Standard tuning strings. This is done to simplify fingering. A few guitarists, mostly those using tapping, play without this interval, instead tuning in all fourths; thus on a six-string guitar the top two strings become C and F instead of B and E. Other unusual tunings include all major thirds, all minor thirds, and various other choices. In standard notation, the guitar sounds one octave lower than it is written. This is to avoid switching between treble and bass clef, or using ledger lines or 8vb, since it is very common to play past the 12th fret on the E string (E)
Zero fret spaced properly. The strings rest atop the zero fret, which can be (but is not necessarily) higher than the other frets. It is claimed that with a zero fret, the sound of an open string more closely approximates the sound of a fretted string as compared to the open string sound on a guitar with no zero fret. Countering this claim are musicians who feel that a bone or even synthetic nut will enhance the overall tone of the instrument regardless of the string being played open or fretted. Since tone is so subjective, the two claims are likely to