How to Tune Your Guitar to Nashville Tuning

One of the coolest things about the guitar is its ability to be quickly re-tuned. Changing the tuning of a guitar from standard dramatically alters the sound of the instrument and expands the types of music you can play. One popular alternate tuning for guitars is Nashville tuning, which lets a guitarist replicate the sound of a twelve-string guitar with a standard six-string. Read on and get your guitar strung, tuned and ready to boogie with Nashville tuning.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Guitar
• Guitar strings
• Tuning source (piano, tuner, etc)

1. Replace the low E string with a lighter gauge string. In Nashville tuning, the four lowest strings are re-tuned an octave higher than normal, so lighter strings are needed to prevent string breaks. For an electric guitar, replace the low E string with a 0.022- to 0.032-gauge string. For an acoustic guitar, Nashville tuning requires a 0.030- to 0.038-gauge string.
2. Replace the A string. For an electric guitar, replace the A string with an unwound 0.014- to 0.019-gauge string. Some guitarists may prefer to use a heavier, wound string when using Nashville tuning, with 0.022- to 0.026-gauge being popular choices. Acoustic guitars will be well served in Nashville tuning by wound 0.022- to 0.026-gauge strings.
3. Replace the D string. For an electric guitar, an unwound 0.011- to 0.013-gauge string is best for Nashville tuning. Acoustic guitars use slightly heavier strings, so look for unwound 0.012- to 0.014-gauge strings.
4. Replace the G string. For an electric guitar, replace the G string with an unwound 0.008- to 0.0013-gauge string. For an acoustic guitar, use an unwound 0.010- to 0.013-gauge string with Nashville tuning.
5. Tune the replaced strings one octave higher than standard. In standard tuning, the A string on a guitar produces the same pitch as the first A below middle C on a piano, at a frequency of 440Hz. So, in Nashville tuning, the low string will sound the first E above middle C, the A string sounds the first A above middle C and so on.

Tips & Warnings

• The beauty of Nashville tuning is that you can double standard guitar parts and get a twelve-string sound. Even better, you can adapt Nashville tuning to other alternate tunings like drop D, open G or open E.
• The change in string tension caused by using Nashville tuning may require you to adjust the neck tension in order to maintain proper curvature of the guitar neck. Check with a trusted guitar technician if you plan on using Nashville tuning for extended periods with a guitar.