The Standard String Order: E-A-D-G-B-E
A guitar has six strings, and they are tuned to the notes E, A, D, G, B, and E—from the thickest string (the one closest to your face when you hold the guitar) to the thinnest. The thickest string is called the low E string or the sixth string. The thinnest is the high E string or the first string. Learning this order is the foundation of playing, because every technique—from reading tabs to understanding chord shapes—depends on knowing which string is which.
The reason the order matters is practical: when you look at a chord diagram or tablature, the lines represent the strings in this exact order. If you mix them up, you will play the wrong notes and the chord will sound wrong. Muscle memory helps, but a memory trick gets you there faster.
Key Takeaways
- The six strings from thickest to thinnest are E, A, D, G, B, E—a pattern you can anchor with a memorable sentence.
- The most popular memory sentence is "Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie," which matches the first letter of each string in order.
- Saying the string names aloud while you play them trains your ear and your fingers at the same time, faster than silent repetition.
- Writing the string names on a piece of tape wrapped around your headstock gives you a reference without breaking your practice flow.
- After two weeks of daily practice, most players stop needing the memory trick because the order becomes automatic.
The Memory Sentence Method
Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie is the most common memory sentence. Each word starts with the letter of a string: E-A-D-G-B-E. Say it out loud a few times, and the pattern sticks. The sentence is memorable because it tells a small story—Eddie eats something dangerous and has to say goodbye—so your brain holds onto it longer than a random list of letters.
If that sentence does not appeal to you, you can use another one: "Eddie's Apple Did Go Bad, Eddie" or "Eat All Day, Get Big Energy." The point is not the exact words—it is that you create a sentence where the first letter of each word matches the string order. If you invent your own, it will stick even better because you made it.
The trick works because your brain is better at remembering a story or a phrase than a sequence of isolated letters. When you need to know the strings, you recite the sentence and pull out the first letters. After a few weeks, you will not need the sentence anymore—the order will be automatic.
Saying the Strings Out Loud While You Play
Name each string as you pluck it. Start with the thickest string and say "E" out loud, then pluck it. Move to the next string, say "A," and pluck it. Continue through all six. Do this every time you pick up the guitar for the first week or two.
This method works faster than silent repetition because you are using two senses at once: your ears hear the name, and your fingers feel the string. Your brain connects the physical location of the string to the note name. After a few days of this, you will find yourself automatically knowing which string is which without thinking about it.
You can also reverse the order: start with the thinnest string (high E) and work backward to the thickest (low E). This trains you to recognize the strings from either direction, which is useful when you are reading chord diagrams or looking at your guitar from different angles.
Using a Visual Reference on Your Guitar
Write the string names on a small piece of masking tape or painter's tape and wrap it around the headstock of your guitar, near the tuning pegs. Write them in order: E-A-D-G-B-E. You can glance at it during practice without stopping to think. This is especially helpful in the first week when the order is still new.
Some players use a permanent marker to write the notes directly on the headstock, but tape is better because you can remove it once you no longer need it, and it does not damage the finish. The tape also makes it straightforward to update if you ever tune your guitar differently (like to drop D tuning), because you can just write a new label.
The visual reference is not cheating—it is a tool that lets you focus on playing instead of memorizing. Once you have played the strings in order a hundred times, your hands will know where they are without looking.
Connecting the Strings to Chord Shapes
Once you learn the string order, use it to understand how chords work. When you look at a chord diagram, the vertical lines represent the strings in order from left to right: E-A-D-G-B-E. The horizontal lines represent the frets. If you know which string is which, you can read the diagram and place your fingers in the right spots.
Practice this by learning one straightforward chord—like an open A major or an open D major—and saying the string names as you place each finger. You will see how the string order connects directly to the shape you are making with your hand. This connection makes the string order feel less like a fact to memorize and more like a tool you are using.
The Timeline: When You Will Stop Needing the Trick
Most players stop consciously thinking about the string order after two to four weeks of daily practice. Your fingers develop muscle memory—they know where to go without your brain having to translate the name. This does not mean you forget the order; it means you no longer need to recite it or look it up.
The speed depends on how often you play. If you practice 30 minutes a day, you will likely have it automatic within two weeks. If you play once or twice a week, it may take a month or longer. The key is repetition: every time you play, you reinforce the order, and eventually it becomes as automatic as knowing your phone number.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The most common mistake is trying to memorize the order without playing. Reading the string names on a page or in your head does not create the same neural pathway as saying them out loud while your fingers touch the strings. If you want the order to stick, you have to use it while you play.
Another mistake is confusing the string number with the string name. The thickest string is the sixth string, but it is tuned to E. The thinnest string is the first string, and it is also tuned to E. This can be confusing at first, but it becomes clear once you start using chord diagrams and tablature—they always refer to strings by number, and the number matches the order from thickest to thinnest.
Do not worry if you forget the order sometimes, especially in the first few weeks. Every player has done this. The more you play, the more automatic it becomes, and the mistakes become rarer until they stop happening altogether.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are there two E strings?
The low E string (the thickest) and the high E string (the thinnest) are both tuned to the note E, but they are two octaves apart. The low E is much deeper, and the high E is much higher. This gives the guitar a wide range of notes and makes certain chord shapes possible.
Do I have to use the Eddie Ate Dynamite memory sentence?
No. The sentence is just one tool. Some players learn the order by playing the strings every day without any sentence at all. Others invent their own sentence that is more meaningful to them. Use whatever method makes the order stick in your memory.
What if I tune my guitar differently, like drop D?
Drop D tuning changes only the thickest string from E to D. The other five strings stay the same: D-A-D-G-B-E. Once you know the standard order, learning alternate tunings is straightforward—you just change the name of whichever string is tuned differently. The string positions and numbers stay the same.
How long until I stop thinking about which string is which?
Most players report that the string order becomes automatic after two to four weeks of regular practice. Your fingers will know where to go without your brain having to translate the name. The exact timeline depends on how often you play and how much you focus on it during practice.
Should I memorize the strings before I start learning chords?
It helps, but it is not required. Many players learn the string order and basic chords at the same time. In fact, learning them together can be faster because you are using the string names while you play, which reinforces both the order and the chord shapes.