Fourths Tuning Overview

All-fourths tuning (also called P4 tuning) tunes every string a perfect fourth (5 semitones) apart. From low to high: E-A-D-G-C-F.

How It Differs from Standard

Standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E) is almost all fourths — except for the major 3rd between the G and B strings. That single irregularity means every chord shape, scale pattern, and interval relationship has two versions: one for string groups that include the G-B pair, and one for all other strings.

P4 tuning eliminates this exception. Every interval, scale, and chord has exactly one shape that works identically everywhere on the neck.

Advantages

Geometric consistency: Learn one shape, use it everywhere. A major 3rd is the same physical pattern on strings 1-2 as on strings 4-5. This dramatically reduces the total number of patterns you need to memorize. Faster learning: Instead of memorizing 5 CAGED shapes for every scale, you learn 1-2 shapes that tile across the entire fretboard. Transposition: Moving a voicing to a new key means shifting it along the neck. No reshaping needed. This is a massive advantage for jazz, where you play in all 12 keys. Interval visualization: You can see music theory on the fretboard. Intervals, scale formulas, and chord constructions are visually transparent.

Trade-offs

Open chords change: Standard tuning's beloved open E, A, G, D, C shapes no longer work. You learn new open-string voicings. Some voicings are harder: Certain wide-stretch voicings that standard tuning offers (using the major 3rd interval to compress fingering) require larger stretches in P4. String gauge: The high F string needs lighter gauge or higher tension. Common setups use .008 or .009 on the first string. Tablature: Standard guitar tab does not apply. You need P4-specific tab or standard notation.

Who Uses It

Fourths tuning has been used by Allan Holdsworth, Alex Hutchings, Ant Law, Stanley Jordan, and Tom Quayle, among others. It is particularly popular among jazz guitarists and players interested in music theory, because the fretboard becomes a visual representation of intervallic relationships.

Getting Started

Retune your guitar: keep the bottom four strings (E-A-D-G) as normal, raise B to C, and raise high E to F. Adjust string gauges if needed. Everything you know about the bottom four strings now applies to all six.