How To Tune Your Guitar

One of the most important lessons you can learn to play the guitar is how to keep it in tune.  If you learn this early on, it's a lesson that you will use as long as you are playing the guitar.  Since the guitar is a stringed instrument, it needs to be tuned regularly.  Here you will find great explanations on how to tune your guitar, keep your guitar in tune, recommended electric tuners, and alternative tunings for your guitar.

If you plan to play with other instrumentalists or vocalists, tuning is a necessity.  It's best to have an electric tuner on hand to tune to, or if you are playing with an electric keyboard player you can tune to the notes on his board.  Do keep in mind though if it is an acoustic piano, it may not be in tune and therefore not be a good source to tune your guitar.

Besides keeping your guitar in tune, there are other tips that are important to keep your guitar in tune and in good shape for extended periods of time.  We will begin with a few of these tips and a Five Point Tune Up method found at http://www.blackbeltguitar.com/news/show_news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1065739225&archive=. 

Tips before you start

• Buy a sturdy case for your guitar to protect it from the inevitable bumps, scrapes and dings that can affect tuning.
• Keep your guitar humidified by keeping a moist sponge in an open plastic bag within your case. This will save your guitar from humidity changes that can effect the shape and sound of your instrument.
• Never leave your guitar out of its case for extended lengths of time when you are not playing. Kids, pets or humidity changes or plain old gravity can ruin your instrument.
• After you know what strings feel and sound best for you, stick with the same weight all the time, so your guitar will not have to be readjusted when new strings are put on.
• Change your strings often if you are serious about sounding good. Old strings tend to sound dull. Coated strings last longer than non-coated. 

Five Point Tune Up

Our 5-point tune up method will allow you to sound most in tune for the kind of songs you will be playing. As versatile as our Western 12-note scale is, it is not exactly precise, which means that there are a few compromises along the way to make it sound good to us overall. That said, we need to know how to make our guitars get in tune, stay in tune, and to minimize any perceivable inconsistencies in the scale that we get with all fretted instruments to some small degree. 

Point 1: Start with a Tuner

There are two general categories of tuners: active and passive, and you need to know how to use both.

Active tuners are those that produce a tone, and you are expected to tune your guitar to match this tone. This can be a piano, or your guitar teacher's guitar (especially when your teacher is playing on a DVD), or it can be a tone played from your computer or anything else. Sometimes you have no choice except to tune with the other instrument or device simply because they cannot.

Passive tuners are those that hear the tone you are playing and tell you what note it is. These tuners should be part of every guitar player's toolkit to keep them (and their band mates) all sounding good.

Now that your open strings are in tune with your tuner and bandmates, here are some other tuning tricks to make sure your instrument sounds good with itself.

Point 2: Tune Perfect Unisons on Adjacent Strings 

Pluck the strings of the corresponding color one at a time, and repeatedly. When nudge one of the strings if you have to to come into tune with the other. Repeat this for each pair of strings.

Point 3: Tune Octaves Two Strings Apart 

This technique will make sure that strings two-apart will sound in tune with each other. This will usually fix problems you hear while playing open E, A, or D chords. The notes to compare are color coded.

Point 4: Tune Octaves Three Strings Apart 

This technique will help you fix problems you hear when playing your open C and G chords. The notes to compare are color coded.

Point 5: Tune Octaves on Adjacent Strings

This technique will help you fix problems you hear when transposing chords to another voicing higher up on the fretboard. The notes to compare are color coded as usual.

Other Hints 

• Generally, tune up, and not down. That is start below your target pitch, and tighten your string until you arrive at the desired pitch.
• Perfection is not attainable, but you can optimize the tuning for your circumstances.
• If you have a floating bridge, you may need to repeat the process a few times. 

Potentially Necessary Guitar Adjustments 

• Fresh strings of the recommended weight are usually the best adjustment you can make if you are having trouble tuning across using the 5-point method.
• The screws (or fine tuners) on your may need to be adjusted to lenghten or shorten your strings
• Tighten the springs on your floating bridge

Along with these tips, there are other recommended steps to not only keep your guitar in tune, but take care of it as well.  Some of these tips work especially well if you intend to play guitar outdoors.  Whether you are playing on an outdoor stage or just enjoying the sunshine while you play, the elements can can be harsh on your guitar. You will find expert advice to care for your guitar to play outdoors here at http://www.guitarnoise.com/lesson/guitar-strings-and-the-great-outdoors/.

Playing an outdoor gig can be fun. Most guitarists spend their time playing and practicing indoors. So, when the opportunity arises to get some outside fresh air and sunshine, many guitarists will jump on it. This is especially true for players with short summers like Minnesota and Michigan. If you have played at an outdoor concert, then you are probably familiar with the issues that can arise. Temperature, humidity, pesky bugs, and rain all play a factor. If the proper precautions are not taken, you can end up with an instrument that will not play as easily as it did indoors. Many articles have focused on protecting an instrument from rain, wind, and harsh sunshine. Others have focused on getting your tone tweaked for an outdoor setting. Yet few, if any have discussed the issues around playability. This article will focus on the playability of an instrument outdoors.

When you step outside to play your guitar, one of the first things that will happen is a molecular change. Every material known to man has something known as the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE). The CTE is the measure of how much a material will expand or contract under specific temperatures. In the case of a guitar neck made of wood, the neck will slightly change in profile as it is exposed to different temperatures. This will have a direct impact on the action of the neck. A guitar, with low action, that does not have buzzing frets indoors might have frets buzzing when it is exposed to outdoor conditions. The frets, strings, neck, bridge and nut will all have their respected CTEs changing with the climate. You will certainly be reaching for the tuner more often at your outdoor gigs. While we are on the subject of tuning, let’s now turn our attention towards the strings.

Sticky Fingers 

There is one particular part of playing outside that does not get much airplay. When the humidity goes up, your hands will become a little stickier on the neck and fret board. There will be considerably more drag on the strings. Shifting positions on the neck will become more challenging. The tone and sustain of the strings might start to change as gunk from your fingers starts to build up on your strings. So what do you do? Here are some solutions:

1. Light mineral oil – There are some products on the market today that are used to reduce string drag. The best ones are made from light organic mineral oil. This type of oil does very well for two reasons: 1. It lubricates the strings without excessive build up. 2. It does not penetrate deep into the skin to soften calluses. When applying, it is best to wipe it on versus spraying. Trying to spray into a targeted area like a guitar neck, outdoors, is difficult. Again wiping the oil on will give better results.

2. Lemon oil on the fret board – If you are not keeping your fret board preserved with lemon oil today…do it. A light application of oil on rosewood fret boards will keep the wood from drying and cracking. The real benefit here is also reducing finger drag when shifting positions.

3. Handwipes – Don’t you just love the smell of those little handy wipe moist towel lets that come in little packets? Be sure to keep a few of those in your guitar case. They are great for wiping off sticky hands while you are outside, or just simply cleaning hands after stage setup.

4. Coated strings – There are pros and cons to using coated strings. In addition to their corrosion protection, another advantage is their ability to reduce finger drag in high humidity situations. They have their place in outdoor gigs.

What should be avoided? 

Avoid using lotions on your hands. This might sound tempting at first as lotions can make things more slippery and comfortable. In the end, your fingers tips will soften, and the strings will get excessive gunk build up. The lotion will do no justice to your fret board as it will build up with gunk.

Contrary to popular belief, dry cotton cloths to wipe of the strings will not improve the problem encountered outdoors. Excessive wiping of the neck and strings with cotton cloths will remove any natural oils left behind from your hands. This will increase friction and cause more string drag. If you have a lot of sweating, that makes the fret board slick, then lightly dab the cotton towel on your hands and the strings. If you rub and wipe, that will surely remove any natural oils from your skin, strings, and fret board.

Finally, playing outside can also involve those pesky insects that want to bite us right in the middle of a song. While insect repellent is a good choice for preventing this scenario, it should be used with caution. The active ingredient in these repellants is often DEET or Picaridin which is fairly passive in toxicity to skin and non-corrosive to metals. However, these chemicals can become gummy when mixed with dirty fretboards. The result can reduce string performance. Also, if you have an instrument with nitro-cellulose lacquer, these repellents can wreak havoc when they come in contact with the finish. Again, use caution and care when applying insect repellents at your outdoor venue.

Hopefully, these few pointers will make your next outdoor gig more comfortable and rewarding.

Another important tip to keeping your guitar in tune for extended periods of time is to stretch the strings.   You will find a good instruction on stretching your guitar strings at http://www.guitarworld.com/ed-s-shed-stay-tune-stretching-your-strings.

To stretch your strings, hold your guitar in the playing position: You don’t want snapped strings hitting you in the face, natch. Make sure there are no other soft targets around you like, you know, people and animals. Beginning with the low E, pull the string about halfway along its length (See the top photo of me pulling one of my strings).




Don’t go crazy; you’re not trying to win an archery contest here. Tune the string, then, like some Richard Simmons workout (Spandex optional), stretch and repeat until the tuning settles. Repeat the process with the other strings. You can use this process on acoustic guitars, just make sure the bridge pins are secure, and nylon strung classical guitars. 

Now let's talk about tuners for your guitar.  I have tried several tuners online, but haven't had any luck finding a good one to tune to.  The best way to tune on the go is to buy an electric guitar tuner from a music shop, but there are also ways to tune your guitar to itself without using a tuner.  You will rely on your ear to tune correctly and with practice you will get the hang of it in no time.  Try tuning your guitar to itself using this method at http://www.easiestwayguitar.com/easiest-guitar-basics-to-help-you-learn-to-play-the-guitar/tuning-your-guitar-without-a-guitar-tuner.

If you don’t have a guitar tuner there are other ways to get your guitar in tune.
One solution is to tune your guitar to itself. Begin with the 1st string. Remember that this is the thinnest string. If there is a piano, a keyboard or any other instrument available to give you a reference “E” note. Match your string to that note.

To tune your 1st and 2nd string together you would place a finger on the 2nd string at the 5th fret. Because this note is also “E” the pitch of the 1st string open and the 2nd string at the 5th fret should should the same. It will be the 2nd string tuner that you will be turning.

Once you’ve matched the pitch of the 1st and 2nd strings you’ll tune the 3rd string. You do this by placing a finger on the 3rd string at the 4th fret and matching it to the open 2nd string. This works because the 2nd string open is “B” and the note at the 4th frst on the 2nd string is also “B”.

Now move onto the 4th string. Place your finger on the 5th fret of the 4th string and play the 3rd string open. These notes are both “G”.

You repeat the process on the 5th string on the 5th fret open and match it to the 4th string open. Both of these notes are “D”.

Finally, to tune the 6th string you would play the 6th string at the 5th fret and match it to the 5th string open. Both of these notes are “A”.

If you matched all of the notes your guitar will be in tune.

Remember that the strings are E, B, G, D, A, E beginning with the thinnest string first.

Tuning is a learned thing. It takes practice and as you do it successfully you’ll gain more confidence.

There are a series of alternative tunings on guitar called "Open tuning."  Here I'll give you one example of an open tuning, specifically Drop D Tuning, to get a good idea of the alternative tuning process.  Most guitarists will use these alternative tunings to find different chord voicings on the guitar or to obtain easier fingering for certain chord voicings.  You will find an example of drop D tuning and a series of songs written in that tuning here at http://guitar.about.com/od/alternatetunings/ss/alternate_tune_2.htm.

Drop D Tuning

Although drop D tuning has been around for a long time, the Seattle grunge movement in the early 1990's brought about it's popularity. Drop D tuning was used extensively by bands like Nirvana, partly because it made playing power chords with one finger possible.

Drop D Tuning Tips

• Tune your sixth string down a tone to D. Check the tuning with the fourth (D) string.

Tab of Songs in This Tuning...

Optimistic - This Radiohead track from 2000's Kid A< uses all open strings, including the lowered sixth, to great effect.

Higher - This Creed song in the key of D takes advantage of the detuned open sixth string to make the guitar sound very big and full.

Moby Dick - This Led Zeppelin tune is based on a single note riff that uses the lowered sixth string in drop D tuning.

Heart Shaped Box - One of the many tunes written by Nirvana (and dozens of other grunge bands) that use drop D tuning.

Spoonman - This Soundgarden tune illustrates how you can use one finger to play power chords in drop D tuning. 

Tuning your guitar is crucial to making music.  Whether you are playing guitar alone or in a band, keeping your guitar in tune is one of the most important lessons you will ever learn as a guitar player.

Have fun and stay tuned!


Mike