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From: jjohnson@Eng.Sun.COM (Jeff Johnson)
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic
Subject: Why is Standard Tuning Standard?????
Date: 2 Nov 1995 23:54:02 GMT


> Does anyome know why EADGBE is considered standard tuning and how it was
> arrived at??

I don't claim to know the definite answer.  Just some thoughts that may or
may not be relevant:

- Lute tunings in the 1300-1600s were not very standardized, but the
  most "standard" lute tuning was very similar to a guitar, except that
  it was one step lower.  If we ignore the one-step difference, lute
  "standard" tuning is:  EADFBE, i.e., the same as guitar standard
  except that the short interval is between the two middle strings
  instead of the second and third strings.  Guitar tuning probably 
  evolved from that.

- Standard tuning makes a good variety of keys fairly accessible in 
  first position.  Many non-standard tunings are great for playing in
  a specific key, but if you want to play songs in a variety of keys 
  without retuning, you need a good "compromise" tuning that makes
  a variety of first-position chords and scales easy.

- Good tunings also balance the number of open strings available to
  resonate to notes played on other strings.  When there is no sympathetic
  sound, guitars sound flat.  It isn't good to have some notes have
  sympathetic strings and others not, because then the guitar gets
  louder and softer depending on what note is played.  (That's why
  some guitarists use special guitars that have extra strings, e.g.,
  extra bass strings or special resonating strings.)

JJ