Open A Guitar Tuner.

An A chord with E in the bass

E A E A C sharp E spells an A-major chord over its fifth, E. For an A-rooted sound, begin a strum on string 5. For the full inversion, include string 6. The difference is a bass choice, not a tuning fault. String 2, C sharp, supplies the major third.

Three strings move upward

Strings 4 and 3 rise from D to E and G to A; string 2 rises from B to C sharp. Each move is two semitones. The remaining strings stay unchanged. Increased tension is the distinctive physical consideration here, so use only an instrument and strings suitable for the change. A rising note should not be confused with a need to force an unresponsive tuning peg.

Compare the capo alternative

Open G plus capo 2 produces these same sounding notes. It avoids raising those open strings above their standard pitches, while shortening the playable length and shifting all fret references. If your lesson counts frets from the capo, use that convention consistently. Save the open tuning and capo position together so the sounding A setup can be recreated correctly.

Your string-by-string route from standard

This is a comparison of target pitches, not a recommendation to use every tuning on every guitar. Start from the tuning your instrument actually has. Use the directions and the octave labels together.

Nearby tunings, compared by their actual notes

These are the three closest six-string presets by total semitone movement from this setup. The ranking describes target changes, not playing difficulty or physical suitability. A familiar name can hide a different middle-string layout.

Try the setup with a sourced arrangement

• The White Stripes · Seven Nation Army

These links refer to named parts in linked arrangements. They do not establish a universal tuning for every recording or live version.