GUITAR STRING NAMES FOR BEGINNERS: HOW TO REMEMBER EADGBE
Mark Mannering Barton - Pick to Play Guitar
The names of the guitar strings are one of those small pieces of information that make everything else easier. Tuners display them, teachers refer to them and chord diagrams assume you know which string is which. If you are still counting from the wrong side, even a simple instruction can feel confusing.
In standard tuning, the six strings are E, A, D, G, B and E from the thickest string to the thinnest. You will often see that written as EADGBE. There are two E strings, but they sound in different registers: the thick string is the low E and the thin string is the high E.
START FROM THE THICKEST STRING
Hold the guitar in your normal playing position. The thickest string is physically closest to the ceiling and produces the lowest note. That is the low E string. Move towards the floor and the strings are A, D, G, B and high E.
Say the names aloud while touching each string slowly: E, A, D, G, B, E. Do not worry about playing a chord. The purpose is simply to connect the name, feel and sound of each string.
WHY THE SIXTH STRING IS AT THE TOP
The numbering can feel backwards. The thinnest high E is called the first string. The B is second, G is third, D is fourth, A is fifth and the thick low E is sixth. Numbering therefore runs from the thinnest string towards the thickest.
This matters when an exercise says “play the open fifth string” or a chord instruction says “do not play the sixth string”. String one is not the first string you see when you look down from above; it is the thinnest, highest-sounding string.
USE BOTH NAMES AND NUMBERS
Practise translating in both directions. Ask yourself: what is the fourth string? D. Which number is the B string? Two. Which strings share the same letter name? One and six are both E.
This may seem like theory, but it is practical language. It speeds up tuning, makes diagrams clearer and helps you follow a teacher without looking away from your hands every few seconds.
TRY A MEMORY SENTENCE
Some learners like a sentence in which each word begins with the string letters from thick to thin. A common example is “Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie”. You can invent your own if it is easier to remember. The stranger or more personal it is, the more likely it may stick or as my first guitar teacher recommended… Eat Apples Daily Grow Big Ears… I know…
A sentence is only a prompt. Pair it with touching and sounding the strings. Musical memory becomes stronger when the words connect to a physical action and a sound rather than remaining a list on paper.
HEAR THE CLIMB FROM LOW TO HIGH
Play each open string slowly from low E to high E. Listen to the pitch rising. Then reverse the direction. You do not need perfect pitch to recognise the overall climb and descent.
Next, close your eyes and ask someone to point to a string, or choose one yourself, then name it before you play. If you are wrong, simply check and repeat. A minute of this at the start of practice is enough.
CONNECT THE NAMES TO YOUR TUNER
When you tune the guitar, the display should show the letter for the string you are adjusting. If you pluck the A string, you are aiming for A. Make small adjustments and confirm that you are turning the machine head connected to that string.
If the display shows a nearby letter, the string may be significantly out of tune or the tuner may be hearing background noise. Do not keep tightening blindly. Stop, identify the string again and use a reliable tuning reference. If anything feels unusually tight, ask a teacher or guitar shop for help.
CONNECT THE NAMES TO CHORD DIAGRAMS
A chord diagram normally represents all six strings vertically. The low E is on the left of a standard diagram and the high E is on the right, as though you are looking at the guitar neck facing you. An X means do not play that string; an O means play it open.
Knowing EADGBE means those symbols stop being abstract. You can see why a D chord begins from the fourth string, why an A minor chord normally begins from the fifth and why E minor can use all six.
DO NOT LET MEMORISING DELAY PLAYING
You do not need to pass a test before learning music. Keep the names visible on a small card and use them while tuning, reading a diagram or playing a simple exercise. They will become familiar through use.
Avoid spending a whole session reciting them without sound. Play an open-string rhythm, move between two named strings or use them with a backing track. The information becomes useful when it supports music.
A TWO-MINUTE STRING-NAME EXERCISE
First, play from thick to thin and say E A D G B E. Second, play from thin to thick and say the numbers one to six. Third, choose three at random and say both the name and number before playing. Finally, tune one string carefully and check the letter on the display.
That is enough for one practice. Repeat it over several days and the fretboard will feel less anonymous. If you would like a clear, friendly route through the first essentials and into real songs, I offer one-to-one guitar lessons in Teddington, Richmond, Twickenham, Kingston and Hampton, as well as online lessons across the UK.
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