Whether you've been playing for years, or have just started to do so, you'll agree that tuning your guitar correctly is one of the most important things to learn. A lot of people (including myself) are autodidacts, and still haven't learned how to get the right sound, so I'm here to teach you how to do it. (There are many types of tuning methods, but in this session, I'll teach you how to do the Standard Tune).
Every string has its own name, according to the note it plays when you're not pressing it down on a fret. They go like this:
E - the thickest one (6th)
A - 5th
D - 4th
G - 3rd
B - 2nd
E - the thinnest one (1st)
You can remember them easily: Eddie Ate Dynamite, Goodbye Eddie. Now let's move on to the steps.
Step 1:
Use a tuner to tune the 6th string as perfectly as possible. You will use this string to tune the others.
Step 2:
Press the 6th string on the 5th fret, and adjust the 5th string until both sound the same.
Step 3:
Press the 5th string on the 5th fret, and adjust the 4th string until both sound the same.
Step 4:
Repeat that same method with the rest of the strings.
Important things that you need to know to keep your guitar sounding pretty:
- Always start tuning with a lower note, and work your way up. This will prevent it from sounding flat, and will also reduce the chance of string-snapping.
- Take care of your instrument: hitting your guitar will create ugly scratches, and it can also ruin the sound.
- Carrying the guitar in a case can mess up the tune, so fix it every time you take it out.
- When changing a string, always make sure it's stretched, because if it's not, it won't sound like it should.
- You can use a tuner, but work on developing your ear ability.
There you have it, short and sweet. Hope you enjoyed it.
