Memorizing string names is your first step into memorizing the entire fretboard.
Luckily, the names are super easy to remember!
Follow along as I show you how to easily remember guitar string names and order.
Table of Contents
How many strings does a guitar have?
As a general rule a guitar has six strings. There are guitars containing more or less strings, though.
Names of guitar strings in order (standard guitar tuning)
The guitar string note names in standard guitar tuning from low to high (top string to bottom string) are E-A-D-G-B-E.
You can also think of the strings as going from thick to thin.
6 letter names of the strings
These string names are sometimes referred to by their numbers.
These numbers are:
- 6th string- Low E (the thickest string)
- 5th string- A
- 4th string- D
- 3rd string- G
- 2nd string- B
- 1st string- High E (the thinnest string)
How to remember the guitar string names in order
As a whole you can remember the guitar string names in order by using acronyms/ made-up phrases.
Some example acronyms are:
- Eddie Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddie
- Elephants Ate Donuts Gum Bad Elephants
- Every Acid Dealer Gets Busted Eventually
It’s important to remember that these start from your low E (top string, towards the ceiling) And move to the high E (bottom string, towards the floor).
Why are guitar strings in that order?
As a whole the guitar strings are in that order because of a historical decision to make guitar easy as possible to play, and to find a tuning that left the guitar strings at a reasonable level of tension.
Guitar is easier to play in standard tuning because of 4ths tuning.
This means that the distance from one string to the next is a 4th, with the exception of the G to B string, where the distance is a Major 3rd.
This tuning makes the names and positions of notes and chords easier to remember.
Here’s an article that goes more in-depth on this subject.
Summary: How to remember guitar string names
Guitar string names are super easy to remember with the help of acronyms.
Memorize the acronym that you prefer, and say it out loud as you play each individual guitar string.
This will be your first step in memorizing the guitar fretboard, which will make guitar easier for you to understand!
And if you’re new to guitar, make sure to check out these other posts about guitar for beginners.
