EADGCF All 4ths Tuning for Guitar

EADGCF All 4ths Tuning is an alternate guitar tuning that raises the B and high E strings a half step, so every pair of strings is a perfect 4th apart. Unlike standard tuning (EADGBE), which has a major 3rd between the G and B strings, EADGCF is completely uniform. Compare the two below.

Advantages of EADGCF All 4ths Tuning

The main benefit is consistency. Because every string follows the same interval pattern, scale and chord shapes are identical across the neck. There’s no mental adjustment for the B string, a common challenge in standard tuning. Try “Move a chord shape” above: in all 4ths the finger pattern is the same on every string set, while in standard it shifts whenever a shape crosses the G and B strings.

Alternate tunings also help you explore sounds and harmonic structures that aren’t as easy to reach in standard tuning. With an all-4ths system you approach chord voicings and melodic ideas differently, which expands your creativity.

Challenges of EADGCF Tuning

EADGCF has its challenges too. Standard tuning remains dominant largely because it’s ergonomic for chords: it allows comfortable six-string shapes that are hard to reproduce in EADGCF. The high F and low E strings in particular make full chord shapes more complex.

Most guitarists have also internalized standard tuning, so switching is a learning curve. Even so, exploring this tuning can improve your understanding of intervals and scale shapes, and that knowledge carries back to standard and other tunings.

Why You Should Try EADGCF Tuning

Experimenting with EADGCF lets you see the fretboard in a new way. Removing the major 3rd gives you a clearer view of scale patterns, intervals and harmonic relationships. Standard tuning will stay popular for its chord voicings and playability, but exploring all 4ths can be an enlightening experience that deepens your understanding of the instrument. Give it a try. It might change the way you see and play the guitar!

All 4ths Tuning FAQ

How do I tune to EADGCF?

Leave the bottom four strings as they are (E A D G). Tune the B string up a half step to C and the high E string up a half step to F.

Can I still play normal chords?

Yes, but many open-position and six-string barre shapes change. Three- and four-note voicings on adjacent strings are where all-4ths tuning really shines.

Is it the same as bass tuning?

Yes, in a way. A 4-string bass is tuned E A D G in 4ths, and all-4ths guitar simply continues that pattern up to C and F.

by Henry Bahrou – Guitarist, Music Theorist, Music Academy Director

More tunings: Drop D and open tuning. For a full breakdown of scales, chords and theory, see our Guitar Music Theory Guide, or take guitar lessons in Canton. Noteflight is cloud-based notation software for writing music.