~STANDARD GUITAR TUNING~

 

 *Contributed by EVETTE ELEESE.

"You can tune a guitar, but you can't tune a fish" What?
Every one who wants to play the guitar must be able to tune it! I am not much of a guitar player (keyboards is my instrument), but this one thing I can do well. I figured it was a good thing to master because, have you ever been to an open mic, or to see a live band play and the guitar is out of tune? Yuck! You might be able to play all the chords, or do the fancy scales, but if you can't tune your instrument, its going to sound like crap!

So here we go. Of course there are several ways to tune a guitar, but this one is the standard way. As you have probably found out by now, there are (usually) 6 strings on your instrument.

THE STRINGS

One way to tune your guitar is to play a note on a piano or keyboard (if you have one available) and then try to match the tone by ear. This is a good way to get your guitar tuned to 440 HZ (A above middle C on the piano). It is a good way to train your ear too. And having a good ear is important for any musician.

CORRESPONDING STRINGS TO PIANO KEYS

Now if you wanna be really old fashioned, you can use the good old tuning fork! Get the one that is 440 HZ or A above middle C. You can pick one up in most piano or music stores. If nothing else, have fun with it, and impress your friends. But getting down to business, the tone from this tuning fork corresponds to the 5th string on your guitar.

TUNING FORK

Now you are asking....."I got the 5th string tuned, so how the heck to I tune the other strings?" Here is the procedure!

Press down the the 6th string at the 5th fret and you will get an A note. This should correspond to the open 5th string. If not, turn those tuning pegs until it does! Now the 5th string at the 5th fret should equal the 4th string (D), and the 4th string at the 5th fret should equal the 3rd string (G), and the 2nd string at the 5th fret should equal the the the 1st string (E).
Now, you are asking....."What about the 3rd string?". Getting to that! The 3rd string must be fretted (held down) at the 4th fret in order for it to equal the 2nd string (B).

YES! Modern technology to the rescue! There is a beautiful device called a Guitar Tuner! I definitely recommend to invest in one of these. Most run by AC & DC power, and have a 1/4 jack you can plug your guitar into if your guitar has a pickup. This devise makes tuning very easy, and can tell you precisely which string (or strings) are out of tune. Also, it makes it easy for you to be in tune with other musicians, by giving a standard reference point. And most of all, it makes it easier to tune in noisy surroundings because you don't have to hear the notes, the tuner "hears" them for you. Here is a picture of the tuner I use. There are many different brands and prices, but they all work the same. (Just a note too, if you get into other guitar tunings, this devise can help you tune to all of them).

GUITAR TUNER

Good luck, and here's to being IN TUNE!!!

 

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This page was created and is maintained by Evette Eleese of Indigenous Alien Records