MusicalBarrs
a resource for parents and students
About the guitar
One of the first things you'll learn in your music lessons are the names of the strings. There are six strings on a classical guitar - and there is a very easy way to remember what they are called. It is - in fact - a very silly way to remember, but as long as it works, it doesn't really matter!
E Eat
A A
D Dog
G Grow
B Big
E Ears
Well I did tell you it was silly!
The strings also have number names and they are strange too because they are the opposite way round to the way you would expect! With the guitar on your lap and the neck pointing out to your left, the string nearest you is actually called the bottom string or the 6th string and the one furthest from you is called the top string or the 1st string. As you will notice, they are both called E! So this is how the numbers work:
E 6th
A 5th
D 4th
G 3rd
B 2nd
E 1st
This is how the notes look on the stave.
