TUNING THE GUITAR It is so important that your guitar is always in tune whenever you practice or perform. Having an out-oftune guitar can be extremely frustrating. There are many ways you can tune the guitar and it s a good idea to learn more than one way, so you always have a backup method. The diagram below shows the note names for the six open strings. The bottom string represents the thickest string on your guitar and is tuned the lowest. The string names from low to high are: E A D G B E. You can use a mnemonic phrase such as Even After Dinner Greedy Boys Eat or Elephants And Donkeys Grow Big Ears to help you memorize the notes. Using a Guitar Tuner Without a doubt, the easiest way to tune your guitar is to use a guitar tuner. There are many different types available, however they all perform the same basic job. A cheap digital tuner (like the one shown to the right) is all you need to tune your guitar, whether it is an acoustic or electric. All digital tunes should allow you to plug an electric guitar in, as well as contain an inbuilt microphone so you can tune acoustic guitars. Digital Tuners are also available as apps on iphones, ipods, ipads, and Android devices as well as other mobile devices. They are often free and do the same basic job as a real tuner. A digital guitar tuner is the safe option for beginners as they are simple to use. Using a Piano or Keyboard If you have a piano or keyboard handy, you can use it to tune your guitar (provided the piano is itself in tune). This method is quite a lot harder than using a digital tuner, as you need to completely use your ears to judge if the strings sound the same as the note produced by the piano. In the below diagram, you can see which notes match up to the six guitar strings. The key with the white square represents middle C. E A D G B E
Using Relative Pitch If one of the strings is currently in tune on your guitar, you can use it to correct other strings that are out of tune. This method is handy if one or two strings become out of tune, as you can easily correct them without having to find a tuner. Again, this method requires you to use your ears, so it may be a little tricky to learn at first. This method isn t as precise as using a digital guitar tuner, but it does do a good job if you don t need to play along with other instruments. Keep in mind that even a slight error on the first string can mean that the entire guitar will end up out of tune after using this method. In the diagram below, the red arrows match up a fretted note to an open string. In other words, both notes are the exact same pitch. The fifth fret on the low E string is the exact same pitch as the open A string. This means you can compare the two to check if they are both relatively in pitch. Follow the method below to tune your guitar this way. NOTE: Before you start, it is essential that the low E string is in tune or this method won t work. 1. Play the 5 th fret on the low E string and compare the pitch to the sound of the open A string. 2. If the open A string sounds higher or lower, adjust the A string s tuning peg until both notes sound exactly the same. This may take a while if the string is greatly out of tune. 3. Once the A string is in tune, play the 5 th fret on the A string and compare the pitch to the open D string. 4. Adjust the open D string s tuning peg until both notes sound exactly the same. 5. Play the 5 th fret on the D string and compare it to the open G string. 6. Adjust the G string s tuning peg until both notes sound the same. 7. Play the 4 th fret on the G string and compare the pitch to the open B string. 8. Adjust the B string s tuning peg until both notes sound the same. 9. Play the 5 th fret on the B string and compare the pitch to the (high) open E string. 10. Adjust the E string s tuning peg until both notes sound the same. This may seem like a lot of work at first, but eventually you will find that this method is an incredibly simple way to fix any string which sounds out of tune. It s also a quick and easy way to check if the strings are currently in tune.
TUNING THE GUITAR (TEACHER S GUIDE) Material can last between 5-15 minutes depending on the skill level of the student. Pre-lesson explanation (~1 minute) Points to discuss with student before walking through content: Explain why it s important to make sure you only play the guitar when it is in tune. Explain that it s hard to learn when the guitar is out of tune, because the bad sound may make you think that you are playing something wrong. Playing with an out-of-tune guitar also makes it harder for your ears to develop and recognize correct pitches. Explain that it will be a little tricky to learn how to tune the guitar at first, but after a bit of practice the student will be able to tune the guitar quickly and effortlessly. String Names Explanation (~2 minutes) Point to the diagram of the fretboard and read out the string names. Play each open string on your guitar while calling out the string names as you go. Mention that the lowest string on the diagram matches up to the lowest pitched string on the guitar. Emphasize that it s important the student doesn t read the diagram upside down; otherwise they will break strings if they try to tune it that way. Mention that this is called standard tuning, or E standard, and is the most common way to tune a guitar. Explain that there are other tunings for guitar that the student can look at later on. Explain that alternate tunings help achieve different sounds for different styles. For example, a dropped tuning such as Drop-C is suitable for some metal styles, while an open tuning such as Open-E is suitable for a folk or blues style. Using a Guitar Tuner Explanation & Demonstration (~2 minutes) Explain that this is the easiest method to use, and the most precise. Recommend that the student purchases a digital guitar tuner so that they can check their tuning at anytime. If they have an iphone or similar, suggest they get a guitar tuner app. If you have a guitar tuner, show it to the student and explain the different features. If your tuner has advanced features such as a metronome, don t mention those features, as the focus should be on the tuning function. Before demonstrating how to use the tuner, adjust your guitar so every string is a bit out of tune. Now walk through how the tuner is used, by using it to tune your guitar up. Explain that the best method is to start from below the correct pitch and slowly work up to the correct pitch. This prevents the string from slipping later on and going out of tune again. If the note starts off above the correct pitch, explain that it is best to turn the tuning peg past the correct pitch so you start off lower, and then work your way up to the correct pitch. This way, the student will always be tuning up to the correct pitch, and the guitar will hold tune better. Tune each string on your guitar explaining the process as you go: o Pick the string and check whether it is lower or higher than the correct pitch o If the note is higher, turn the tuning peg so the note ends up lower than correct pitch o Pick the string again and while the note is ringing out, slowly turn the tuning peg o Continue to re-pick the note so the tuner can clearly hear the string o Continue to adjust the tuning peg until the note is at correct pitch
Using a Guitar Tuner Student Practice (~4 minutes) Before asking the student to try to tune the guitar, make sure every string is at least slightly out of tune. There s no point working through the strings if the guitar is already in tune. Start from the low E string and ask the student what the string name is. Ask them to pick the string and see what note shows up on the tuner s display. If the note is above the correct pitch, remind the student that they should bring the note lower than correct pitch before trying to tune it. Follow the method written above slowly, and remind the student to keep picking the string before they turn the tuning peg. Mention that if they don t pick the string first, there is the chance that they could break the string because they won t hear if they have gone too far. Work slowly through each string until all six strings are in tune. After the student finishes tuning the high E string, ask them to check the strings one more time as the strings often go slightly out of tune straight after an adjustment. Using a Piano or Keyboard Explanation & Demonstration (~3 minutes) If you have a piano or keyboard in the area, it is worth demonstrating this method so the student can see how you use the sound of the keys to tune the guitar. If a piano is not available, explain the method then move on to the next method. Explain that the red dots on the diagram match up with the strings on the guitar, so the student can compare the string pitch with the piano s pitch, and adjust up or down until both sound the same. If you have a piano, demonstrate this by starting on the low E then work your way to the high E string. Show the student how to find the correct keys on the piano. Explain that this method is quite difficult, as it can be hard for a beginner to accurately judge how close together the two pitches are. Using Relative Pitch Explanation & Demonstration (~3 minutes) Explain that this method only works if at least one string is in tune to begin with (preferably the low E string). This method isn t as accurate as using a guitar tuner, so it s still recommended that the student purchase a tuner. This method is an easy way to check if the strings are in tune, and if the student thinks one string is out of tune, using this method will quickly allow them to fix it. Point to the diagram of the fretboard and explain that some of the fretted notes are the exact same pitch as other open strings. For example, show how the open A string is the same pitch as the 5 th fret on the low E string. This means that if the low E string is at the correct pitch, the student can compare the pitch of the 5 th fret and adjust the open A string until it reaches correct pitch. This can be continued across all six strings, as demonstrated by the dotted arrows. Demonstrate this method by following the instructions on the lesson printout. Explain that all you are doing is comparing the pitch of the fretted note to the next open string. The same method applies when actually tuning the string (ie: start from a lower pitch then adjust up).
Using Relative Pitch Student Practice (~4 minutes) Before asking the student to try this method, perform the following test to see how well the student can judge the difference between two pitches: o Pick the 5 th fret on the low E string o Pick the open A string (adjust the tuning slightly so the string is out of tune) o Ask the student if they think the A string needs to be adjusted up or down o If the student gives you a clear answer, adjust the string and continue to ask the question until both notes are the same pitch or until the student can t hear the difference anymore This little test will let you know if the student is ready to try this method or if they need to do some more ear training first. If the student struggles to tell the difference between two slightly different pitches, don t ask them to practice this method, and explain that you will teach it to them later on. If, on the other hand, the student can accurately judge the difference between the two pitches, ask them to follow the instructions on the page for this method. Assist them as they go, and let them know if they are doing anything wrong, such as turning the peg the wrong way or even turning the wrong peg. After the student finishes using this method, ask them to check how they went by using a guitar tuner. If the strings show to be slightly out, explain that it is quite hard to achieve a perfect tuning using this method. Suggested Practice Plan for student 1. The student must tune their guitar every time they practice. The preferred method for a beginner is to use the guitar tuner. If one isn t available, they will have to use one of the alternative methods described on the printout. 2. The student should practice using the relative pitch method, to help improve their ability to compare two similar pitches. 3. If the student uses the relative pitch method, they should always check how close they were to correct pitch by using a guitar tuner.