How to Easily Tune a 12 String Guitar

You pick up your 12 string guitar to play a few tunes for your friends around the campfire, go to strum your first chord and the sour sound that follows let’s you know; it’s time to tune your guitar. There are two ways to tune a 12 string. The easiest way is clamp your digital tuner that you purchased at your local guitar shop for $50 to $100 bucks to the head of the guitar and tune up. I’m guessing that if you had a digital tuner or the time and money to get one, your guitar would already be in tune and you wouldn’t be reading this article! Here is the other way to tune your 12 string that relies only on your ear and patience.
A twelve string guitar consists of 6 pairs of like toned strings. The pairs are the same note except an octave apart for the low E, A, D and G strings and the identical note for the B and high E string. For the purposes of these instructions, I will refer to the lower string of the pair as the ‘1’ string and the higher of the pair as the ‘2’ string for example, the A1 string will be the lower of the A string pair and the A2 string is the higher.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Tune the low E1 string to E as closely as possible. If you have a tuning fork, tuning whistle or piano, use that. In the absence of a true E instrument, just tune as closely as possible. Over years of practice and experience, I can hum a low E pretty closely so practice this whenever possible. If you are playing with a partner, tune to each other so that you are simpatico.

2. Tune the low E2 string so that it matches the low E1. To get more accurate, sound the 12th fret harmonics on both strings simultaneously and listen for the sound wave interference. To get the harmonic, simply touch the string directly above the fret you want without pushing the string down to the fretboard. Two strings that are not in tune together will make a slight ‘wave’ sound and will oscillate with a wah-wah-wah-wah sound. When you get them in tune, you will hear no waves but just a solid, even tone like a bell.

3. Tune the A1 to the E1 by fretting the E1 at the 5th fret. Again, to get more accurate, sound the E1 harmonic at the 5th fret and the A1 harmonic at the 7th fret and listen for the waves again. Once you have no waves and a solid tone, the strings are in tune.

4. Follow step 2 to tune the A2 to the A1.

5. Follow step 3 to tune the D1 to the A1.

6. Follow step 2 to tune the D2 to the D1.

7. Follow step 3 to tune the G1 to the D1.

8. Follow step 2 to tune the G2 to the G1.

9. For the B strings, sound the harmonic on the 7th fret of the low E2 string and tune one of the B strings (remember the B strings are identical) to the tone.

10. Follow step 2 to tune the second B string to the first.

11. For the high E strings, sound the harmonic on the 7th fret of the A2 string and tune one of the high E strings (again, the two high E strings are identical) to the tone.

12. Follow step 2 to tune the second high E string to the first.

13. Play a couple of chords that use all of the strings like E and G to listen to your work. If you tuned each one properly, you’re ready to play your rendition of “Rocky Mountain High” all night if you want.