Please read Standards and Conventions first

This page is things that the reader probably doesn't need to know, but contributors definitely do. It assumes that you've read Standards and Conventions first. You'll also want to read modified Helmholtz notation and tips for contributors if you're interested in this level of detail, for whatever reason, and probably site structure and page names too.

Tunings syntax in more detail

See Wikipedia:Manual of Style (Stringed instrument tunings) (which was largely written by the owner of this wiki!) for the primary jumping-off point.

Basically, both sites try to follow the established conventions, even when they aren't terribly consistent, and make it clear what we're doing.

But there are some important differences between our approach here and Wikipedia's, reflecting our significantly different philosophy and purpose:

1. Here we use Bb and F# instead of B♭ or F♯, in defiance of Wikipedia:Manual of Style (music)#Accidentals. It's just that they're so much easier to type, and sticking to ASCII characters prevents all sorts of troubles that we'll never even need to know we didn't have. (You can use the proper symbols if you really want to, but you don't need to, and please accept that they'll probably be changed to the preferred format when someone gets around to it. What we're after here is just info, not style. If you decide you do want to use the proper symbols, best to cut and paste them from here, as the Wikipedia macro won't work.) One important exception: bb for b flat looks really silly, so if it helps clarity, we sometimes write b flat or b-flat instead. This only happens after a lower-case b used as a note name. If there's a ' as well, it follows immeduately after the flat, as in b flat', then the normal rules apply, as in b flat' '.
2. Here we use modified Helmholtz notation, as in we just use a single quote ' instead of either the prime or sub-prime symbols. This is unambiguous; For example a' is the octave above a, A' is the octave below A, and A' ' is the octave below A', etc.. Again, this is just easier to type, and means we stick to ASCII. (And again, if it makes you happy, use the full Helmholtz thing as you see fit, but realise that long term someone will change it to our standard.)
3. These two shorthands mean there are a couple of places we need to put in an extra blank:
   • Between two notes, there's always a blank. This is only really important when the second note is b, but in that case, does Ab for example mean two notes, an A followed by the B a ninth above it, or one A flat note? So we put the blank there all the time for consistency, always for example A A and never AA..
   • Between lower-case f and ', there's a blank. Otherwise on some browser settings the ' disappears, so f' just looks like f not f '. It doesn't seem to be a problem with any other letter a-f and A-F, let us know if you find any
   • Between # and ', there's a blank. Again, otherwise on some browser settings, the # swallows the ', so #' looks like # not # '. .
   • Between any two ' symbols, there's a blank. Otherwise in Wikipedia and many other wikis, the wiki software swallows them both and puts you into or out of italics. Actually, this is a problem with straight Helmholtz too.
4. These extra blanks should be non-breaking, but that's not easy-to-type ASCII, so instead we use an ordinary blank and always start a tuning at the start of a new line. That way, wrapping is not a problem.

In many places blanks are optional. E-A-d-g-b-e' has the advantage that it contains no blanks, so in flowing text it won't break at an end of line. But often, spreading it out helps readability.

Example showing much of the above, and just to get our bearings: Middle C is c', and the note a semitone above it is c# '.

Can't we be more logical?

Maybe. See how should we number the strings.