How to Tune a GuitarThere are a number of ways to learn how to tune a guitar. The quickest and most accurate way to tune is with an electronic tuner.
Tuning your guitar with an electronic tuner Electronic tuners are small battery-run devices with a dial that indicates whether or not your guitar is in tune. |
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You can purchase an electronic tuner at most music shops. They cost around $30 to $40.
There are two types of tuner. One is called a chromatic tuner which senses every possible musical note. The other type is one that is especially designed for a guitar. It senses just the six notes of the open strings of the guitar (E, A, D, G, B and E.) I recommend this type for beginners. |
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How to use the electronic tuner
Hold your guitar in playing position. Place the tuner in front of you on your music stand or on a table. Or if it is a ‘clip-on’ type, clip it on the head of the guitar (where the tuning pegs are). Turn it on. Pluck string 6 (the string nearest the floor). This is the note E. The tuner's built-in microphone will pick up the sound. Look at the indicator. The flashing light and/or a meter will register a letter (for string 6 it should be the letter E.) The indicator will tell you how close you are to the right pitch and whether you are sharp or flat. Adjust your tuning accordingly by turning the string's tuning key. Repeat this procedure for all six strings of the guitar. From string 6 to string 1 the notes are E, A, D, G, B and E. As part of your lessons, I will show you the most effective and quickest way to use your tuner. How often to tune your guitar It is important that your guitar is perfectly tuned at all times. Because guitars tend to go out of tune quickly, you should check the tuning every time you play. Check the tuning frequently while you're practicing, because playing the guitar for a while can cause it to go out of tune. At first it may take some time and practice to tune your guitar. However as you gain experience you will be able to tune all the strings in less than a minute. Some traditional methods for tuning (before the invention of the electronic tuner) are:
All these methods involve listening to, and comparing two notes. and being able to discern when the two notes are exactly the same in pitch. Tuning by these methods is very good for ear training and necessary as you advance in your music skills, but is difficult for beginners. Tuning your guitar to a piano
The illustration on the left shows where to find the notes on the keyboard for each of the six strings of the guitar.
For example, play the first E note on the keyboard, listen, then play string 6 of your guitar. Are the two notes the same pitch? Does the note on the guitar sound lower in pitch or higher in pitch than the note played on the piano? Tune up (tighten the string), or tune down (loosen the string) till the two notes sound the same. Do the same for each of the other five strings. Tuning your guitar with a guitar pitch pipe
These are inexpensive. Each pipe gives the pitch of one of the strings.
The method of listening and tuning is the same as tuning to a piano. How to tune your guitar with relative tuning With this method the strings are tuned in relation to each other. There are six steps: Tune string 6 by any of the three previous methods. Press string 6 at the 5th fret with a left hand finger. Pluck this string. Then pluck the open string 5. They should both produce the same note, Tune string 5 up or down till the sound matches the note produced at the 5th fret of string 6. When string 5 is in tune repeat the procedure by pressing the 5th fret of string 5. The open string 4 should produce the same note. Tune string 4 till it is the same. Now, press the 5th fret of string 4. The open string 3 should produce the same note. Tune the second string till it is the same. Tuning string 2 is slightly different. This time, press string 3 at the 4th fret. The open string 2 should produce the same note. Tune string 2 till it is the same. Finally, press the 5th fret of string 2. The open string 1 should produce the same note. Tune the open string I till it is the same. |