The guitar is such a simple and convenient instrument. All you have to do is pick it up and start playing. Well, it’s not as easy as that. Before playing the guitar you need to tune it first if you want it to sound good.
If you don’t have an electronic guitar tuner then you can learn how to tune a guitar by ear but you need to use some kind of standard reference pitch to start from.
Tuning the guitar before playing it will ensure that you will create harmonious music; for each string has a specific note to play and even if one goes out of tune, the rest will sound out of place. Note that some guitars may not need as frequent tuning (well constructed = expensive), but if ever it is well played (to the point of abuse, actually), then that just needs tuning as well. Read on for an essential guide on guitar tuning.
The guitar presents a little difficulty in tuning because it has six strings, each of which has an individual pitch or a place in the musical staff assigned to it. The string numbers, as more popularly known, from top to bottom are 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, while their musical counterpart are mi, la, re, sol, si, and mi or E, A, D, G, B, and E respectively.
In order to tune the guitar correctly, one must have a reference pitch. You will need the commercially available pitch pipe or,tuning fork or better yet, use an electronic tuning device which are cheap and accurate, and more easy to use for the beginner.
If using a tuning fork, first make it vibrate by tapping it lightly on any hard object while holding the handle. Then, let the handle touch the guitar’s soundboard below or above the soundhole while gently moving it towards the bridge. This will locate the spot where the resonance is at its loudest.
You should hear a high pitched A (la) which should be the same as the sound produced by striking the first string while it is being depressed on the fifth fret.
Now that you have tuned the first string (E/mi), its open sound is the same as the sound of the second string pressed on the fifth fret. The third string on the fourth fret is equal to the open second string (B/si). Furthermore, fourth string/ fifth fret equals open third string (G/sol); fifth string/ fifth fret equals open fourth string (D/re); and the sixth string/ fifth fret equals open fifth string (A/la).
Tuning Guitar – Step 1
Tuning 4th Guitar String
Tuning 3rd Guitar String
Tuning 2nd Guitar String
Tuning 1st Guitar String
In order to check the accuracy of your tuning, gently or lightly touch the fifth string directly above the fifth fretwire, without pressing the string to the fingerboard. By striking the string in this manner, it should sound similar to that high-pitched tone produced by the tuning fork. Sounds of the string produced this way are called “harmonics.”
Harmonic 5 (Harmonic on the fifth fret) of the sixth string equals harmonic 7 of the fifth string (which is also similar to the open sound of the first string). Harmonic 5 of the fifth string equals harmonic 7 on the fourth string. Harmonic 4 of the third string is equal to the harmonic 5 of the second strung and harmonic 7 of the first string.
Incidentally, harmonic 4 may require lots of practice for some, so I suggest that harmonic 7 of the sixth string be used to tune the open second string. These pairs of harmonics, when sounded together, should produce only one steady tone. If the sound the produce clash or seem wavy, they are not in tune.
These two methods of tuning must always go together. You may use the harmonics method first then check with the other or vice versa. If, after cross checking, the strings do not agree with each other, you may have to repeat the whole process. If you still cannot get them in tune, your strings might be defective. If your strings are new, this may even be worse—your ears need tuning!
The best option, to avoid all the hassles of manual tuning, is to buy one of the cheap electronic guitar tuning devices which are available. These detect the pitch of the string when played and will indicate if it is in tune or not.
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