When somebody begins guitar lessons, a great source of frustration and mystery is why it sounds funny. Sometimes novices mistakenly blame themselves, which sadly leads them to think they’re doing something when really it’s not their fault. It can be difficult to hear the difference between a guitar that’s in and out of tune, but it’s crucial to keep it in tune and tuning it doesn’t have to be so difficult. There are different ways to do it.

The first step involves getting one string in tune. People do this with the low E, the thickest string located on top of the others. You can do this by playing an E on a piano or a tuning fork (sometimes they’re tuned to A…that’s fine too) and adjusting your string higher or lower until it’s the same frequency as what’s in tune. This may take a little while to do, but listen carefully to the notes and in time you’ll acquire the skill. If you don’t have a piano, a keyboard, or a tuning fork, you can go online and there are no shortage of sites which offer particular frequencies so you can align the sound. Once the E is in tune, you’ll need to tune the others. If you play the 5th fret of the E string the note will be an A, the same as the open string below it. Therefore, if you play the fifth fret of the E string it should sound like the fifth string played open. Adjust the pitch until these two are in line. This process repeats itself on the fifth fret until you get to the G string. Below the G is the B. Therefore, play the 4th fret of the G string and adjust the string below until they sound alike. The 5th fret process repeats again from the second to first string.

You can also do something similar with harmonics. This involves keeping your finger just barely touching the string at the fifth and seventh fret. The sixth string harmonic at the fifth fret should sound like the fifth string at the seventh. The second string open should sound like the sixth strings harmonic at the seventh fret and the first string open should sound like the second string’s seventh fret. Harmonics enable you to hear the sound waves a little clearer and are a preferred way of tuning for some.

By far the easiest and most foolproof way is to buy a guitar tuner! Chromatic tuners are capable of deciphering which note you’re playing, so all you need to know is which note you need the string to be tuned to and turn the tunings nobs until you reach it. When they first came out, digital tuners were prohibitively expensive, but they can commonly be found now for under thirty dollars and pretty much all guitar players keep one in their case at all times.

So good luck playing, have fun, and stay in tune!

Long & McQuade’s Musical Education Center offers music lessons Brampton and piano lessons Brampton. When trying to learn a musical instrument be sure to visit the professionals at Long & McQuade – one of Canada\’s largest music stores.

Long & McQuade’s Musical Education Center offers music lessons Brampton and piano lessons Brampton. When trying to learn a musical instrument be sure to visit the professionals at Long & McQuade – one of Canada\’s largest music stores.
http://www.long-mcquade.com

Author Bio: Long & McQuade’s Musical Education Center offers music lessons Brampton and piano lessons Brampton. When trying to learn a musical instrument be sure to visit the professionals at Long & McQuade – one of Canada\’s largest music stores.

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