Saturday, June 4, 2011

Tips On How To Tune Your Guitar

By Jack Wogan


These past few years, more and more young people (and older ones as well) have started taking an interest in music, whether by going to concerts or by studying and even learning how to play an instrument. For instance, many choose the guitar, as it is not exactly hard to master and can accompany just about any type of music, from rock to jazz and even classical music. When learning how to play the guitar, one of the first things you need to grasp is the "art" of tuning it so that the pitch will be perfect.

First of all, know that you need to tune your guitar every time you start playing, or at least check the pitch. These instruments can go out of tune quite quickly, especially if kept in areas with extreme temperatures or inappropriate conditions. Plus, checking the pitch will only take a few minutes and it will insure that the music you're playing is both correct and esthetically pleasing.

You might know or have seen that some players tune their guitars by ear. However, this technique is best left to the professionals or at least those with a little bit more experience under their belts. Until then, it's best to use a tuner or a pitch fork to help you determine the pitch of the Low E string, then tune the rest by ear. In time, this will improve your musical hearing and it will make you a better artist as well. As for the instruments per se, they don't need to be expensive, regular tuners will do just fine. However, if you plan on playing in crowded, noisy places, an electronic tuner might be a better choice.

Thirdly, you need to be aware that tuning should always be done by first going below the desired pitch (which means loosening the string), then going up by tightening it. This way, you will prevent the note from going flat while you play, which could really ruin the entire song for you. Another thing you could do if you notice the pitch is too high is stretch the string a bit, to give it some slack, and then readjust it.

Finally, there's always the option of getting a more experienced friend set up the guitar for you the first couple of times, just so that you will learn how it's done. However, that is not by any chance a permanent solution, nor is it one that will help you on the long run. After all, you will always need to tune your guitar, so you might as well start learning from the beginning.




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