Do you struggle to remember the string names on your guitar? Learning the string names on your guitar is crucial. It helps you if want to be able to tune your guitar properly, read guitar tablature, play chords, and melodies.

Using Mnemonic Rhymes


Learning the fretboard layout helps you to identify each of the guitar strings without having to think of them every time. The most frequently used trick to remember string names is to create a memorable phrase. The first letter of each word stands for each of the guitar string names in corresponding order.

Let us start with the thickest string and move top-down to the thinnest string. Here is a commonly used phrase for E-A-D-G-B-E:

  • Eddie Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddie

To really make it stick, you can make up a phrase of your own. It just needs to be memorable. The crazier or more unusual the better.