science

Standard tuning

Standard tuning is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Standard tuning rather than just read about it. In short: 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.

Key takeaways

Standard tuning belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Standard tuning to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Standard tuning from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

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.

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

Violin – G3 D4 A4 E5 (ascending perfect fifths, starting from G below middle C) Viola – C3 G3 D4 A4 (a perfect fifth below a violin's standard tuning) Cello – C2 G2 D3 A3 (an octave lower than the viola) Double bass – E1 A1 D2 G2 (ascending perfect fourths, where the highest sounding open string coincides with the G on a cello). Double bass with a low C extension – C1 E1 A1 D2 G2 (the same, except for low C, which is a major third below the low E on a standard 4-string double bass) 5-stringed double bass – B0 E1 A1 D2 G2 (a low B is added, so the tuning remains in perfect fourths)

Viol family 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:

Treble viol – D3 G3 C4 E4 A4 D5 (ascending perfect fourths with the exception of a major third between strings 3 and 4) Tenor viol – G2 C3 F3 A3 D4 G4 (a perfect fifth below the treble viol) Bass viol – D2 G2 C3 E3 A3 D4 (an octave lower than the treble viol) 7-stringed bass viol – A1 D2 G2 C3 E3 A3 D4 (an extra low A is added) A more recent family is the violin octet, which also features a standardized tuning system (see page).

Guitar family

Guitars and bass guitars have more standard tunings, depending on the number of strings an instrument has.

six-string guitar (the most common configuration) – E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4 (ascending perfect fourths, with an exception between G and B, which is a major third). Low E falls a major third above the C on a standard-tuned cello. Renaissance lute – E2 A2 D3 F♯3 B3 E4 (used by classical guitarists for certain pieces; identical to standard guitar tuning, except for the F♯, lowered one semitone from the standard G string, placing the major third between 3rd and 4th rather than 2nd and 3rd strings) seven-string guitar – B1 E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4 (identical, except for the low B, which is a perfect fourth below the low E on a 6-stringed guitar) four-string bass guitar (most popular) – E1 A1 D2 G2 (its standard tuning coincides with that of a 4-stringed double bass) five-string bass – B0 E1 A1 D2 G2 (identical to 4-stringed bass with the addition of a low B string a perfect fourth below the E). six-string bass – B0 E1 A1 D2 G2 C3 (identical to 5-stringed bass with the addition of a high C string a perfect fourth above the G). Baritone (older use) / 6 string bass (older use) such as the Fender Bass VI – E1 A1 D2 G2 B2 E3 (Similar to a standard guitar but an octave lower, and often played like a standard guitar rather than a bass guitar.) Baritone guitar (contemporary versions) – B1 E2 A2 D3 F♯3 B3 a fourth below standard tuning, although A1 to A3; a fifth lower is also used. 12-string guitar E3 E2 A3 A2 D4 D3 G4 G3 B3 B3 E4 E4 in six two-string courses.

Other Other plucked string instruments and their respective standard tunings include:

Banjo (Five-stringed): G4 D3 G3 B3 D4 for bluegrass; old time and folk banjoists use this and a wide variety of other tunings Mandola: C3 G3 D4 A4 (same as standard viola tuning) Mandolin: G3 D4 A4 E5 (same as standard violin tuning) Pipa: A2 D3 E3 A3 (most common and used in Chinese orchestra; several other tunings exist) Balalaika (Prima): E4 E4 A4 (the two identical Es are on strings of different gauges) Requinto Jarocho: A3 D3 G3 C4 (G string tuned the same as a guitar's) Ukulele (Soprano): G4 C4 E4 A4 (C6) and A4 D4 F♯4 B4

See also List of guitar tunings Musical tuning Scordatura

References Oprea, Gheorghe (2002). Folclor muzical românesc. Bucharest: Editura Muzicală. pp. 102–105. ISBN 973-42-0304-5. OCLC 254864734.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Standard tuning

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Standard tuning claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Standard tuning before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Standard tuning ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Standard tuning

In research: Standard tuning appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Standard tuning in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Standard tuning is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Musical tuning, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Standard tuning outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Standard tuning in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Standard tuning means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Standard tuning out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Standard tuning in simple terms?

Why does Standard tuning matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Standard tuning?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Standard tuning.