How to tune a guitar
Learning how to tune a guitar can seem to be fairly daunting. But tuning a guitar is essential, especially if you are going to play with a group. Having the guitar tuned will help the songs that you play sound in tune.
Unless you are playing with a group, you can get away with not having a perfectly tuned guitar, as long as the strings are tuned with each other. However, if you are going to play with a group, it helps to tune the guitar to the same note.
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How to tune a guitar with an electric tuner
When you are playing with a group, with a recording, or just want to have it perfectly tuned, using an electronic tuner is probably the best way to go. Electronic tuners do vary in how they show when a guitar is in tune, so check with the instructions on the tuner. But generally, you will play an open string and the tuner will show you when the string is in tune.
To adjust the tone of the string, all you have to do is to adjust the tuning knob on the head of the guitar. Twisting the knob one way should tighten the string, making the pitch higher. Turning the knob the other way should loosen the string, making the pitch lower. Keep going back and forth, slowly, until the tuner indicates that the pitch is perfect.
How to tune a guitar using another musical instrument
You can tune a guitar with another instrument, such as a piano, tuning fork, or another guitar. Just play the note on the instrument you wish to tune to. Then play the same note on the instrument to be tuned. Use the knobs in the same manner described above until the notes on both instruments sound the same.
One way you can tell this when doing it by ear is by listening to the vibrations. Often, when you listen closely, you can hear a pulse in the vibration of the string when the notes are not in tune. As the note becomes closer, the pulses in the vibration will sound closer together. When the pulsing disappears, the string has been tuned to the note.
How to tune a guitar to itself
If you have the top E string on the guitar tuned or if you are playing by yourself and are fine with the pitch of that string, you can simply tune the rest of the guitar to that string. For most strings, you can tune them to the one above it by playing the top string on the fifth fret and the lower string being left open. As you are tuning, listen for the pulse vibrations to help determine when the guitar is in tune. When you are using an acoustic guitar, you might even be able to feel the pulses. The B string, however, needs to be tuned to the fourth fret of the G string.
Another way to tune a guitar to itself is by using harmonics. Rather than pressing the string into the neck, a harmonic can be played by placing the finger at the desired location and lifting it as the string is plucked. This method can be a little more difficult to pull off, especially if you have trouble doing the harmonic. But it is one other way to tune the guitar.
Once your guitar is tuned, you should be able to make a chord that sounds good. Once you have learned a chord or two, you can always play them after you have tuned the guitar to make sure that they sound correct.
One last thing to be aware of when learning how to tune a guitar is that when you have new strings, they do tend to stretch a bit, so they may go out of tune easier than a string that is already tight. Sometimes this can even happen as you are playing, so if you have a new string, it can be helpful to check it to make sure that it is still in tune.
Once you have your guitar in tune, you are ready to play a tune.
