How to Tune a Twelve String Guitar

Series Summary

Music is one of the primary forms of communication on Earth. Whether the use of tones and melodies developed before, after, or in conjunction with spoken language is unknown; yet music is unique in that it helps us to talk to each other in ways that language cannot achieve.

Western popular music of the last 50 years has been largely dominated by one of the most versatile stringed instruments yet produced—the guitar. Guitars tend to do one of two things in a song: create a melody or set up a rhythm. The choice is largely dependent upon the player; but also upon the variety of guitar itself. One of those varieties is a guitar known as the 12-string.

The 12-string guitar is a monster of an instrument; its sound is big, rich, and deep. This distinctive sound is created by taking a normal 6-string guitar and doubling every string. Tonally, the lower four strings are octaves; the upper two tuned in unison. This tuning produces a powerful sound that is effective for beefing up a rhythm line or creating a striking melody. You can hear the double-toned instrument in songs like Led Zeppelin’s “Thank You,” as well as The Eagles’ “Hotel California,” to name a few.

In this free instructional video series for guitar players, learn how to incorporate the 12-string guitar into your arsenal of song sounds. Our expert will show you some of the techniques used for this instrument that differ from the common 6-string. Lessons include how to tune the 12-string, picking methods, using a capo, and chord formations.

Video Transcript

"Hi! I’m John Armstrong with expertvillage.com. I’m a professional guitar instructor and today I’ll be discussing with you some of the ways of playing 12 string guitar. First off, the 12-string guitar is set up just like a 6 string guitar, except for that we have double the amount of strings. Each string is doubled. For example, your low E string now has the same low E but another string tuned in an octave higher than it. A with another string tuned an octave higher than it. D with another string tuned an octave higher than it. G with another string tuned an octave higher than it. The B strings are both tuned in unison to each other and E strings both tuned in unison to each other. So E and its octave, A and its octave, D and its octave, G and its octave. B, both strings tuned to unison to each other, and E both strings tuned in unison to each other. "