Newbie saying that guitar tuning is tough!!

Gallagher · #1 December 31st, 2006

Hi people! What an amazing site! THE PERFECT site to get anyone interested and well informed about the G!

Well, here i am, me and my 3 guitars! I have only just begun playing... i have a 3/4 classical, 4/4 classical and strat copy electric guitar.

All 3 are devils to tune! I have recently ordered a nice lil electronic tuner though - but would love to tune by ear. A handy thing to know... Any tips on this matter?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Cheers!

__tsidewinder__ · #2 December 31st, 2006

Well, heres one way to tune by ear:

First, make sure you E tune is in tune. Unless your tuner has a pitch pipe feature, I'd just tune that one using the tuner.

Next you play the Fifth fret A on the Low E, and the open note A on the fifth string. If the A string isn't tuned, you should hear a wobbly sound. Adjust the A string Tuning Knob until it sounds like the Two notes are one.

Now, you play the fifth fret D note on the A string, and the open D note on the D String. Again, Adjust the D string Knob until you are sure they sound like one note.

Next you play the fifth fret G note on the D string, and the open G note on the G string. Again, Adjust the G string Knob until you are sure they sound like one note.

Next you play the Fourth Fret B note on the G string, and the open B note on the B string. Again, Adjust the B string Knob until you are sure they sound like one note.

Finally, you play the fifth fret E note on the B String, and the open E note on the E string. Again, Adjust the E string Knob until you are sure they sound like one note.

Now, it should be in tune. Just to make sure, I'd play a G Chord. If it sounds really nice, you're in business. If it sounds a bit off, quickly follow all the above steps again to tune.

allthumbs · #3 December 31st, 2006

Tuning by ear is a neat skill to have, few do though. I have heard that if you have a sound around you that you are very familiar with you can use that as a marker. For instance my tinnitus or ringing in my ears is a steady C note. The trick is to try and find one note that is locked solid in your memory.

Chaotic Kittie · #4 December 31st, 2006

Or you might succeed in listening to old metallica stuff, for example, which is all in Em... made me recognize E anytime, anywhere.

__tsidewinder__ · #5 December 31st, 2006

What do you mean few have?

allthumbs · #6 December 31st, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by __tsidewinder__

What do you mean few have?

I mean it is not common for people to be able to pick up a guitar and tune it to concert pitch without some kind of tuning device. I have met half a dozen or so who can. They either have perfect pitch or have locked a certain note in their memory that gets them started.

coldethyl · #7 December 31st, 2006

Howdy

Gallagher · #8 January 4th, 2007

thanks for the info guys!

sidewinder in particular.... i believe they call it "relative tuning"

cheers!

allthumbs · #9 January 4th, 2007

You can also double check your tuning by playing the harmonic at the 5th fret and the 7th fret of the next thinnest string. Doesn't work for 3rd and 2nd string though because of the kink in the tuning.

papadog65 · #10 January 5th, 2007

Tuning my guitar used to drive me nuts! Somone suggested "intonation" and after googling a few places I "intonated" my Peavy. A few more googles brought up all kinds of hints on tuning using only unisons and octaves starting with a tuned A-string. Then learning to interepret the wandering needle on a Korg GA20 tuner. And then I changed strings and went to a different gauge. Back to step 1. Tuning drives me nuts!