Tunning A Guitar
It is hard to overstate the importance of acoustic guitar tuning. Always take a few minutes to tune your guitar before you begin to play. Whether you’re playing in a professional venue or just practicing at home, an untuned guitar is simply not enjoyable to play. Beginners often become frustrated, feeling that their playing sounds bad when really it is just their guitar is not in tune.
Pluck the string you want to tune. If you use an electronic tuner, the tuner’s built-in microphone will pick up the sound. Look at the indicator. It could be a flashing light and/or a meter. It will tell you how close your are to the right pitch and whether you are sharp or flat. Adjust your acoustic guitar tuning accordingly by tuning the string’s tuning key.
Taking your strings from looser to tighter will tune your guitar, also called tuning down. If the string is too tight, you will need to get it in tune by loosening the strings slightly and then tightening it again until it is in tune. Tuning up will give you a more true tone than tuning down.
If you don’t purchase an electronic tuner, you still need to have a reference for pitch when playing acoustic guitar. You can use another guitar, a piano, tuning fork or an MP3 that you are certain is already in tune. Acoustic guitar tuning with an electronic tuner will consistently provide reliable tuning. But if you choose to tune the traditional way then use an electronic tuner to test your results. This is a great way to learn to develop your ear.
Begin acoustic guitar tuning with the sixth string (low E), which should be tuned to match the reference pitch. After you’ve done that, the other strings must be tuned to that note. Simply work on them one by one. There’s a scientific explanation for this procedure, but you don’t have to learn it anymore than you have to learn to build an engine in order to drive an automobile.
Let’s begin our acoustic guitar tuning:
(1) Once the low E string (sixth string) is in tune, play it on the fifth fret, and then pluck the open fifth string. Adjust the tone of the fifth string as necessary until the two notes match.
(2) Move up to the fifth string. Playing it on the fifth fret, tune the open forth string.
(3) Similarly, adjust the tone of the third string while playing the fifth fret of the fourth string.
(4) For the next note, play the third string on the fourth fret (not the fifth) and tune the second string.
(5) Tune the open high E string, comparing it to the tone of the second string, fifth fret.
Before you try acoustic guitar tuning for the first time, have an experienced player show you the ropes. The best place to learn is probably the music shop where you bought your acoustic guitar. After a few tries, you’ll get the hang of it. You have to put time and effort into mastering the skill of acoustic guitar tuning. It’s a whole lot easier for someone just starting out to use an electronic tuner instead. Since they only cost about $20, they are well worth their price. What’s more, if you choose one that was manufactured especially for use with guitars, it can actually let you know which string you’re playing too.
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