are consequences of the G to B irregularity?
Takeaways
- Adjacent strings are five frets apart, except G to B, which is four.
- The low and high E strings are the same note two octaves apart.
- That one irregularity is why shapes shift when they cross the B string.
- It also puts more notes under one hand position, which is why it is there.