Standard tuning

In music, standard tuning refers to the typical tuning of a string instrument. This notion is contrary to that of scordatura, i.e. an alternate tuning designated to modify either the timbre or technical capabilities of the desired instrument.

Standard tuning in most notable instruments

Bowed strings

The most popular bowed strings used nowadays belong to the violin family; together with their respective standard tunings, they are:

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:

A more recent family is the violin octet, which also features a standardized tuning system (see page).

Plucked strings

Guitar standard tuning.
D/F♯ slash chord  Play .

Standard tunings in plucked string instruments cover many different instruments which are plucked either by the fingers or with a plectrum. Guitars and bass guitars have more standard tunings, depending on the number of strings an instrument has:

Guitar notation is an octave above the actual note, so Middle C (C4) in guitar notation is the third space on the treble clef, whereas the note written as one line below the treble clef is C3.

The exception (major third instead of a fourth) in a guitar's standard tuning is to be explained by overtones and the tendency of thinner strings to vibrate sympathetically with the low strings.

In standard notation, the guitar sounds one octave lower than it is written. This is to avoid switching between treble and bass clef, or using ledger lines or 8vb, since it is very common to play past the 12th fret on the E string(E5) and drop down to lower open string notes. This is also more practical for the whole playing range of E2-C#6 (on a 21-fret guitar), as it can fit easily into the treble clef when written as E3-C#7.

Other plucked string instruments and their respective standard tunings include:

References

See also