Tips on Remembering the Order of Guitar Strings

Tips on Remembering the Order of Guitar Strings

One of the first things you should learn when playing guitar is what order the guitar strings are in. We know what some of you are already thinking: “I don’t want to think, I just want to play.” Or “I don’t need to know the string order — I have a great ear.” But when you’re jamming at rehearsal and someone says, “Hey, your D-string sounds a tad flat,” or “Can you play fret seven on the B-string,” and you have no idea what to do, you’ll be wishing you had put the time into learning them. Let’s review the guitar string order and the ways you can make it second nature.

What are the Different Guitar Strings?

Before remembering the guitar string order, you need to know what you’re remembering. Since the early 19^th century, the six-string guitar has been the most popular. The standard tuning of these strings is E-A-D-G-B-E, going from the top string — the one closest to you when you’re playing — to the bottom string. Going from top to bottom, each string is five half-steps (i.e. a perfect fourth) higher than the previous spring except for the jump from G to B, which is four half-steps (i.e. a major third).

This string tuning method is believed to go as far back as far as the 16^th century when the five-string Italian folk guitar was developed. The “chitarra battente” had a tuning of A-D-G-B-E with no bottom E string. How come? The simple answer is that centuries of experimentation concluded this was the easiest, most ear-pleasing way to play full chords. Though you technically can use an all-fourths tuning of E-A-D-G-C-F (and some people do), your fingers would have to stretch in weird ways to play most standard chords. And barre (pronounced “bar”) chords — a chord with no open strings — would be next to impossible.

Other types of guitars and tunings are available, including seven-string guitars, eight-string guitars and baritone guitars. However, for this discussion, we will focus on the standard six-string tuning. The same principles apply to the standard four-string bass guitar, which uses the same tuning as the top four guitar strings (E-A-D-G) only down an octave.

Phrases to Memorize Guitar Strings

Now that you know what the strings are, the next step is committing them to memory. A common trick for remembering guitar strings is to use a phrase that has the string letters as an acronym. This memory technique is known as a mnemonic device. Phrases usually go from the top to the bottom string (E-A-D-G-B-E), though you can go from the bottom to the top string (E-B-G-D-A-E) if that’s what you prefer. There are hundreds of possible phrases already out there, and you can also create your own. Here are a few of our favorites to get you started.

E-A-D-G-B-E Guitar String Acronyms

• Elephants And Donkeys Grow Big Ears
• Every Apple Does Go Bad Eventually
• Eat All Day, Get Big Easy
• Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie
• Every Amp Deserves Guitars/Basses Everyday

E-B-G-D-A-E Guitar String Acronyms

• Elvis’ Big Great Dane Ate Everything
• Every Boy Gets Dinner At Eight
• Every Banana Gets Digested After Eating
• Every Bad Girl Does All Evil

Other Ways to Remember Guitar Strings

If you hate every phrase we provided and can’t think of anything fun instead, don’t worry — there are plenty more ways to keep the guitar string names fresh in your mind. Here are three more methods to learn the guitar string order.

Test Yourself

The most direct way to memorize your guitar strings is simple: every time you pick up the guitar, point to a string and say its name. If you’re picking up the guitar regularly — and you should be if you’re a serious player — you’re going to get lots of practice. Not only are you working on learning the strings you don’t know, but you’re making sure the ones you do know are deep-seated in your mind. Once you can name all the strings in order, try naming them out of order.

The String Numbering Method

Are you better with numbers than letters? You’re in luck — each guitar string has a corresponding number. The low-E string is #6, the A-string is #5 and so on down to the high-E string being #1. So, instead of naming them, you can count them. Why are they numbered in reverse order of tuning, you ask? It goes back to the historical convention of numbering instrument strings, which counted upward from the thinnest to the thickest string. Furthermore, the lute and oud — the string instruments the guitar evolved from — were held upright, and thus the string numbering logically went left to right.

Use a Tuner

Every guitarist should own a tuner to make sure their strings are on the right note. This accessory is also a great way to ingrain the string names. The tuner will display what note you’re playing, meaning you’ll see the correct note every time you’re in tune. Some tuners can even be programmed to only display a certain string note, making it much harder for newbies to tune to the wrong note. (You can also get tuner apps for your smartphone; we recommend having both a regular tuner and an app in case you forget one or the battery dies.)

Wrapping Up

Whether you’re a first-time guitar player or just realized you were long overdue to learn the string names, we hope this guide was helpful to you. As bonus, this knowledge will make it much easier to change your guitar strings and purchase single strings. Happy playing, and remember: Every Amateur Does Get Better Eventually.