How To Tune Your Guitar
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a handsome beast
Learning to tune your guitar properly is one of the most important lessons for a beginner. There is nothing more discouraging
than learning a new rhythm sequence only for it to sound discordant because your guitar is out of tune. If the same sequence is
played on a guitar with perfect tuning the great sound of all the strings resonating together can give you the confidence you
need to progress your playing style.
Things to Remember
To begin with there are some important things to keep in mind when tuning your guitar.
- It is probably a good idea to get into the habit of tuning your guitar every time you pick it up. This way you become
proficient in the art of tuning by ear.
- Remember when tuning to always "tune up". The objective is to increase the tension of the string until it reaches the
desired tone. If you go too far, loosen the string tension and tune up again.
- The purpose of tuning is to put your strings in tune with each other. In "standard tuning" your strings should be tuned
to the following notes (low-to-high): EADGBE.
Electronic Guitar Tuners
The easiest and most practical way to get into tune and stay there is to buy an electronic tuner. These small devices can save
you a lot of difficulty and are priced at less than £10.00. Most models of electronic tuner can be used with six string
electric and bass guitars and usually have an onboard condenser mike to allow you to tune your acoustic guitar as well. An
electronic guitar tuner is a great addition to your guitar case, plus they come in really handy in live situations and noisy
environments for quick and easy tuning.
Most tuning devices operate as a hand held unit with a visual display that responds once the string is plucked or strummed.
In most cases this is a needle which has a centre point on a tuning scale, when the string is plucked the needle responds to
the frequency of the string. The tuning peg is therefore adjusted until the needle sits at the central position to indicate
that the string is in tune.
Tuning by ear
Although this is by far the best solution for beginners it would be incorrect to rely on electronic tuners exclusively. It
really is worth learning the skill of tuning the guitar for yourself as it will help to develop how to gauge the pitch of the
strings against each other and in this way help you to recognise when a particular string is out of tune.
Other tuning methods below require a reference pitch.
- An Already Tuned Guitar
- A Tuning Fork
- A Piano
- A Set of Pitch Pipes
Experienced players may like to employ harmonic tuning using the harmonic bell-like overtones created from using a special
fretting technique. Please ask one of the Nevada Music Crew if you have any questions relating to tuning or how to operate an
electronic tuner and w'll be pleased to assist!