How to Tune Your Guitar to CGCGCE
This is an open chord guitar tuning. In other words, by simply strumming the guitar open, without placing any fingers on any frets, the guitar will sound great. It is an open "C" chord. Since the guitar has been tuned down, it will have a deeper richer tone. This tuning lends itself well to finger picking, flamenco and classical guitars. Guitarists who use this tuning also do so to utilize bar chords or slide guitar.
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Instructions
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Tune your guitar to standard tuning. Use an online tuner, a piano or another guitar to get the beginning pitch right. Now, put a finger on the third fret of the fifth string. This is the "C" note, this will be the reference note. Play that note and the sixth string together. Turn the sixth string key down until it matches the "C" note.
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Play the third string open for reference and the fifth string open. Match the fifth string pitch to the third string for the "G" note by lowering the fifth string.
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Play the fourth string open, and the sixth string open. Bring the pitch of the fourth string down to match the "C" of the sixth string.
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Skip the third string because it is already in pitch as it is already the "G" note. Don't tune it at all; it's already there..
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Pluck the second string. Match it to the sixth, and the fourth string by plucking all three strings. This time turn the key up instead of down to match the tone of the other strings.
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Skip the little string, the smallest string on the guitar is already an "E" note and is already in tune.
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Tips & Warnings
If you get confused or lose your place, go back to standard tuning, and start over. A few basic tips here are: the sixth string drops two whole steps; the fifth string drops one step; the fourth string drops one step; third string stays the same; the second string rises one step; and the smallest string stays the same.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit guitar image by cherie from Fotolia.com
