How to Tune a Mini Electric Guitar

Mini electric guitars can be knocked out of tune just as easily as full electric or acoustic guitars. While you may find yourself tuning your guitar quite frequently, the tuning process is fortunately quite simple. You can tune it quickly using an electric tuner if you have one. If not, you can tune the guitar by ear using a tuned piano or pitch whistle.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Mini electric guitar
• Guitar amp cable
• Electric tuner
• Piano, pitch whistle or other tuned instrument

Tuning with an Electric Tuner

1. Plug one end of a guitar amp cable into the output jack of your mini electric guitar. Plug the other end into the input jack of the electric tuner.

2. Tune the thickest string (the sixth string) to E. To do this, strum the string by itself and let the tone ring. Look at the needle on the electric tuner. If it is steady on E, the string is in tune. If not, adjust the tuning key for that string on the end of the guitar until the needle is steady on E. Restrum the string if it stops ringing while you're tuning.

3. Repeat with the fifth through first strings. The strings are arranged in order from thickest (sixth string) to thinnest (first string). The fifth through first strings should be tuned to A, D, G, B and E, respectively.

Tuning by Ear

4. Loosen all of the strings by turning their tuning keys to the left a few turns.

5. Play an A note on a tuned piano, pitch pipe, mallet percussion instrument or some other tuned instrument.

6. Strum the fifth or second thickest string and gradually tighten the tension until it matches the A note.

7. Put your middle finger on the fifth fret of the fifth string and strum it. This produces a D note. Tune the fourth string to D using the fifth string.

8. Put your middle finger on the fifth fret of the fourth string and strum it. This produces a G note. Tune the third string to G using the fourth string.

9. Play a B note on the third string by placing your middle finger over the fifth fret and strumming it. Tune the second string to this B note.

10. Play an E note on the second string by covering its fifth fret with your middle finger and strumming it. Tune the first and thinnest string to this E note.

11. Place your middle finger over the fifth fret of the sixth string, or the thickest string. This should be an A note. Strum the fifth string to get the true A note and adjust the tension on the sixth string while keeping your finger on the fifth fret until it matches the A note.

Tips & Warnings

• By loosening all of the strings first and then tightening them as you tune them, you can help keep the guitar in tune longer.
• If the source of your original A note is out of tune, your entire guitar will be out of tune.