Tuning Your Guitar

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What is tuning?

The most important part to playing music is making sure your guitar is in tune. If your guitar is out of tune, you might as well not play. What is tuning? Tuning is the notes that are produced by the strings when they are played open. When a guitar is in standard tuning, the strings should make the notes E, A, D, G, B, E when open. The strings are numbered from smallest to biggest 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The biggest string is E and the smallest is E as well, sometime the 1st string is signified as a lowercase E, or ‘e.’

Tuning Your Guitar

Tuning by ear is possible, but the best way to tune is by using an electronic tuner. Since tones move smoothly between one another and don’t click into place the only way to make sure that your guitar is perfectly in tune. An E note can be flat and still be an E, only a tuner knows if it is sharp of flat.

Buying a electronic tuner when you first start playing is a must. Especially during the first few months of playing you may not be able to tell if your guitar is out of tune. This can be few dangerous to your ear because you will be learning chords and hearing them out of tune. This can potentially train your ear to think that a G chord sounds like an out of tune guitar. Just make sure to buy a tuner and tune before you practice, then strum the strings open or play a chord you know so you can learn what they sounds like in tune.

Making those first… noises…

When you first plug in make sure the volume on your guitar is up and your amp is turned on and up to about 20% volume. Pluck the strings with your pick or your fingernails. Either play the strings open or push your finger down on top of one between two of the metal frets to play a fretted note.

Plucking

If you’re using a pick, hold it between your thumb and one side of your index finger. This is much like holding a pencil with your index finger. If you are using your fingers, there are many ways to pluck the strings. You can brush them with your thumb, flick with your fingers, or use your fingernails as a pick.

For more Free Bass Guitar Lessons, please visit our site for Free Online Guitar Lessons
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David Coates has been playing guitar his whole life, and is presently a team member of a Free Online Guitar Lessons site. The site features free tools, lessons and resources for guitarists of all ages and stages. So if you are interested in learning to play guitar there will be an enormous variety of tip, tools and tutorials for you.