The six strings

A guitar has six strings, and each one has a number and a name.

The thickest string is string 6, and it is called low E. The thinnest is string 1, high E. Both are E, two octaves apart.

From thickest to thinnest the names are E A D G B E.

Players have been remembering the order with silly sentences for decades. Pick one you like, or make up your own:

• Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie
• Every Amateur Does Get Better Eventually

"Up" and "down" on a guitar are confusing at first, because they describe pitch, not position.

When you look down at the guitar while you play, low E is at the top, nearest your face. But because it is the lowest note, guitarists call it the bottom string. High E, nearest the floor, is the top string.

So "move up a string" means move to a higher-sounding string, which is physically downwards towards the floor. It sounds backwards, but you get used to it quickly.

Playing a string without pressing any fret is called playing it open. Pluck each string open, from string 6 to string 1, and say its name as you go: E, A, D, G, B, E.

Next, you will tune each of those open strings to exactly the right note.