DGBE

DGBE is most commonly encountered as a reference to the four highest strings on a standard-tuned six-string guitar, which are tuned to the notes D, G, B, and E. This description is used in guitar pedagogy and music notation to indicate voicings and melodies that use only the treble strings.

In practical terms, DGBE voicings enable certain chord shapes and melodic lines that emphasize upper-register tone and can simplify fingering for some passages. Musicians may employ the top fours strings for fingerstyle arrangements, jazz voicings, or accelerated lines, sometimes in combination with the lower strings for fuller textures. Chord charts and instructional materials may specify shapes or arpeggios that rely on the DGBE set, making it a helpful shorthand for focusing on the treble register.

Outside of music, DGBE is an acronym that can have multiple meanings depending on the domain. There is no single, universally recognized expansion of the acronym, so the intended meaning must be inferred from context.

See also: guitar tuning, standard tuning, upper-string voicings, chord voicing.