Comments on: How to Tune a Guitar by Ear

on 5/20/2008 hi koner

on 5/20/2008 hi koner

on 5/20/2008 your fat koner

on 5/20/2008 your fat koner

on 3/8/2007 Always tune up to the correct tone and never down. You want to keep the string tention high at the tuning peg, nut and saddle. If the note is sharp, tune the string flat, give the string a slight tug, then tune up to the correct pitch.

on 6/30/2006 This will read like a lot of work, but once you get used to it it takes almost no time at all and your guitar is really in tune. I try to balance out the errors like this: Tune the low E however you want (tuner, pitch pipe, the song you're trying to play along with on the CD, etc.) Fret an E on the D string (2nd fret) and adjust the D string until they are in unison. Do the same for the high E string - it should be in unison with the low E and the "mid" (D string 2nd fret) E. You have just tuned all the "E's". The E note is the root of this tuning method. You shouldn't have to adjust either E string or the D string because they have all been tuned together now. The exception is if you have new strings that aren't stretched yet or a guitar with a flexible neck that moves when you adjust the tension on other strings. In those cases you might have to go through the entire process several times - just like with any other tuning method). Now you can fret the low E string on the 5th fret along with the open A string until they are in unison.

Next, fret the A and D strings at the 2nd fret and play the low E. These are the bottom three notes of an open E chord. Now fret the D string at the 2nd fret and play the open A and low E. These are the bottom three notes of an open A (E root) chord. They should both sound good. If not, adjust the A string until both sound equally good. At this point, we have found the best tuning for the "A" note on top of the E.

Now fret the G string on fret 2 (to create a higher A) and adjust the G string until it is in unison with the open A string. You have now tuned all the "As". The "A"s (on the A string and the G string) are the second level above the base. If you've done this correctly, you're done with 5 of the 6 strings. So now we've adjusted everything but the B string.

Fret the A string on the second fret to create a low B, and pluck it and the open B string until they are in unison. The B string is at the top of the tuning pyramid, and is often the hardest one to make "fit." Therefore, it's also the most likely culprit if the guitar's not in tune.

Now play a series of octaves to see how balanced everything is. All the octaves should be wave-free. The letter denotes the string, the number denotes the fret, no number = open.
E(low) + D2 (checks for E)
E(low) 3+ G (checks G)
A + G2 (checks for A)
A2 + B (checks for B)
D + B3 (checks for D)
D2 + E(high) (checks for E)
G + E(high)3 (checks for G)
If they don't sound good, try to adjust the B string until they do.
If that doesn't work, check everything all over from the start in case the E's or the A's have lost tune (due to stretching strings, a loose neck, or a whammy bar).

Go through this a few times and you should have a pretty even-tempered guitar, where even a C chord sounds good!Go through it a few dozen times and it will become second nature! Good luck!

on 6/30/2006 When tuning, listen carefully. When you have the low E string in tune to tune the A string (the next string under the E string), hold down the E string on the 5th fret and pluck the A string open (without holding string down on any fret). If the two notes played together as one, they should sound the same. If you hear a wavy sound, then the A note is either tuned a slight bit too high or too low. When the note is in tune the note will sound the exact same. This is easier to notice on an electric guitar but you can also hear it on an acoustic. If you have an electric-acoustic tune it first un-plugged then plug it into your amplifier and then listen to it and you will more than likely hear the wavy sound. Follow this method to fix the problem and you will have much cleaner sound when playing. Do the same for all strings.

on 2/1/2006 I'm a beginner player, so I'm not that good with all this guitar talk yet. I learned a different way to tune by ear. Once you have your low E in tune then you press 12th fret on E and 7th fret on A, 12th on A and 7th on D and so on except to tune B, then it would be 12th on G and 6th on B.

on 11/22/2005 If you strum the string you are tuning to, make sure and strum it multiple times, memorizing the sound. When you strum the actual string you are tuning, it will be much easier to tune.

on 11/22/2005 No guitar is perfect. Tuning in lots of different places is the best way to be the most accurate. If you don't have time, this is the most accurate way to tune (as long as your frets are pretty good): tune A first to a tuning fork (if available).Then, tune the low E string using the 12th fret harmonic on the E string and the fretted 7th fret on the A string. Don't ever tune using the 7th fret harmonic, as it is out of tune on every guitar ever made. It's just a wierd harmonic problem the instrument has. Once your E string is in tune, use your 12th fret harmonic on E again to tune the fretted 2nd fret of your D string. Then use the 5th fret harmonic on the E string to tune 9th fretted G string, 5th fretted B string, and open high E string. Even this is imperfect. The most noticable problem is on the G string when switching between an open E chord (1-5-1-3-5-1) to an open C chord (1-3-5-1-3)(those are chord members, not frets). There will always need to be a compromise somewhere.

on 11/22/2005 This will take a while, but you and all your friends can do this. First, tune your guitar with a tuner. Take two strings and listen to them in tune. Take the lower string of the two and tune it down. Wait a little while, and then then try to tune it back up. Once you think it is tuned correctly, check it with the tuner. Do this until you can tune the strings without a tuner.

on 11/22/2005 Tuning by comparison with 5ths will result in some chords sounding off-color. This is because the circle of 5ths (if produced precisely in tuning) does not fall back on the original pitch. Instead, equal temperament is a way of tuning that allows a much more acceptable overall tuning which will allow all chords to sound reasonable. It works by tuning with octaves. The only accurate comparison between pitches must be a direct frequency multiple.

Tune your bottom E string to whatever pitch you require. Next, play a natural harmonic at the 5th octave. You can then tune your top E from this pitch. Next, play the natural harmonic at the 12th fret on the bottom E string. Use this to tune your D string while fretting at the 2nd fret. Next, play the harmonic on the 12th fret of the D string and use this to tune the G string by fretting at the 7th fret, and then the B string by fretting at the 3rd fret. You should now be able to compare the pitch of the harmonic on the 12th fret of the G string and your top E string, fretted at the 3rd fret. Finally, tune your A string by sounding the harmonic on the 12th fret, and compare the pitch to the G string at the 2nd fret.

If done correctly, this method will give you a much rounder tuning, which will really shine through when playing a good accoustic guitar.

on 11/22/2005 Makes tuning easy as both strings produce sound at the same time even while adjusting pitch. If the low E string is in tune, then a harmonic on the 5th fret should sound the same as one on the 7th fret of the A string. (On open B string, use E 7th fret.)

on 11/22/2005 Some people use a standard telephone dial tone as concert A 440 pitch to tune the A string and then go from there. Others say that it is not the exact pitch, but it is close enough.

on 11/22/2005 Instead of buying a pitch pipe for each string, just get one with the pitch of E. Tune the thickest string first, then fret the fifth fret and pluck the string below that open. On the G string, press the fourth fret.