How to Tune your Guitar to Standard Tuning by Ear
August 9th 2010 22:03
By: Joshua de Boer
Going out of tune can be one of the most frustrating parts of playing for beginner and expert guitarists. Regardless of skill, nothing sounds the way you want if your guitar is out of tune.
You can make this easier for yourself if you've got an electric tuner or another properly tuned instrument around, as you could have someone play the notes you need and tune your guitar to match them. But sometimes you get stuck, and you've got to do it by ear.
The notes played by the open strings of a guitar in standard tuning, from lowest to highest(in pitch, not orientation), are as followed: E A D G B E
Now, without delving into more intricate musical theory, all of these notes have the same intervals(an interval is a difference in pitch) between them(except the G and the B). This interval is 5 half steps.
You can hear the half step interval by playing an open string on the guitar, and then playing that same string again with your finger on the first fret. Thus, a one fret distance on the guitar represents a half step.
1) Place your finger on the 5th fret of the low (in pitch) E string, pluck this string and the open A string simultaneously.
Adjust the tension of the open A string until you can hear no difference in pitch between strings (you don't need a great ear for this, you'll know if it's off as you can hear the notes waver, but still try and get it as close as possible). If it doesn't sound like it need adjusting, then you're in tune.
2) Repeat step 1) for the D, and G strings.
3) When adjusting the B string, place your finger on the 4th fret of the G string, instead of the 5th. This is because the interval between G and B is only 4 half steps.
4) Repeat step 1) for the B and high E strings.
This article is about tuning the strings to the same intervals as standard tuning, not necessarily the same notes. So if you follow this article perfectly and your guitar still sounds out key with another properly tuned instrument, you should use that instrument for tuning.
If you've followed this process and your guitar still sounds out of tune then try doing it again. Sometimes adjusting the strings changes the tension on the neck of the guitar, which will knock the strings you've already adjusted back out of tune.
If you've tried twice and it still sounds wrong, it's because you haven't been able to adjust the strings correctly. You have to focus intently on making the notes the exact same. If you can hear the notes waver at all, even slowly, then you're still out of tune.
Going out of tune can be one of the most frustrating parts of playing for beginner and expert guitarists. Regardless of skill, nothing sounds the way you want if your guitar is out of tune.
You can make this easier for yourself if you've got an electric tuner or another properly tuned instrument around, as you could have someone play the notes you need and tune your guitar to match them. But sometimes you get stuck, and you've got to do it by ear.
The notes played by the open strings of a guitar in standard tuning, from lowest to highest(in pitch, not orientation), are as followed: E A D G B E
Now, without delving into more intricate musical theory, all of these notes have the same intervals(an interval is a difference in pitch) between them(except the G and the B). This interval is 5 half steps.
You can hear the half step interval by playing an open string on the guitar, and then playing that same string again with your finger on the first fret. Thus, a one fret distance on the guitar represents a half step.
1) Place your finger on the 5th fret of the low (in pitch) E string, pluck this string and the open A string simultaneously.
Adjust the tension of the open A string until you can hear no difference in pitch between strings (you don't need a great ear for this, you'll know if it's off as you can hear the notes waver, but still try and get it as close as possible). If it doesn't sound like it need adjusting, then you're in tune.
2) Repeat step 1) for the D, and G strings.
3) When adjusting the B string, place your finger on the 4th fret of the G string, instead of the 5th. This is because the interval between G and B is only 4 half steps.
4) Repeat step 1) for the B and high E strings.
This article is about tuning the strings to the same intervals as standard tuning, not necessarily the same notes. So if you follow this article perfectly and your guitar still sounds out key with another properly tuned instrument, you should use that instrument for tuning.
If you've followed this process and your guitar still sounds out of tune then try doing it again. Sometimes adjusting the strings changes the tension on the neck of the guitar, which will knock the strings you've already adjusted back out of tune.
If you've tried twice and it still sounds wrong, it's because you haven't been able to adjust the strings correctly. You have to focus intently on making the notes the exact same. If you can hear the notes waver at all, even slowly, then you're still out of tune.
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