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Guitar Tuning Methods

Before you commence each lesson or a practice session you must tune your guitar. If your guitar is out of tune everything you play will sound incorrect even though you are holding the correct notes. This is a standard tuning that all musicians tune to so that they can play ‘in concert’ with each other. It is possible for a guitar to be in tune with itself (e.g., you strum a chord and it sounds in tune) but out of tune with a piano which would be tuned to concert pitch.

Outlined next are the methods you can use to tune to concert pitch, i.e., electronic tuner, tuning to another instrument, tuning fork and pitch pipes. Also discussed is a method of tuning all guitarists must know, i.e., tuning the guitar to itself. This tuning method is essential to know because when tuning to concert pitch you may only be given one note (usually the open 5th string A) so you have to know how to tune the other strings to this note.

Electronic Tuner

See Electronic Tuner.

Tuning To Another Guitar

Another way to tune your guitar is by ear to another guitar that is already in tune. You can do this by tuning each string of your guitar to the same string of the other guitar.

The first note tuned is the open 6th string (E note). If the open 6th string on your guitar sounds the same as the note on the other guitar, your string is in tune. Proceed to the next string. If the note on the other guitar sounds higher, it means your 6th string (E note) is flat. Turn the tuning key slowly in a counterclockwise direction. This will raise the pitch of your string. Play your 6th string again and compare it with the 6th string on the other guitar. Keep doing this until your 6th string (E note) sounds the same as the 6th string on the other guitar. Usually you will not have to turn the tuning key very far. If the note on the other guitar sounds lower, it means your 6th string is sharp. Turn the tuning key slowly in a clockwise direction. This will lower the pitch of your string. Play your 6th string again and compare it with the other guitar. Keep doing this until your 6th string (E note) is the same as the other guitar. Now follow this procedure for the other strings.

To check if your guitar is in tune strum a chord.

The following audio tracks contain a recording of the six strings of a guitar that is already in tune.

 
 
 
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6th String – E Note (Thickest string)

 
 
 
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5th String – A Note

 
 
 
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4th String – D Note

3rd String – G Note

2nd String – B Note

1st String – E Note (Thinnest string)

Tuning to Another Instrument

If you are playing along with another instrument, it is essential that your guitar be in tune with that instrument. Tune the open strings of your guitar to the corresponding notes of the accompanying instrument.

For example, to tune to a piano, tune the open 6th string to the E note on the piano, as shown on the keyboard diagram. Then tune your guitar to itself from this note using the method outlined on the following page, or tune each string of your guitar to those notes of the piano shown on the keyboard diagram.

Tuning using a Tuning Fork

A tuning fork produces a note (usually the 5th string A Note) which you tune one string to. Then you tune the other strings to that string.

Tuning using Pitch Pipes

Pitch pipes produce notes that correspond to each of the six open strings.

Tuning a Guitar to Itself

Unless you are using an electronic tuner, to be able to tune the guitar accurately usually requires many months of practice. You will probably need your music teacher or musician friend to help you tune when you are learning.

If you do not have another instrument to tune to, you can tune the guitar to itself by using the following method:

  1. Place a left hand finger on the 6th string (thickest string) at the fifth fret, and play the string.
  2. Play the open 5th string (an A note). If this note sounds the same as the note you played on the 6th string at the fifth fret, the A note is in tune.
  3. If the open A string sounds higher, it means that it is sharp. Turn the tuning key slowly in a clockwise direction. This will lower the pitch of the string. Play the two strings again and compare the notes. Keep doing this until the open A string sounds the same as the E string at the fifth fret.
  4. If the open A string sounds lower, it means that it is flat. Turn the tuning key slowly in a counter-clockwise direction. This will raise the pitch of the string. Play the two strings again and compare the notes. Keep doing this until the open A string sounds the same as the E string at the fifth fret.
  5. Tune the open 4th string (a D note), to the note on the fifth fret of the 5th string, using the method outlined above.
  6. Tune all the other strings in the same way, except for the open 2nd string (a B note), which is tuned to the note produced on the fourth fret of the 3rd string. (See diagram).
  7. To check the tuning, strum a G chord. (see G Major Chord).

Tuning Hints

One of the easiest ways to practice tuning is to actually start with the guitar in tune and then detune one string. When you do this, always take the string down in pitch (i.e., loosen it) as it is easier to tune ‘up’ to a given note rather than ‘down’ to it. As an example slightly detune the 4th string (D). If you play a chord now, the guitar will sound out of tune, even though only one string has been altered (so remember that if your guitar is out of tune it may only be one string at fault).

Following the correct method, you must tune the open 4th string against the D note at the fifth fret of the 5th string. Play the note loudly, and listen carefully to the sound produced. This will help you retain the correct pitch in your mind when tuning the next string. Now that you have listened carefully to the note that you want, the D string must be tuned to it. Play the D string, and turn its tuning key at the same time, and you will hear the pitch of the string change (it will become higher as the tuning key tightens the string). It is important to follow this procedure, so that you hear the sound of the string at all times, as it tightens. You should also constantly refer back to the correct sound that is required (i.e., the D note on the fifth fret of the 5th string).

How to Read Sheet Music

Most of the sheet music you will buy will be arranged for piano. Piano music is written using two or three staves, with the chord symbols written above the top staff. It may also contain unfamiliar symbols and terms. At this stage you need only look at the top staff, which contains the melody line (tune), the lyrics and the chords. In some sheet music chord diagrams may also be included. As most sheet music is arranged by keyboard players quite often the guitar chord shapes given are incorrect, unnecessary or impractical, and many piano arrangements of guitar based songs do not sound anything like the recorded version. Guitar tablature versions of sheet music are gradually becoming more popular and in many cases are very accurate arrangements of the song.

Also many piano arrangements are in difficult keys for a beginning guitarists and quite often use unnecessary chords. Piano sheet music also gives no indication of how to strum the chords. So piano sheet music is only a guide for a guitarist but is useful for lyrics and a general chord guide.

Easy Chord Table

When you see an unfamiliar chord, consult the following table to find an easier chord to play. This chord will still sound correct. For example, when you see a Cmaj7 symbol, play a C chord instead. For a Cm6, you can substitute a Cm chord, etc.

If the song contains chords that you are not familiar with you can:

  1. Learn how to play this new chord. Refer to the chord chart in Appendix Two, or other LTP LearnToPlay books e.g., Progressive Guitar Method: Rhythm and Progressive Guitar Method: Chords.
  2. Substitute an easier chord. Use the easy chord table which lists the type of chord you may see in the sheet music (on the left of the table) and the simpler chord you can substitute (on the right of the table). If you know how to transpose and substitute chords you can play almost every song ever written using only a few basic chord shapes. It is recommended that you do further chord study and at least learn how to play bar chords. Other important chord types to learn are major seventh (maj7), sixth (6), minor seventh (m7), suspended (sus), diminished (dim) and augmented (+) chords. All these chords can be found in Progressive Guitar Method: Rhythm.
  3. Change the key of the song. Transposing (or Transposition) is the process of changing a song or piece of music from one key to another.

There are two reasons for transposing into another key:

  1. If the song is too high or too low to sing, the song can be changed into a lower or higher key. Changing the key of a song does not change the sound, pattern or timing of the melody but simply changes how high or how low it is sung.
  2. If the song is hard to play or contains difficult chords you can transpose it to a key with easier chords. For example, if a song is written in the key of B (which many songs are) it would contain chords like B , E and Cm which may be difficult for a beginning guitarist. If the song is transposed into the key of G major the chords would then be G, C and Am, which are easier for a guitarist to play.

How to Transpose

If the sheet music is in the key of E major and contains difficult chord shapes, you can transpose it to another major key with easier chord shapes. Keys that contain easy shapes for beginners are C major and G major, or if the song is in a minor key, A minor (Am)or E minor (Em).

Write down the chromatic scale (see Chromatic Scale) of the key the sheet music is in (usually the first chord is the key chord). Then underneath it write down the chromatic scale of the key you wish to change to. For example, to change a song from the key of E to the key of G, write down the chromatic scale starting with the note E and then underneath it write down the chromatic scale starting on the note G.

The letter name of the chord is written on the top line and the letter name of the new chord in the new key (in this case G) will be directly underneath it.

Note that the chord type never changes. If the chord is a minor chord in the key of E major it will also be a minor chord in the major key it is transposed to. For example:

  • An E chord in the key of E major becomes a G chord in the key of G major.
  • An A chord in the key of E major becomes a C chord in the key of G major.
  • A Cm chord in the key of E major becomes an Em chord in the key of G major.
  • A B m chord in the key of E major becomes a Dm chord in the key of G major.

 

 

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