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As a guitar player, it is your responsibility to learn how to tune a guitar.It is a skill that you must possess in order to keep your instrument in tune. At the same time, knowing the proper guitar tuning techniques helps you understand this equipment better. When you notice that your songs are off-key, you know that there is something wrong with your guitar. However, you also need to understand that not all guitar strings go out of tune at the same time. Sometimes, only one string needs tuning. And so you need to know how each string sounds in order to better understand how to tune them.
Table of Contents
The basics of guitar tuning
A guitar has 6 strings, and the typical tuning process begins with the 6th string, which has the densest and lowest pitch. And the other strings follow. From the guitar’s top neck, the strings are E – A – D – G – B – E, and the thinnest and highest pitch is the E string, or also called the 1st string.Familiarize yourself fully with the sound of each string, because that knowledge will come in handy during your tuning process.
Guitar tuning using an electric tuner
The easiest and most convenient method to tune your guitar is through the use of an electric tuner. This piece of equipment efficiently reads the sound waves from the guitar, and exposes its findings. Simply connect your tuner to your guitar, strum one of the strings, and after a few seconds you will know if the string is off-key. And then the electric tuner handles the tuning for you. After that, then you can proceed with the rest of the strings. Without a doubt, this process is the most practical and time-saving technique that every guitarist should use.
Guitar tuning by ear
The old fashion technique of tuning a guitar is to play it by ear. This is a tricky process that not all guitar players know how to do, but the veterans surely knows how. For you to accomplish this method, you need to be extremely familiar with the right pitch of each string.The process starts with tuning the 6th string to low E.And assuming that you are right handed, use your right hand to hold down the low E string, while your left hand holds on to the 5th fret. You will hear an A sound as a result.
And then let go of the 5th fret and hold down the next tuning peg. Your goal is to check if the same sound is produced when you played the low E string at the 5th fret. And then you go on and play at the 5th fret using the A string to find the right tune for the D string. Next, play the D string still at the 5th to determine the sound of the G string. And when you are down to finding the correct tune for the B string, play the G string not on the 5th fret, but on the 4th fret.Now that you only have the high E string left, what you need to do is use the 5th fret to play the B string in order to find the right pitch for the high E string.
This may sound confusing at first, but tuning by ear works all the time, especially if you have no tuning equipment. And this tuning skill is definitely beneficial if you are somewhere playing without a tuner in sight. However, the only risk that this process brings is the inequality of guitar tunes. The standard guitar tuning all over the world is A 440, and that can only be accurately achieved with an electric tuner.
Guitar tuning by matching a pitch with piano
Another useful technique to tune a guitar is the use of a piano. Simply use the E two octaves under middle C to tune your guitar’s 6th string. Do the same process with the other strings, and match each tune to the piano notes and determine the right pitch for every string.
Regular guitar tuning frequency
Your guitar is created using wood, and in time in enlarges and contracts because of the humidity and temperature of your surroundings. The slight changes in the guitar brings forth issues that includes out of tune strings, and so you need to tune your instrument when this happens. Make sure that you go through the process of tuning before you start playing for long hours, and then after. You can choose to use any of the available tuning techniques that you are comfortable with. And so, guitar tuning can happen every day, or it can be done whenever you hear off-key sound from your guitar. The tuning frequency is up to you, but at least do it once a week at a minimum.
Keeping the guitar tune longer
Tuning your guitar sometimes takes time, especially if you use the tuning by ear method. And so if you want to avoid tuning every time you play your guitar, you should change your strings in a monthly basis. In fact, many professional guitar players changes their strings every week in order to keep the tunes fresh.
Another option you can do to hold the tunes longer without the need for tuning is to store your instrument inside a hard guitar case and place it in a cool and dry area to prevent extreme changes in temperature and humidity.
Conclusion
The art of tuning a guitar is a must for all guitar players, professionals or hobbyists. It is important that you know how to tune your instrument because you never know when the need comes to do so. However, if you do not know how to tune a guitar, do not try to experiment. Rather, bring your guitar to an expert and have it tuned there. And then, do what you can to learn how the process works. A guitarist must always know how to tune guitars.
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