Stringed instrument tunings

This is a chart of stringed instrument tunings. Instruments are listed alphabetically by their most commonly known name.

Terminology

A course may consist of one or more strings.

Courses are listed reading from left to right facing the front of the instrument, with the instrument standing vertically. On a majority of instruments, this places the notes from low to high pitch.
Exceptions exist:
*Instruments using reentrant tuning (e.g., the charango) may have a high string before a low string.
*Instruments strung in the reverse direction (e.g. mountain dulcimer) will be noted with the highest sounding courses on the left and the lowest to the right.
*A few instruments exist in "right-hand" and "left-hand" versions; left-handed instruments are not included here as separate entries, as their tuning is identical to the right-hand version, but with the strings in reverse order (e.g., a left-handed guitar).

Strings within a course are also given from left to right, facing the front of the instrument, with it standing vertically. Single-string courses are separated by spaces; multiple-string courses (i.e. paired or tripled strings) are shown with courses separated by bullet characters (•).

Pitch: Unless otherwise noted, contemporary western standard pitch (A₄ = 440 Hz) and 12-tone equal temperament are assumed.

Octaves are given in scientific pitch notation, with Middle C written as "C₄". (The 'A' above Middle C would then be written as "A₄"; the next higher octave begins on "C₅"; the next lower octave on "C₃"; etc.)Ibid. p. 60-61.

Because stringed instruments are easily re-tuned, the concept of a "standard tuning" is somewhat flexible. Some instruments:
* have a designated standard tuning (e.g., violin; guitar)
* have more than one tuning considered "standard" (e.g. mejorana, ukulele)
* do not have a standard tuning but rather a "common" tuning that is used more frequently than others (e.g., banjo; lap steel guitar)
* are typically re-tuned to suit the music being played or the voice being accompanied and have no set "standard" at all (e.g., đàn nguyệt; Appalachian dulcimer)

Where more than one common tuning exists, the most common is given first and labeled "Standard" or "Standard/common". Other tunings will then be given under the heading "Alternates".

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Zither tuning chart

Notes

See also

* Bass guitar tunings
* Guitar tunings
* Plucked string instrument list
* Scale (string instruments)
* Scordatura
* Violin tunings

References

*Brody, David; ''The Fiddler's Fakebook: The Ultimate Sourcebook For The Traditional Fiddler''; Music Sales America (1992).
*Dearling, Robert; ''Stringed Instruments''; Chelsea House Publishing (2000).
*Hanson, Mark; ''The Complete Book of Alternate Guitar Tunings''; Music Sales America (1995).
* Marcuse, Sibyl; ''Musical Instruments: A Comprehensive Dictionary''; W. W. Norton & Company (1975).
* Piston, Walter; ''Orchestration''; W. W. Norton & Company (1955).
*Randell, D. M. (editor); ''Harvard Dictionary of Music'', 4th Edition; Belknap Press of Harvard University Press (2003).

External links

Atlas of Plucked InstrumentsThe Synthesis of Taiwanese and Western Musical Elements: A Case Study of the ''Zheng'' Concerto—''Dots, Lines, and Convergence'' by Chihchun Chi-Sun LeeChapman Stick TuningsZither Tuning

{{Guitar tunings, state=collapsed

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Musical tuning
Guitar tunings