Guitar tuning
High Strung Tuning
E·A·D·G·B·E
High-strung tuning keeps standard’s note names but raises the bottom three strings a full octave: the 6th, 5th and 4th are restrung with light gauges and tuned to E, A and D above their usual pitch, while the 3rd, 2nd and 1st stay exactly as in standard. It is the strict form of the idea behind Nashville tuning, which raises four strings; high-strung raises three.
The result is bright and chiming, like the top of a 12-string with the low courses removed. Layered under a normally strung guitar it adds octave sparkle while leaving the low end clear — the same studio trick as Nashville tuning, with the 3rd string kept at its normal octave so the middle of the chord stays where your ear expects it.
How to tune to High Strung
From standard tuning:
- 6th (lowest) E → E (up an octave)
- 5th A → A (up an octave)
- 4th D → D (up an octave)
- 3rd G — unchanged
- 2nd B — unchanged
- 1st (highest) E — unchanged
Open—Shape’s tuner listens for one string at a time and tells you which string it is and how far off — including in alternate tunings like this one.
What High Strung does well
- Every shape you know, unchanged. The note names match standard tuning, so all your chords, scales and songs work with nothing to relearn.
- 12-string shimmer from six strings. The three raised octaves give the high, chiming character of a 12-string without the handling of one.
- A doubling track that stays out of the way. Recorded next to a standard guitar, it brightens the top of a part while leaving the bass register alone.
- The 3rd string stays put. Unlike Nashville tuning, the 3rd string keeps its normal octave, so the middle of a chord voicing sits where you expect.
Common chords in High Strung
The shapes are the standard ones. The grid shows how the engine voices a few common chords — the bottom three strings sound an octave higher. Tap any chord to browse the rest.
Numbers read low string to high; 0 is open, × is muted.
A progression to try
An ordinary G–C–D, lifted by the register:
Songs in High Strung
- Doubled acoustic parts across pop, folk and country
- The strict three-string form of the Nashville tuning trick
- Used for 12-string sparkle on a layered track
Where you’ll hear it
Session and studio players layering acoustic parts, the same context as Nashville tuning. High-strung is the older, stricter name for the three-string version; the two terms are often used interchangeably.
Open a High Strung canvas — a tuning module already set, wired to a starter progression, every shape recalculated for you.