How to tune a guitar at home for a beginner (3 photos)

Standard guitar tuning

Tuning a guitar requires each string to sound a specific note. The set of notes of all strings is called the tuning of a guitar. Tuning a 6-string guitar can be done in different tunings, but we will focus on the most common - classical tuning, which is more often called standard guitar tuning.

In short, any tuning is written as a sequence of notes of the open strings from the first to the sixth. The standard tuning is written like this:

EBGDAE

What does it mean in Russian:

Mi Si Sol Re La Mi

As you can see, the first and sixth strings sound the note E , but in the case of the sixth string it is the E of the second octave (thick string), and the first string sounds the E of the fourth octave (thin). There will be more about this a little later.

What is tone and semitone

This is the distance from one note to another. The notes are connected into a scale that follows special rules. Between C and D there is one tone, but two semitones. This is because between “do” and “re” there is an alteration sign - “flat” or “sharp”. The rule applies to both upward and downward movements.

Up we “add” the note - that is, we put a sharp, and down we “decrease” - that is, we put a flat. Also, between “si” and “do” there is only a semitone, as well as between “mi” and “fa”.

On a guitar, a semitone is two adjacent frets of the same string. The arrangement of notes on the fretboard also follows the laws of music theory.

Guitar tuner

In the age of technology, it would be strange if there was no gadget for tuning a guitar. But it exists and there are just a lot of options. Not only is this a very convenient thing, it is also very cheap.

This is a small clothespin that attaches to the headstock, i.e. to the place where the pegs are on the guitar. The clothespin contains a sensor that detects sound vibrations coming from the strings. Thanks to this, the tuner does not pick up external noise.

We will look at what these strange letters on the screen are, but for now I want to please you. The cost of this miracle on AliExpress is only $3. In music stores, such tuners are sold many times more expensive. I recommend purchasing it if necessary. It will come in handy, I use this myself. It's better to buy in this store .

Using a software tuner

The principle is the same as that of a hardware tuner - you pull a string, and the screen shows whether it is tuned correctly. To tune your guitar using your computer and phone, connect the guitar to a device or provide a microphone that receives the sound. Tuning with a software tuner (especially through a microphone) is less accurate, but you can find free options. You cannot use a software tuner at a concert or when going outdoors.

We looked at ways to tune a guitar that are used by beginner and advanced guitarists. Professionals tune the guitar using harmonics (guitar playing techniques) and check the tuning in additional ways. This type of tuning requires an ear for music and experience, and simpler options are also suitable for us. Now you understand how to tune a 6-string guitar, and you won’t be confused when you come home with a brand new instrument!

Tuner for tuning a guitar on your phone

Today there is more than one online service for tuning a guitar. There are also quite a few programs for PCs, for example Guitar Pro allows you to do this. But it is much more convenient to install the application on your smartphone and not depend on the Internet and/or computer.

There are tons of guitar tuning apps for smartphones. But the most complete and advanced among them all was and remains to this day the gStrings guitar tuner. I've been using it for 5 years now.

You can download it from Google Play Market .

Or via direct link : [1.7 MB]

After all the changes made by the developers, the application has become maximally adapted to living conditions. You just need to take your phone out of your pocket, open the app and start plucking strings, not necessarily guitar strings. The application is omnivorous and is great for tuning a guitar, as well as for tuning a bass guitar, violin and any other instrument. Even the drums were once pulled up on it.

At the top of the tuner screen are consecutive notes. In the center is a tuned note, and an arrow indicates what to do with this note. If the arrow is to the left of the center of the screen, it means the note is not played. If it’s to the right, it’s overtightened.

A note is considered tuned if the arrow points to the center, i.e. on the note itself, while its color changes, in this case from gray to white. Today, all tuners have a similar intuitive interface.

As already shown above, notes are indicated by the first letters of the English alphabet. The letters go as in the English alphabet, in order, but starting with the note A:

• Do - C
• D - D
• Mi - E
• Fa - F
• Salt G
• A - A
• C - B

When talking about standard tuning, octaves were mentioned. Which octave a note belongs to is indicated in the program by a number next to the note. Under the note, its frequency is indicated in Hertz (Hz). The current sound frequency is shown in the center of the screen. For standard tuning this is:

• 1 string – E4 – 329.63 Hz
• 2nd string – B3 – 246.94 Hz
• 3rd string – G3 – 196.00 Hz
• 4th string – D3 – 146.83 Hz
• 5th string – A2 – 110.00Hz
• 6th string – E2 – 82.41 Hz

Don't get confused! Otherwise, at best you will break the string, at worst you will damage the guitar.

How to tune a guitar

This article covers the basic ways to tune a 6-string guitar, including:

• — online;
• — using a smartphone;
• — by tuner (separate electronic device);
• - by ear on a piano or other instrument;
• - by frets;
• - by tuning fork.

The tuning of a 12-string guitar, as well as a bass guitar, is considered.

General recommendations are given that are valid for tuning guitars in any way.

Table of contents

• General recommendations
• Standard guitar tuning
• Guitar tuning online
• Tuning a guitar using a tuner (with video)
• Guitar tuning apps (with video)
• How to learn to tune a guitar by ear
• Tuning a guitar to a piano or other instrument (by ear)
• Tuning a guitar by frets (by ear)
• Setting other than standard A = 440 Hz
• Tuning a guitar using a tuning fork (by ear)
• How to tune a guitar a tone or a semitone lower
• How to tune a guitar higher
• Tuning a 12-string guitar
• Bass guitar tuning

General recommendations

The following guidelines apply to all guitar tuning methods described in this article.

1. When tuning, be sure to sound confidently, not too loud and not too soft. This can be done either with a pick or with your fingers.
2. Do not cut off the sound of the string immediately, let it sound - both the tuner and the human ear will more accurately determine the pitch of the sound. In addition, it is convenient to tune the string with a peg during the sound - you can immediately monitor the change in pitch by ear or using the tuner.
3. If a string sounds too high, first loosen it so that the sound becomes slightly lower than desired, then tighten it to the required height - this will help it stay in tune better when playing. The following video shows how to do this. On it, first you can see from the tuner that the first string is high, then I weaken it a little more than necessary, then I tune it exactly:
4. Check your guitar's tuning frequently, especially when performing in public or recording in the studio. A guitar's tuning is affected by many factors (humidity, temperature, playing style, etc.), and it can go out of tune when you don't expect it. An out-of-tune guitar will ruin the performance experience for both you and your listeners, and when recording in the studio it will lead to marriage.
5. After tuning all the strings, double-check their tuning again, especially if some strings were very out of tune. The fact is that when you tune the strings, you change their tension, and this slightly deforms the body of the guitar. These deformations are not dangerous, but they can upset the remaining, already tuned, strings.
6. Sometimes the poor technical condition of the guitar does not allow it to be accurately tuned. Old strings, too high a string height above the fretboard, poorly tuned scale (the length of the sounding part of the string) and a number of other factors can cause precisely tuned open strings to sound out of tune when pressed against the fretboard. If the reasons for this situation cannot be found and eliminated on your own, take the guitar to a luthier or ask a more experienced guitarist for help.

Standard guitar tuning

Most often, guitars are tuned to the so-called standard tuning. It is also called classic.

The standard tuning is generally accepted for classical (Spanish) guitars with nylon strings, and for acoustic guitars with metal strings, and for electric guitars.

In standard tuning, the open (i.e. not pressed against the fingerboard) strings of a six-string guitar correspond to the following sounds:

• 1 string (the thinnest) - E of the first octave (E4)
• 2nd string – B small octave (B3)
• 3rd string – small octave G (G3)
• 4th string – D small octave (D3)
• 5th string - A major octave (A2)
• 6th string (thickest) - high octave E (E2)

It is convenient to record the tuning of a guitar by putting in a row the letter designations of the sounds of open strings. The standard tuning would be written like this (from the sixth string to the first): E2, A2, D3, G3, B3, E4. Octave numbers are often omitted: E, A, D, G, B, E. Sometimes they are written in reverse order, from the first string to the sixth: E, B, G, D, A, E.

In the standard tuning, the note A of the first octave (A4) corresponds to a frequency of 440 Hz - this is the modern generally accepted standard for tuning musical instruments.

Guitar tuning online

This section provides two ways to tune your guitar online. The first requires an ear for music, the second requires the presence of a microphone.

The first way is that you listen to the recorded sounds of finely tuned strings and tune your guitar strings to sound the same:

1st string - E sound of the first octave (E4):

2nd string - small octave B sound (B3)

3rd string - small octave G sound (G3)

4th string - small octave D sound (D3)

5th string - A major octave sound (A2)

6th string - large octave E sound (E2)

The second way is to use an online tuner that works directly in the browser. This tuner requires a microphone to operate. Mobile devices usually have a microphone, but for other cases a separate external microphone or a microphone from a connected webcam is suitable.

I tested several online tuners, and it turned out that not all work adequately. Here are two that have successfully passed testing on both a computer and a smartphone:

https://www.tuneronline.ru/

https://www.alexdemartos.es/wtuner/

The process of tuning a guitar using an online tuner is no different from tuning using any other tuner and is described in the next section.

Tuning a guitar using a tuner (with video)

To tune by tuner, do the following:

1. Play the sound from an open string (for example, the first string).
2. Based on the tuner readings, use the peg to adjust the string until the tuner shows that it is tuned accurately. It is more convenient to tune a string when it sounds - then the tuner will show the change in pitch in real time.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for all strings.

The following video shows the tuning of all strings using a clip-on tuner:

Many tuners have several modes. To tune your guitar, use Guitar or Chromatic mode.

In guitar mode, the tuner focuses only on those notes that correspond to the open strings of the guitar, and automatically determines which string you are tuning based on the pitch of the sound.

This is convenient, but, firstly, sometimes the tuner makes a mistake and you have to set the string manually (if such an option is provided), and secondly, if the string is very out of tune, the tuner in guitar mode will go off scale: its indicator will be in one of the extreme positions. This will show that the sound is too high or low (depending on the position of the indicator), but there will be no information about how much.

In this case, you will have to change the tension of the string by ear in the desired direction until the pitch of the sound approaches the correct one. Then the tuner indicator will come out of its extreme position and according to its readings it will be possible to accurately tune the string.

These problems can be avoided by using chromatic mode, in which the tuner detects not only open string notes, but any notes in general. If a string is very out of tune, the tuner in chromatic mode will not go off scale, but will show the note that this out of tune string produces. This note will be different from the “correct” one, that is, the one that corresponds to this string in standard tuning. You will need to change the string tension so that this "wrong" note becomes the "right" note. To do this, you must be able to navigate the notes and know which notes the open strings are tuned to.

The types of tuners, their features and recommendations for selection are described in a separate article.

If you have an electric-acoustic guitar, it may already have a built-in tuner - check it out!

Guitar tuning apps (with video)

Instead of a tuner made as a separate device, you can use a smartphone application. I recommend using the free GuitarTuna app. Tuning a guitar with it is shown in the video:

When tuning using any tuner application, place the smartphone with the microphone to the guitar. Keep in mind that the microphone picks up not only the sound of your guitar, but also ambient noise - try to minimize this noise during setup.

How to learn to tune a guitar by ear

To successfully tune a guitar by ear, you need to be able to determine when the sounds are different in pitch (and which one is higher and which one is lower), and when they are the same, that is, they sound in unison.

For example, in piano tuning, you play a sound on an open string, then play the note corresponding to that string on the piano, hear the two sounds, and determine whether they differ in pitch. If they differ, then by adjusting the string, you bring its sound closer to the sound of the piano, achieving unison.

You can learn to compare sounds in height with the help of exercises that generally look like this:

1. Listen to sounds with a known difference in pitch, paying attention to your auditory sensations. You can do this yourself by playing different notes on a musical instrument.
2. Listen to sounds of different pitches without knowing in advance which one is higher, then determine the difference by ear and check the answer. For such exercises you will need the help of a partner or a special program for a computer or smartphone.

Let’s move from sounds of different pitches to identical ones, i.e. to unison. If the sounds are close to unison, but slightly different, then when they sound simultaneously, you will hear characteristic beats - periodic changes in volume. These beats are rarer the closer the sounds are to unison, and with exact unison there are no beats at all.

This phenomenon can be used to tune in unison: you first need to bring the sounds closer to each other, then, gradually adjusting the string, remove the beats or at least achieve their low frequency - say, once every few seconds.

Listen to the audio example:

In this recording, two sounds are heard simultaneously. At first there is a semitone between the sounds, then this difference gradually decreases, and the beats become more and more distinct. They can be heard especially well from the tenth to the thirteenth second of the recording. As the sounds approach each other, the frequency of the beats decreases, and finally they practically disappear - the notes sound in unison.

In a similar way, you can use beats to tune sounds into an octave, and this is also often used when tuning by ear.

Tuning a guitar to a piano or other instrument (by ear)

The figure below shows the notes on a piano corresponding to the open strings of a guitar in standard tuning. The C note of the first octave (C4) is also indicated for ease of orientation: if the keyboard is full-size (88 keys, including black), this note is located close to its center.

To tune a guitar to a piano, do the following for each string:

1. Extract a sound from an open string and play the note corresponding to that string on the piano.
2. When finely tuned, these sounds are equal in pitch. If they differ, adjust the string.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you have tuned the string.

This way you can tune the guitar not only to the piano, but also to any other instrument that can produce sounds of the desired pitch.

Tuning a guitar by frets (by ear)

Fret tuning is based on the fact that on a finely tuned guitar, the string clamped at the 5th fret and the open adjacent thinner string produce sounds of the same pitch (i.e., they sound in unison). The exception is the 3rd string, which for the same effect must be clamped not on the fifth, but on the fourth fret.

This principle is depicted in the figure below. The notes in the colored circles on the left side of the picture correspond to open strings, and on the right - the sounds of the strings pressed on those frets where these sounds are indicated. Sounds of the same pitch are indicated by the same color and are connected by a line of the same color.

When pressing the string to the fingerboard, do not apply excessive force - this may further increase its sound, which will lead to inaccurate tuning.

A) Tuning on 1 string:

1. Press the 2nd string at the 5th fret. Extract the sound alternately from it and the open 1st string. If the sounds differ in pitch, then by adjusting the 2nd string, make sure that, being clamped at the 5th fret, it sounds in unison with the open first.
2. Clamp the 3rd string on the 4th (!) fret, tune it in unison with the open second.
3. Hold the 4th string at the 5th fret and tune it in unison with the open third.
4. Hold the 5th string at the 5th fret and tune it in unison with the open 4th.
5. Hold the 6th string at the 5th fret and tune it in unison with the open fifth.

B) Tuning on the 6th string:

1. Press the 6th string to the 5th fret. Extract the sound alternately from it and the open 5th string. If the sounds differ in pitch, adjust the open 5th string so that it sounds in unison with the 6th string, clamped at the 5th fret.
2. Hold the 5th string at the 5th fret and tune the open 4th in unison with it.
3. Hold the 4th string at the 5th fret and tune the open 3rd string in unison with it.
4. Clamp the 3rd string at the 4th (!) fret, tune the open second string in unison with it.
5. Hold the 2nd string at the 5th fret and tune the open 1st string in unison with it.

By combining both described methods, you can tune the guitar to any string. For example, to tune on the 3rd string, follow steps 3-5 from list A and steps 4-5 from list B.

Please note: when tuning by frets, one string is considered already tuned, i.e. it is taken as a standard, and the others are tuned relative to it.

This leads to the fact that if fret tuning is inaccurate, errors accumulate. For example, you tuned the second string slightly inaccurately to the first - the second string is now tuned incorrectly. Then you tuned the third string on the second string with a small error, but the tuning error on the second string will also be added to this error! As a result, it may turn out that the guitar still plays poorly after tuning.

Therefore, after tuning by frets in the manner described above, also check the sound of the octaves - this will help identify and eliminate inaccuracies. The following figure shows the notes that form an octave using the same colors on the fretboard.

Test each pair by listening to both notes sounding simultaneously - there should be no beats in the sound. If there are any, eliminate them as described in the section “How to learn to tune a guitar by ear,” but do not touch the reference string on which you tuned the others.

Before tuning by frets, the reference string should, in theory, be tuned by some external standard, for example, by another instrument. If such a standard is not at hand, you can simply take one string as a standard and tune the rest according to it. In this case, the guitar note frequencies will certainly differ from the generally accepted ones. This case is discussed in the next section.

Setting other than standard A = 440 Hz

When played solo, the guitar is perceived as well-tuned when the sounds produced form precise musical intervals. This happens when the necessary mathematical relationships are maintained between the frequencies of sounds.

However, the standard tuning precisely specifies not only the relationships between the frequencies of notes, but also these frequencies themselves: the A note of the first octave (A4) in the standard tuning has a frequency of 440 Hz, and the remaining notes are aligned relative to it. This ensures that different instruments configured to a standard will build with each other.

What happens if we tune the guitar so that the required intervals between sounds are met, but the frequencies of these sounds differ from the generally accepted ones?

Imagine the situation: there is no tuner or other instrument at hand, so we do not notice that the pitch of the first string is slightly lower than the standard one, and we tune the remaining strings according to it, using fret tuning. As a result, the sound of 1 string, clamped at the 5th fret (A of the first octave), has a frequency not of 440 Hz, but, say, 430 Hz, but all other strings are precisely tuned relative to the first, so the required ratios are maintained between the frequencies of all notes.

When played solo, such a guitar will be perceived as well tuned. There will be no problems when singing with this guitar, because the vocalist, one might say, tunes his voice in real time by ear, focusing on the accompaniment.

However, when playing in an ensemble with an instrument that is tuned to the standard, you will hear that the instruments are not in tune with each other. To solve this problem, you need to configure them the same.

Sometimes you have to deliberately resort to non-standard settings. For example, there are folk instruments that, due to their design, cannot be tuned, and the frequencies of their notes differ noticeably from the standard ones. To play in an ensemble, you will have to tune all the other instruments according to this instrument.

In such cases, tune the guitar by ear to another (non-standardly tuned) instrument, or use a tuner that allows you to change the reference frequency so that it differs from 440 Hz.

Tuning a guitar using a tuning fork (by ear)

A tuning fork is a device that produces a sound of a certain pitch (see photo). You can tune musical instruments by the sound of a tuning fork. Most often this is a sound with a frequency of 440 Hz - the note A of the first octave (A4). Thanks to the widespread availability of electronic tuners, tuning forks are used less and less.

To tune a guitar using a 440 Hz tuning fork (A4), hold down 1 string at the 5th fret - the A4 note should be there. Extract the sound and compare it with the sound of a tuning fork. Tune 1 string so that the sounds become the same pitch. After this, tune all the other strings one string at a time, as described in point A of the “Tuning the guitar by frets” section.

If your tuning fork produces a different note than A of the first octave, you need to find a string and fret on the guitar that corresponds to this note, play it, compare it with the sound of the tuning fork, adjust the string if necessary, then tune the rest using this string using a combination of points A and B section “Tuning the guitar by frets”.

How to tune a guitar a tone or a semitone lower

Sometimes, for one reason or another, you need to tune your guitar a half step or a whole step lower than the standard tuning suggests.

Some tuners have special modes for this. If you don't have them, use the chromatic mode that most tuners have, or tune by ear using a piano or other instrument. You need to tune the strings to the following notes:

When tuning a tone lower : D2, G2, C3, F3, A3, D4 (from the sixth string to the first).

When tuning a semitone lower : D#2, G#2, C#3, F#3, A#3, D#4 (from the sixth string to the first), or, which is the same, Eb2, Ab2, Db3, Gb3, Bb3, Eb4.

How to tune a guitar higher

Do not do that!

Strings that are too tight can break on their own, or worse, they can damage the guitar by putting undue stress on it.

Instead of tuning your guitar higher, keep it in standard tuning and use a capo, a special clamp that presses all the strings against the neck at the same time. The photo shows a capo mounted on the second fret.

Tuning a 12-string guitar

The strings of a 12-string guitar are arranged in six groups of two strings. Each group replaces one string of a regular 6-string guitar, and when playing, the sound turns out to be more saturated, since instead of one string, two sound at once.

In the first and second groups, both strings are the same in thickness, and they are also tuned the same (in unison).

In groups three to six, the strings have different thicknesses. They are tuned to the octave: a thick string to the lower note, and a thin string to the upper note of the octave.

When tuning one string of the group, you can, for convenience, mute the second, for example, with the free finger of your right hand.

The standard tuning of a 12-string guitar is written in letters like this (from thick strings to thin strings):

[E3, E2], [A3, A2], [D4, D3], [G4, G3], [B3, B3], [E4, E4]

Square brackets represent groups of strings.

When tuning with the tuner, keep in mind that in guitar mode it may not be able to handle automatic string detection because the open strings of a typical 6-string guitar do not include G4, D4, A3, and E3. To solve this problem, use either the 12-string guitar mode, if available, or the chromatic mode.

Bass guitar tuning

The strings of a 4-string bass guitar are tuned to the same notes as the third, fourth, fifth and sixth strings of a regular 6-string guitar, just an octave lower. The sounds produced are E1, A1, D2, G2 (from thick string to thin string).

On a 5-string bass guitar, the fifth string typically extends the instrument's range downward and is tuned to the B note of the subcontractave (B0). The first four strings are tuned the same as a 4-string bass. The resulting notes are B0, E1, A1, D2, G2 (from thick string to thin string).

Tuners often have a special mode for tuning a bass guitar. If it is not available, you can always use the chromatic mode.

Tuning a 6 string guitar by notes

Today, given that everyone has a smartphone or two in their pocket, this option for tuning a guitar can be considered outdated, but you shouldn’t write it off. One way or another, everyone who plans to continue playing the guitar should know it. You never know, suddenly the battery on your smartphone runs out)

The method is based on the fact that each subsequent string is tuned to the previous one by ear, by resonance. As we already know, the open first string produces the note E. If we hold the second string at the fifth fret, we will also get the same E and a resonance will arise between them, i.e. they will begin to enhance each other's sound.

This means that in order to tune the second string, it needs to sound the same as the open first string at the fifth fret. Therefore, we clamp the second string at the fifth fret, pluck the first string, and then the second, and try to determine whether the second string sounds higher or lower.

At the same time, to make it easier to determine whether the second string is understretched or overtightened, you can move from the fifth fret to other frets and look for which fret the resonance will occur on. If it occurs on higher frets (6,7,8...) then the second string should be tightened even more. If resonance occurs if you hold the second string at lower frets (1-4), then the second string is overtightened.

Low tuning strings

If you plan to lower the tuning of your guitar by more than one tone, it is recommended to change the strings to thicker ones, which is due to the weakening of their tension. For tunings below B (B), baritones (longer scale guitars) are usually used.

In the case of lower tunings relative to strings, universal advice can be given: the strings should be thicker than with standard tunings. How much thicker and how not to overdo it? Let's figure it out.

String tension decreases with lower tuning, so thicker strings are needed to provide sufficient tension. If you look closely at a pack of strings, you can almost certainly find recommendations: for what tuning a given set of strings is optimal, you can deviate from these recommendations by a couple of tones.

In general, the choice of strings by diameter and tension is a strictly individual thing, but some general recommendations can be given.

The following factors influence the choice of strings.

• Guitar scale length

  - the longer its length, the greater the tension of the strings, the thicker the strings you will need.

• String tension

  : the higher the tension of the strings, the thicker they are and give a more powerful and voluminous sound, but less saturated with overtones, which is due to the lower vibration amplitude of thick strings. Their sound is duller and flatter, which is especially noticeable on unwound strings.

• Third string

  : with sets of regular strings it comes without winding (plain), and in sets of thick strings (when the first string has a thickness of 12 or more) - with braid (wound). The braid increases the tension, so bending one and a half to two tones will become impossible, but the braided string sounds much fuller and richer at lower tunings.

To use drop tuning, unbalanced sets of strings (9-46, 10-52, 11-52, 12-56/60) are perfect, when the sixth string is lowered a tone relative to the first.

The thickest sets of strings (12-60, 13-72, etc.) are used for long-scale baritone guitars with a scale length of 26 inches or more. Such strings are usually used in very low tunings.

If you want to use thick strings for lower tuning instruments with a standard scale, then you may encounter three problems:

• there may simply not be enough options for adjusting the scale on the bridge, since a lower tuning requires its reconfiguration, in which case either the bridge is changed or a thinner set of strings is used;
• thick strings can bore out the string grooves on the nut if they can fit there, making it difficult to fine-tune when switching back to thin strings;
• thick strings may not fit into the peg, so it will have to be bored out.

It is also worth remembering that playing on thick strings will be quite problematic for people with small hands. Thicker strings will be ideal for riff-oriented music.

Guitar beats and tuning

When you come very close to the desired note and the difference between the notes is very close, so-called beats occur. Beating is the result of a slight difference between two close frequencies that are trying to resonate, but because of the slight difference, the sound is either strengthened or weakened. Graphically it looks like this:

When tuning an acoustic guitar, the beats are not only perceptible by ear, but also clearly felt by the body when touching the soundboard (body) of the guitar. This is especially noticeable on the upper bass strings, due to their thickness and lower sound frequency.

The closer the sounds of two notes correspond to each other (the second string on the fifth fret and the open first), the faster the beats will occur. And when the notes coincide, the beats will stop altogether. You just have to feel it and then you can adjust it without thinking.

By analogy for the other strings. The third string should sound the same as the second open string when plucked at the fourth fret. To tune the 4th, 5th and 6th strings, you should clamp them at the fifth fret and compare their sound with the sound of the previous string.

It turns out that all strings except the third are tuned according to the resonance between them at the fifth fret and the previous string, and the third string is similar, but is clamped at the fourth fret.

Using the pedals

To quickly lower the tuning of a guitar, you can use guitar effects designed for this purpose, such as DIGITECH THE DROP.

The DIGITECH THE DROP Guitar Effect is a custom polyphonic drop pedal that can do two things: drop a guitar's tuning and act like a traditional octaver. Lowering the scale is possible either by several semitones (from one to seven) or by a whole octave. A separate mode lowers the tuning by an octave and adds the original sound of the guitar, creating an “octaver” effect. You can change your tuning without changing your guitar, which is very convenient during performances or rehearsals, but for studio recording it is still better to use manual downtuning of the guitar.

Do you want to add a new sound to your instrument, get a lower, “heavier” sound, or play spectacular riffs? Try lower guitar tunings and experiment in your creativity!

Sheet music for guitar tuning

This way you can tune the guitar in reverse order or starting from any string, but there is one weak point in this method. Initially, one of the strings must be tuned from outside. The tuning fork was invented for these purposes. A standard tuning fork produces an A note with a frequency of 440 Hz. Those. This is the first string on the fifth fret.

Especially for you, a 20-second file with the note A (440Hz) produced by a standard tuning fork was created in the Audacity audio editor. Well, at the same time, 20 seconds of the sound of the first string.

Music lessons

Do you want to learn how to tune an electric or acoustic guitar, learn how to play different songs, complex music, or just start doing something creative? Come to your first free lesson at our music school Future Music!

We are located at the Taganskaya metro station, a 4-minute walk. We are waiting for you every day from 10 am to 10 pm!

What other musical directions do we have:

• Violin;
• Piano;
• Saxophone;
• Ukulele;
• Flute;
• Vocals

We are constantly expanding the number and variety of musical directions in our music school. Call and find out if your instrument is also on our list!

general information

We'll look at a more common method to tune a guitar a semitone lower. Many rock bands add the E-flat scale to their repertoire. This is due to the desire to sound a little lower, as well as with numerous transitions through the open sixth, which adds a rocker flavor.

Also, this technique can be used by vocalists who find it easier to sing ½ tone lower. This will not require a capo or moving your hand through other positions.