In music, standard tuning refers to the typical
tuning of a
string instrument
In musical instrument classification, string instruments, or chordophones, are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer strums, plucks, strikes or sounds the strings in varying manners.
Musicians play some ...
. This notion is contrary to that of
scordatura
Scordatura (; literally, Italian for "discord", or "mistuning") is a Musical tuning, tuning of a string instrument that is different from the normal, standard tuning. It typically attempts to allow special effects or unusual Chord (music), chords ...
, i.e. an alternate tuning designated to modify either the
timbre
In music, timbre (), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound of a musical note, sound or tone. Timbre distinguishes sounds according to their source, such as choir voices and musical instrument ...
or technical capabilities of the desired instrument.
Violin family
The most popular bowed strings used nowadays belong to the
violin family
The violin family of musical instruments was developed in Italy in the 16th century. At the time the name of this family of instruments was viole da braccio which was used to distinguish them from the viol family (viole ''da gamba''). The standa ...
; together with their respective standard tunings, they are:
*
Violin
The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
– G
3 D
4 A
4 E
5 (ascending
perfect fifth
In music theory, a perfect fifth is the Interval (music), musical interval corresponding to a pair of pitch (music), pitches with a frequency ratio of 3:2, or very nearly so.
In classical music from Western culture, a fifth is the interval f ...
s, starting from G below middle C)
*
Viola
The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...
– C
3 G
3 D
4 A
4 (a perfect fifth below a violin's standard tuning)
*
Cello
The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...
– C
2 G
2 D
3 A
3 (an octave lower than the viola)
*
Double bass
The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...
– E
1 A
1 D
2 G
2 (ascending
perfect fourth
A fourth is a interval (music), musical interval encompassing four staff positions in the music notation of Western culture, and a perfect fourth () is the fourth spanning five semitones (half steps, or half tones). For example, the ascending int ...
s, where the highest sounding open string coincides with the G on a cello).
* Double bass with a low C extension – C
1 E
1 A
1 D
2 G
2 (the same, except for low C, which is a
major third
In music theory, a third is a Interval (music), musical interval encompassing three staff positions (see Interval (music)#Number, Interval number for more details), and the major third () is a third spanning four Semitone, half steps or two ...
below the low E on a standard 4-string double bass)
* 5-stringed double bass – B
0 E
1 A
1 D
2 G
2 (a low B is added, so the tuning remains in perfect fourths)
Viol family
The double bass is properly the contrabass member of the
viol family. Its smaller members are tuned in ascending fourths, with a major third in the middle, as follows:
*
Treble viol – D
3 G
3 C
4 E
4 A
4 D
5 (ascending perfect fourths with the exception of a major third between strings 3 and 4)
*
Tenor viol – G
2 C
3 F
3 A
3 D
4 G
4 (a perfect fifth below the treble viol)
*
Bass viol – D
2 G
2 C
3 E
3 A
3 D
4 (an octave lower than the treble viol)
*
7-stringed bass viol – A
1 D
2 G
2 C
3 E
3 A
3 D
4 (an extra low A is added)
A more recent family is the
violin octet, which also features a standardized tuning system (
see page).
Guitar family
Guitar
The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
s and
bass guitar
The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
s have more standard tunings, depending on the number of strings an instrument has.
* six-string guitar (the most common configuration) – E
2 A
2 D
3 G
3 B
3 E
4 (ascending perfect fourths, with an exception between G and B, which is a
major third
In music theory, a third is a Interval (music), musical interval encompassing three staff positions (see Interval (music)#Number, Interval number for more details), and the major third () is a third spanning four Semitone, half steps or two ...
). Low E falls a major third above the C on a standard-tuned cello.
* Renaissance lute – E
2 A
2 D
3 F♯
3 B
3 E
4 (used by classical guitarists for certain pieces; identical to standard guitar tuning, except for the F♯, lowered one semitone from the standard G string, placing the major third between 3rd and 4th rather than 2nd and 3rd strings)
* seven-string guitar – B
1 E
2 A
2 D
3 G
3 B
3 E
4 (identical, except for the low B, which is a perfect fourth below the low E on a 6-stringed guitar)
* four-string bass guitar (most popular) – E
1 A
1 D
2 G
2 (its standard tuning coincides with that of a 4-stringed double bass)
* five-string bass – B
0 E
1 A
1 D
2 G
2 (identical to 4-stringed bass with the addition of a low B string a perfect fourth below the E).
* six-string bass – B
0 E
1 A
1 D
2 G
2 C
3 (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 – E
1 A
1 D
2 G
2 B
2 E
3 (Similar to a standard guitar but an octave lower, and often played like a standard guitar rather than a bass guitar.)
* Baritone guitar (contemporary versions) – B
1 E
2 A
2 D
3 F♯
3 B
3 a fourth below standard tuning, although A
1 to A
3; a fifth lower is also used.
* 12-string guitar E
3 E
2 A
3 A
2 D
4 D
3 G
4 G
3 B
3 B
3 E
4 E
4 in six two-string courses.
Other
Other plucked string instruments and their respective standard tunings include:
*
Banjo (Five-stringed): G
4 D
3 G
3 B
3 D
4 for bluegrass; old time and folk banjoists use this and a wide variety of other tunings
*
Mandola
The mandola (US and Canada) or tenor mandola (Ireland and UK) 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 ...
: C
3 G
3 D
4 A
4 (same as standard viola tuning)
*
Mandolin
A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...
: G
3 D
4 A
4 E
5 (same as standard violin tuning)
*
Pipa
The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a () is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets rangi ...
: A
2 D
3 E
3 A
3 (most common and used in Chinese orchestra; several other tunings exist)
*
Balalaika (Prima): E
4 E
4 A
4 (the two identical Es are on strings of different gauges)
*
Requinto Jarocho: A
3 D
3 G
3 C
4 (G string tuned the same as a guitar's)
*
Ukulele (Soprano): G
4 C
4 E
4 A
4 (C
6) and A
4 D
4 F♯
4 B
4
See also
*
List of guitar tunings
*
Musical tuning
In music, there are two common meanings for tuning:
* #Tuning practice, Tuning practice, the act of tuning an instrument or voice.
* #Tuning systems, Tuning systems, the various systems of Pitch (music), pitches used to tune an instrument, and ...
*
Scordatura
Scordatura (; literally, Italian for "discord", or "mistuning") is a Musical tuning, tuning of a string instrument that is different from the normal, standard tuning. It typically attempts to allow special effects or unusual Chord (music), chords ...
References
*
{{Guitar tunings
Musical tuning