Tuning the Guitar Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: (08:53) Tuning the Guitar Learning how to tune the guitar is an essential skill to master. Practicing on a guitar that is out of tune can be a very frustrating experience. On the flipside, playing a guitar that is perfectly in tune can inspire you to push your playing ability to new heights.

In Lesson 2 Steve introduced you to the parts of the guitar. Specifically, he showed you where the tuning keys are located. The tuning keys can be turned clockwise or counterclockwise to raise or lower the pitch of a string. However, not all guitars are built the same. For example, Steve's guitar features three tuning keys on each side of the headstock. This is the most typical arrangement for acoustic guitars and many electric guitar designs such as the Les Paul or SG. In this case, turning the top three keys in a clockwise motion will lower the pitch. Turning the three bottom keys in a clockwise motion will raise the pitch.

Electric guitars based on original Fender designs feature six tuners in a row on the top side of the headstock. Turning the tuners clockwise will raise the pitch of all six strings. Many guitar companies such as Ibanez and ESP build guitars with reversed headstocks. These guitars feature six tuners in a line on the lower side of the headstock. Turning one of these tuners clockwise will lower the pitch of a string.

Unlike the piano and brass instruments, it is relatively easy for the guitar to slip out of tune. Due to the design of the guitar, the tuners are fairly easy to bump. As a result, the guitar is easy to knock slightly out of tune. Other factors such as climate also have an effect on the strings and tuning keys. Extreme heat will cause a guitar to go flat faster than normal. Also, strings slip loose very gradually from the tuning keys over time, causing a slight drop in pitch. This can occur over a period as short as 24 hours. For these reasons, you must tune the guitar before you begin each practice session. Even if the guitar has been sitting in its case for just a few hours, it can easily slip out of tune.

Review of String Names

Before you can successfully tune a guitar, you must memorize the note names of each of the strings. This topic was originally discussed in Lesson 3. Due to the importance of this material, Steve spends some time to review this information in the current lesson. Arranged in order from fattest to skinniest, the string names are E, A, D, G, B, and E. Steve explains where these notes are written on the musical staff and where they are located on the keyboard. One possible way to tune the guitar is to match the pitch of each string to the pitch of a specific key on the piano keyboard. Open the picture entitled "Guitar and Piano Relation" under the "Supplemental Content" tab to learn which keys on the piano correspond to the open strings on the guitar.

Tuning with an Electronic Tuner

Steve uses his trusty Korg CA-30 tuner to demonstrate how an electronic tuner can help you tune your guitar. This tuner is the most reliable and most popular hand held tuner available. It is also quite affordable. It can be purchased in most music stores for $19.99. The Korg CA-30 has many features that set it apart from other tuners in this price range. Many electronic tuners will only allow you to tune a guitar to standard tuning. When the strings are each tuned to the note names listed above, the guitar said to be in "standard tuning." As time moves on, alternate tunings are becoming more and more popular. The Korg CA-30 will allow you to tune a guitar or bass guitar to any alternate tuning available. Tuners that possess this feature are called "chromatic tuners."

This tuner will work with any acoustic or electric guitar. It has a built in microphone that pick up the sounds of an acoustic guitar. Make sure that the tuner is held close to the soundhole when tuning an acoustic guitar. To tune an electric guitar, simply connect a patch cable from the jack of your guitar to the input jack on the tuner. Then, turn the volume knob to about 7 or 8. Most tuners do not produce a completely accurate reading when the volume knob is set too high or too low.

Follow these steps to tune your guitar:

1. Make sure the tuner is turned on and that the batteries are fresh.

2. Next, make sure that the tuner is calibrated properly. It must be set to A=440. This is the tuning scheme used most commonly in Western music.

3. Begin the tuning process with the low E string. Strike this string as you normally would. The tuner should pick up a reading when this string is plucked. The abbreviation “6E” will appear in the corner of the tuner’s screen to indicate that you are tuning the sixth string to the note E.

4. Most tuners feature three lights that help you tune each string. When a string is close to being in tune, the center light will shine green. The lights on the left and right sides of this light will indicate whether the string is sharp or flat.

5. When the center light is green, and the other two lights are not lit up, the string is in tune.

6. Repeat this process with the remaining strings.

The Magic of the Fifth Fret

It is possible to tune the guitar without the help of an electronic tuner. However, if you are just starting out, this process can be quite frustrating and difficult.

Follow these steps to tune the guitar by ear:

1. Fret and pluck the note at the fifth fret of the sixth string. This produces the note A. Since the open fifth string produces this same note, the note on the sixth string can be used as a reference point to tune the open A string. Simply match the pitch of the open A string to the fretted A note on the sixth string.

2. To tune the D string, match its pitch to the note D played at the fifth fret of the A string.

3. To tune the G string, match its pitch to the note G played at the fifth fret of the D string.

4. To tune the B string, match its pitch to the note B played at the fourth fret of the G string. Notice how this is an exception to the rest of the tuning pattern.

5. To tune the high E string, match its pitch to the note E played at the fifth fret of the B string.

6. Watch as Steve demonstrates this process. Hopefully this will clear up any confusion that you may have.

Additional Information

In addition to this lesson, JamPlay offers several other lessons that may help you with any tuning problems you may experience. Simply use the search feature located in the upper right hand corner of the homepage to find these lessons as well as some valuable Q+A sessions.

Member Comments about this Lesson

Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.