Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Tune the Guitar Right, Play the Guitar Right

By Lyd M.

Many beginning guitarists struggle when it comes down to guitar tuning. There's an old saying which goes "guitars are tuned at the factory". Unfortunately, outside the factory, wood will start to bend and warp and the guitar strings will start to lose tension. Therefore, do not be surprised that every time you pick up your guitar, it will need some sort of tuning. Here are some tips that can help you in your guitar tuning.

1. Habit

Even though getting your guitar tuned correctly is difficult, once you have made guitar tuning into a habit it will become easier for you. When your guitar is tuned properly, you are able to spot the mistakes that you have made and can then improve on them. A properly tuned guitar will make the whole process of learning the guitar a breeze.

2. Make use of a piano

There are many ways to correctly tune your guitar. One of these ways is by using a piano. A piano is able to provide the correct sounding note. For example, let's say that you are trying to tune the E string on your guitar. You play the E note on the piano and strike the E string on your guitar. Compare the two sounds and adjust your guitar strings by tightening or loosening them. Once you think the note E sounds the same, you do the same for all the other strings. This is tuning by ear. If you use this method, you need to use your judgment.

3. Use a tuner

Besides the piano, you can use a battery operated tuner. I would recommend this method especially if you are just a beginning guitarist. This is very easy to operate. All you have to do is switch it on and make sure that it is pointed to the note that you want to tune. For example, if you want to tune the G string, make sure your dial on the tuner is also G. Then all you have to do is strike the G string. Once the green light on the tuner lights up, you have managed to successfully tune your G string. You do the same for all the other strings.

Before playing any music, even your warm-up, it is important to make sure that your guitar is in tune. You will not notice it in the beginning but keep in mind that the more you practice your guitar tuning, the more your ear becomes trained. Soon, you will be able to pick up on nuances in your guitar tuning.

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