How to Detune a Guitar

There are several reasons why a guitar player would need to detune his guitar. Whether it is to change a worn or broken guitar string or to achieve a certain tone, a musician should have at least a basic knowledge of how to do this.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Locate the tuning peg on your guitar and turn it slowly until you see the string loosen and hear it detune. When you loosen the guitar string, it creates a low, off-pitch tone. Continue to turn each tuning peg until you detune each string.

2. Take your guitar to a professional guitar technician and have him detune it for you. Many guitarists who play metal music play with a detuned guitar for the tone it produces, and you might not achieve the best results if you try to detune the guitar yourself. If you tend to alternate between styles of music, you should have two different guitars for each style you play.

3. Use a mechanical tuner to detune your guitar. It's not just guitar players in a heavy-metal band that appreciate the tone of an out-of-tune guitar. Many classical guitarists can detune their guitars by dropping the low E to a D in order to explore new musical sounds.

Tips & Warnings

• Many guitar enthusiasts warn against repeatedly detuning and tuning a guitar, as the loosening and tightening of the strings can warp the neck of the guitar.
• Guitarists don't advise detuning your guitar before storing it, especially if you play it frequently. Likewise, many suggest keeping a full set of strings on the guitar at all times and only changing one at a time to prevent damage to the guitar.