Tuning

The pitches assigned to the open strings, which sets the intervals available under the fingers and the keys that fall comfortably.

Standard tuning places the strings a fourth apart with one major third, which is a compromise that suits chord shapes and lets common voicings be played without huge stretches. Altering it changes what is easy: open tunings make barres sound whole chords, drop tunings put power chords under one finger, and modal tunings such as DADGAD make drones and suspensions natural. Each tuning is a different instrument to learn, not merely a transposition.

Example: standard tuning makes the shapes most players learn first possible, which is precisely why it has survived so long.

Tuning

See also