How to Fine Tune an Ax

A guitar (a.k.a. your ax--the more affectionate jazz slang reference to a musical instrument) that is in tune is something every guitarist or guitarist wannabe should strive for. It might be hard to tell the difference at first (for all us normal folks that don't have perfect pitch), but your ear will learn to tell the difference. This process is mainly for tuning 6-string guitars, but the same principles apply to 7, 9, 10 or 12-string guitars. These steps explain how to tune your guitar in standard tuning: E-A-D-G-B-E.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Guitar
• Chromatic guitar tuner

1. Turn on your tuner. Have it make an A tone, set at 440Hz. This should match an A4 on an in-tune piano (if A0 is the lowest A on a piano, A4 is 4 octaves up). You can tune your guitar to the piano; however, a piano overpowers the guitar, which is why a tuner is the better choice.
2. Play the 5th fret harmonic on your A string. (It is commonly thought among beginning guitarists that the fundamental, the open or fretted note, is what you tune. This is not true. The fundamental is imprecise, containing many other overtones. Your harmonics are much better to tune with. If you don't know what this is, you play the harmonic by barely touching the string in the place you would normally fret. This produces a thin, ringing note. Your 5th fret is 2 octaves above your fundamental, and is one of the overtones that makes up your fundamental. You want to match this harmonic to your A pitch. You can use the tuner aspect of your tuner (the LED's that are red if the note is sharp or flat, or green if the note is in tune) to make sure. Eventually you'll get it right every time.
3. Put down the tuner. You only need to find 1 note with the tuner. Most classical guitarists tune with this in mind. Make your low E's 5th fret harmonic. Quickly afterwards (but not too quickly) make the A string's 7th fret harmonic. Tune your low E string so that they match. Your 7th fret harmonic makes a note that is a 4th below the 5th fret harmonic (or the 5th 1 octave up).
4. Play the low E 12th fret harmonic. The 12th fret is 1 octave above the open note. Match this to the fretted fundamental note on the A string 7th fret.
5. Play the A string 5th fret harmonic again. Match this to your D string 7th fret harmonic.
6. Play the A string 12th fret harmonic. Match this to your D string 7th fret fundamental.
7. Once you think this is tune, you can check it with one more step that I stumbled across one day. Play your low E 12th fret harmonic. Match this to the E fundamental on your D string (fret and play the second fret). If they are in tune, without a doubt, your bottom 3 notes are in tune.
8. Play the D string 5th fret harmonic, match to the G string 7th fret harmonic.
9. Play the D string 12th fret harmonic, match to the G string 7th fret fundamental.
10. Play the A string 12th fret harmonic, match to the G string 2nd fret fundamental.
11. Because of that weird 3rd between your G and B strings, you'll have to change things up a little. Play your G string 9th, or 4th fret harmonic. These are somehow the same notes. These are a little harder to bring out than 5th or 7th and definitely 12th, but try for it anyway. The G string 4th or 9th fret harmonic should match the B string 5th harmonic. If you can't get that 4th or 9th fret harmonic, you can go straight to next step.
12. Play the G string 12th fret harmonic. Match to the B string 8th fret fundamental.
13. Play the D string 12th fret harmonic. Match to the B string 3rd fret fundamental.
14. Play the B string 5th fret harmonic. Match to the high E 7th fret harmonic.
15. Play the B string 12th fret harmonic. Match to the high E 7th fret fundamental.
16. Play the G string 12th fret harmonic, and match to the high E 3rd fret fundamental.
17. Play your high and low E strings, making sure they sound to be the same note. Strum a few chords. Open E and A minor are good, as well as a few others. Go back and recheck or retune if things sound out of order. You are now finished tuning your guitar.

Tips & Warnings

• Some metronomes will make your A4 440Hz pitch, but the best thing to use is a chromatic tuner. Chromatic tuners will also allow you to tune the guitar to all sorts of crazy tunings easier, such as lowered heavy metal and hard rock tunings, E flat, all 5ths, or whatever tunings you think up.
• Using the tremolo bar on a stock Fender Stratocaster or similar knock-off is going to very likely put your guitar out of tune. Limit your whammy bar use, get a Floyd Rose unit, or get you some roller nuts in the bridge area to help stay in tune. Or else tune up after every song.
• This may make you very paranoid about your ax being in tune, because you'll start to realize how much better everything is if the guitar is in tune, and you may annoy your friends if you're ever playing around with them and you decide to tune up.
• A guitar that's really well tuned will not improve your playing abilities, thought it will make your playing sound better.
• When tuning, always tune upwards. If the note is sharp, tune it down past the note and come back up.