Guitar Tuning
Instructions
The first thing you should do when you pick up your guitar is
tune it. This will save you from losing that perfect lead
because the G-string was flat. Tuning your guitar also trains
your ear to the different sounds of each note.
There are many ways to tune your guitar, of course the easiest
and most accurate way is with an electronic tuner. That is if
your intonation is set properly. You can find tuners that work
with the acoustic guitar, electric or both. An acoustic guitar
tuner will have a built in mic, to pick up the sound. Electric
guitar tuners usually have an input jack to plug in the guitar
and at times also the mic.
It is highly recommended that everyone own some type of guitar
tuner. However, I strongly suggest you learn to tune your guitar
with one note off a fixed source or by ear. This will not only
help train your ear to the pitch of each note, but will help
with finger placement and pressure applied to the string. The
open A note for tuning has been included to assist you.
Open A for tuning. If you have windows media player,
you can set the sound to repeat. This will be in the media's
option file. If you set it to repeat, you can listen to it many
times over and not have to mess with it.
Tuning the (A) or
5th string.
The most basic way of tuning your guitar will start with the
open
(A) string.
This is the second largest string, which is called the 5th
string. By using the fixed source, piano, harmonica, tuning
fork, another guitar or the
A note supplied, we will tune the A string. You will
now make the (A) string match the pitch or tone of the A source
by picking the A string open and letting it ring. Picking the A
string open, means to pick the string without fretting the note.
(Fretting, pushing down on the string).
I find by loosening the string below the tone and raising or
tuning while increasing the strings tension, works the best and
tends keep the guitar in tune longer. So, once you establish
that A tone and match it with the open (A) string, you are ready
to move on to the next string. Remember, don't tune while
loosening the string, only while tightening.
Tuning the (D) or 4th string.
Now that you have the A string matching the pitch of the A
source, you're ready to move onto the D string. Of course the D
or 4th string is directly below the A string. By fretting or
placing your middle finger on the (fifth fret), A string then
picking it, will sound the D note. This note should be held down
and left to ring or sustain while adjusting the D or 4th string
to match the tone. It may take a few times to match up, but
remember to always match the tone while tightening, not while
loosening.
Tuning the (G) or 3rd String.
Now that you have the D string matching the A string at the 5th
fret, we can move onto the G string. The G string is directly
below the D string. By fretting or placing your middle finger on
the D string fifth fret and picking the string, you sound the G
note. Once again, let the sound ring out by holding your middle
finger down while adjusting the G string to match the sound of
the G note played at the fifth fret
Tuning the (B) or 2nd String.
The B string is directly below the G string. Fretting the G
string with your index finger at the forth fret, will sound the
B note. Let this note ring out and adjust the B string to match
this tone of the B note.
Tuning the (High E) or 1st String.
The high E string is the thinnest string and below the B string.
Fretting the B string with your middle finger at the fifth fret
will sound the E note. Let this note ring out and adjust the E
string to match that of the fifth fret B string.
Tuning the (Low E) or 6th String.
Finally our last string. The Low E string or 6th string is the
largest string. By placing your middle finger on the fifth fret
of the Low E string will sound the A note. Let that note ring
out and pick the (A) string open and match the E string, 5th
fret to the open A string.
Good Luck
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