Strings and Frets

Now that we know the different parts of a guitar and how they work together, we move on to our next topic which is all about tuning.

Guitars, unlike other musical instruments, require you to tune it first before you can actually start playing with it.You can actually distinguish newbies from seasoned guitar players by just simply listening to the tuning of his instrument. Seasoned guitarists are very particular when it comes to tuning and they always make sure that their guitar is in tune before they perform.


But, before we proceed to the actual process of tuning your guitar, we must first get to know the key elements for this procedure to be successful. Let us shortly discuss about the strings and frets.

String numbering. Strings are numbered from 1 to 6. The 1st string is the skinniest, located closest to the floor when you hold the guitar in playing position. Working your way up, the 6th string is the fattest, closest to the ceiling.

Open string: A string that you play without pressing down on it with a left-hand finger.

Fretted string: A string that you play while pressing down on it at a particular fret.

String names: Each of the strings of a guitar has a letter name which also refers to its open note tuning and i highly recommend that you memorize it. The sixth string is called E. The fifth string is A. The fourth one is D. The third string is G. The second string is called B and the first string is E. With that, you can refer to the string either by its number or by its letter name. In addition to that, you can use acronyms to have an easy and fun way of remembering the open notes of a standard guitar tuning. You can come up with your own or you can use the following:

• Every August Dog’s Go Biting Elvis
• Even Average Dogs Get Bones Eventually
• Eat All Dead Gophers Before Easter
• Every Acid Dealer Gets Busted Eventually
• Elephants And Donkeys Grow Big Ears
• Every Acolyte Does Get Better Eventually
• Every Body Go Drink And Eat
• Easter Bunny Gets Drunk At Easter
• Every Average Dude Gets Booze Easily
• Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie

Frets. A Fret can refer to either the space where you put your left-hand finger or to the thin metal bar running across the fingerboard. Whenever you deal with guitar fingering, fret means the space in between the metal bars. Frets are numbered just like the strings are. They are not, however, numbered by the metal pieces themselves but by the space in between the metal pieces. The first fret of a guitar is the region between the nut and the first metal bar. The second fret is the space between the first metal and the second metal bar and the numbering continues in an ascending order as you move up the neck.

Also, you can see that most guitars have a marker or a decorative design embedded in the fingerboard or a dot on the side of the neck, or both. These markers simple indicate specific fret numbers. The double dot on fret number 12 indicate that it has the same note as the open string. We call this an octave. An octave is simply the same note at a higher or lower pitch. Right after the 12th fret, the notes in the series are restarted. So, if get an F note by playing the sixth string on the first fret, we also get the same note by playing the same string on the 13th fret.

The markers on the guitar usually follow this pattern:

• 1st single dot = 3rd fret
• 2nd single dot = 5th fret
• 3rd single dot = 7th fret
• 4th single dot = 9th fret
• 1st double dot = 12th fret
• 5th single dot = 15th fret
• 6th single dot = 17th fret
• 7th single dot = 19th fret
• 8th single dot = 21st fret
• 2nd double dot = 24th fret

Most acoustic guitars only have 20 to 21 frets so you wont be able see the marker on the 21st fret. My acoustic guitar has its last marker on the 17th fret. Electric guitars, on the other hand, have 21 to 24 frets.