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| | Setting up and Tuning Your Guitar
| An article from Used Guitars and Amplifiers
| | Check the state of your guitar strings, do they need changing ? Guitar strings wear out with use and need changing regularly - if it's been a couple of months since you changed them (or less if you play every day), or the strings look rusty or discoloured fit a new set of strings. They'll make the guitar easier to tune and easier to play.
You should tune your guitar every time you use it. One of the reasons that beginners often struggle to play something that sounds right is that their guitar is badly tuned. Guitars will go out of tune very quickly so help yourself to play better by getting into the habit of tuning your guitar every time you pick it up.
You can tune manually or by using an electronic tuner. For beginners an electronic tuner will make the process much easier and allow you to get on with learning to play your guitar much more quickly.
Guitar strings from thickest to thinnest (lowest to highest pitch):
6th - E - thickest and lowest pitch
5th - A
4th - D
3rd - G
2nd - B
1st - E - thinnest and highest pitch
Tuning a guitar with an electronic tuner. Using the tuner's built in microphone to pick up the sound, pluck the string you wish to tune. The tuner will have a meter or a light to tell you how close the sound is to the correct pitch. Adjust the string and repeat until the tuner shows the string is in tune.
Tuning a guitar manually. If you have a reference handy (such as a piano) you can tune your guitar's 6th string to the first E below middle C on the piano. This is the most accurate method, however if you're playing alone or with a group of instruments tuned together then absolute tuning is not necessary - what really matters is that the guitar is in tune with itself and with the other instruments it's played with.
Tuning is done by using the bottom E string as a reference, so tune the bottom E string first - either by reference to another instrument (e.g the piano), or by ear - since this is the thickest string it will probably be in tune anyway.
Tune the A string (5th)
Play an A note on the bottom E string - first finger of left hand behind the fifth fret - now pluck the A string and compare the sounds. Adjust the 5th string tuning peg and repeat until they sound the same.
Tune the D string (4th)
Play a D note on the A string - first finger of left hand behind the fifth fret - now pluck the D string and compare the sounds. Adjust the 4th string tuning peg and repeat until they sound the same.
Tune the G string (3rd)
Play a G note on the D string - first finger of left hand behind the fifth fret - now pluck the G string and compare the sounds. Adjust the tuning peg and repeat until they sound the same.
Tune the B string (2nd)
Play a B note on the G string - first finger of left hand behind the fourth fret - now pluck the B string and compare the sounds. Adjust the tuning peg and repeat until they sound the same.
Tune the top E string (1st)
Play an E note on the B string - first finger of left hand behind the fifth fret - now pluck the E string and compare the sounds. Adjust the tuning peg and repeat until they sound the same.
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