| Is your guitar out of tune? There are many ways to | | | | Harmonics are played by fretting lightly (barely |
| fix that. Here are four methods to tune your guitar. | | | | touching) the space on the string immediately above |
| | | | the fret (the metal bar). It should be a bright ringing |
| Use An Electronic Tuner | | | | sound. To tune with this method, you're using |
| | | | harmonics on the seventh and fifth frets. |
| This is the easiest way to tune a guitar. Electronic | | | | |
| tuners come in various styles and qualities. Some use | | | | The fifth harmonic (the harmonic on the fifth fret) |
| a microphone to hear the pitches, and some you can | | | | on the low E string is a higher E, and the seventh |
| plug directly into (if you have an electric guitar). They | | | | harmonic on the A string is the same E. So the fifth |
| show the note with either a needle indicating how | | | | harmonic on E and the seventh on A should be |
| close to the pitch you are, or a simple digital readout. | | | | exactly the same. You can tune the strings to match. |
| It can be with a digital meter, or it can be a set of | | | | |
| lights with different colors to indicate when you're | | | | e-------- |
| tuned to the proper note. The best tuners can tune | | | | B-------- |
| any string to any note. Be cautious about buying a | | | | G-------- |
| cheap tuner, as it may not pick up the sound of your | | | | D-------- |
| guitar accurately. | | | | A---- |
| | | | E---- |
| Use Another Instrument | | | | |
| | | | Same with most of the rest of the strings: the fifth |
| This method means you're tuning by ear to another | | | | on A matches the seventh on D, the fifth on D |
| instrument that can play the notes for you. This can | | | | matches the seventh on G, and the fifth on B |
| be another guitar, a piano, a handheld pitch pipe, or | | | | matches the seventh on the high E. The exception is |
| even your computer. To tune with this method, you | | | | again the G and B strings. The fifth harmonic on G is |
| have to play the proper note for each string, then | | | | G, but the fifth on B is an F#. There are different |
| tune the string until it matches the pitch played. | | | | ways to handle this - you can tune the fifth harmonic |
| | | | on the low E string to the open B string (they're the |
| Tune The Guitar To Itself | | | | same pitch). You can also just tune the B with the |
| | | | "normal" method, by playing the fourth fret normally |
| To use this method, it's assumed you're doing | | | | on G to get your B note. |
| standard tuning, and you're trying to tune your | | | | |
| strings to EADGBE (from low to high). If you use this | | | | Additional Info |
| method, it's a good idea to have at least one of the | | | | |
| strings in proper tune, although it's not necessary. If | | | | Those are the four methods to tune your guitar. |
| you don't have another instrument or an electronic | | | | Here's some extra info you might find useful: |
| tuner, you can tune your guitar by playing the right | | | | |
| note for the next string. | | | | Make sure to tune UP into your pitches. Drop the |
| | | | note low, then tune up into it. The reason you want |
| This means that if you want to tune your A string, | | | | to do this is because it keeps the tension on the |
| you play the fifth fret on the low E string. | | | | string when you tune up, so the string won't go out |
| | | | of tune as easily. If you tune down to the note, |
| e-------- | | | | playing the string will often pull the string farther out, |
| B-------- | | | | tuning it down more. Tuning up makes sure your |
| G-------- | | | | tension is tight enough that this won't happen. |
| D-------- | | | | Drop D Tuning. To get your guitar into drop D |
| A---0---- | | | | tuning, you simply need to tune your low E string to |
| E---5---- | | | | an open D. This is dropping it a full step. To tune it |
| | | | relative to the A string, you should match the |
| The fifth fret is an A note, and it should be exactly | | | | seventh fret with the open A string, instead of the |
| the same pitch as your open A string. You do this for | | | | fifth fret. You can also play the twelfth fret and |
| every other string. The fifth fret of the A string is a | | | | match it with the open D string, since they should be |
| D, the fifth fret of the D string is a G, the fourth | | | | the same note. |
| fret of the G string is a B, and the fifth fret of the B | | | | |
| string is an E. So when you play the fifth fret of | | | | |
| every string (except for G), it should sound exactly | | | | Conclusion |
| the same as playing the next string open (without | | | | |
| fretting it). | | | | Keeping your guitar in pitch is a good idea to do |
| | | | every time you play. Make sure you keep good fresh |
| Tune The Guitar To Itself (using harmonics) | | | | strings on for the best results. If your guitar goes |
| | | | out of tune after playing it once, even after tuning it |
| You can also tune the guitar to itself in a similar way | | | | - it's probably time for new strings. If it happens |
| to the above method by using harmonics instead of | | | | even with new strings - it might be time for a new |
| fretting the guitar. The big advantage to this is that | | | | guitar. At any rate, playing guitar while it's in tune is |
| you can actually tune the guitar while two strings are | | | | polite for you, your guitar, and anyone listening. Now |
| ringing from harmonics, and still hear the pitches. If | | | | that you know how to do it properly, you don't ever |
| you do the "normal" method above, you can only | | | | have to play an out of tune guitar again!Alan Marquez |
| play both strings once, then you have to tune, stop, | | | | is a guitarist with over 10 years of experience. He |
| play them again, and so forth. This method lets you | | | | plays on a weekly basis and has taught guitar for |
| tune at the same time you hear the strings ringing. | | | | over five years. |