How To Tune Your Guitar

One thing is for sure, if your guitar is not in tune then your music isn’t going to sound too pleasing on the ear. So there are a few fundamental things you need to know to help you tune your guitar.

Strings:

E: This is the thickest string and lowest in pitch otherwise known as the 6th, or as I like to say the one nearest to your head.

A: 5^th

D: 4^th

G: 3^rd

B: 2^nd

E: 1^st

All you need to do to tune these is to use the tuning pegs at the end of the neck to adjust the sound until everything is as it should be.

Relative Tuning:

This is usually the first method that players learn to tune the guitar and works well to keep the guitar in tune with itself. All of the strings can be tuned to the 5^th fret of the previous string, except for the B (2^nd) which needs to be tuned to the 4^th fret of the G (3^rd).

Reference Tuning:

This is where you tune the guitar to an external tuner, for example, the Guitar4Free tuner!

Boss TU2 Tuner

Electronic Tuning:

Using an electronic tuner is the quickest and most efficient way to tune, especially in a band situation where there is a lot of other noise going on. A good electronic tuner for me has always been the Boss TU-2.

Harmonic Tuning:

This is a very efficient way to tune your guitar and one probably more suited to the advanced players as it requires a good ear. The strings can be tuned to harmonics. The E (6^th) on the 5^th fret can be tuned to a 7^th fret harmonic on the A(5^th), the A (5^th) on the 5th fret can be tuned to a 7^th fret harmonic on the D (4^th), the D (4^th) on the 5^th fret can be tuned to a 7^th fret harmonic on the G (3^rd), the open B (2^nd) can be tuned to a 7^th fret harmonic on the E (6^th) and the open E (1^st) can be tuned to a 7^th fret harmonic on the A (5^th).

For Beginners and Advanced Lessons on How To Tune Your Guitar visit the Guitar4Free Getting Started Page!

by Simon James, Guitar4free.com

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