Guitar Tuning For Beginners

Before you begin playing a guitar you should be sure that it is tuned correctly otherwise the sound that comes out of it might not be the one you wanted to.

Strings are usually tuned in the following order E A D G B E which can be remembered as Every Apple Does Go Bad Eventually or the other way around (E B G D A E) as Every Banana Gets Digested After Eating. The first string is the one that should be tuned to the highest frequency 329.63Hz which is E4 or the tone that is major third above the middle C. The second string is B3 just (minor second) bellow the middle C which is tuned at 246.94 Hz, the third is G at 196.00 Hz, the fourth one is D at 146.83 Hz, the fifth one is A at 110Hz (440 divided pay 2 power 2) which means is 2 octaves below the A that serves as a standard for musical pitch and the last one is E2 (82.41Hz).

If you don't have an absolute pitch which is pretty rare you should be able to tune the guitar with the help of piano or even computer that will play you those tone described above. But if you have a lot of problems with it the best way is to get a guitar tuner which is a device that will help you find the right frequency that your string plays. The cheapest way to do it, is to simply google for guitar tuners and you will find many websites where you can hear E A D G B E tones and tune your guitar.

You should tune your guitar almost every single time before you play it, guitars go out of tune pretty quickly specially if the temperature and humidity is not constant. If you are a beginner don't be worried about tuning, once you will do it several times you will quickly hear if your guitar is not tuned correctly and you will be able to tune it in a matter of seconds.

Learn more about tuning and how to play guitar at Learn to play guitar.

Guitar Tuning - 5 Tips To Help You Stay In Tune

Clean your strings after playing your guitar. Even a short practice session, can leave chemicals and sweat on the strings. If left, over time, this can rust and damage the strings, making tuning impossible. Clean each string individually by wrapping a piece of lint free cloth around the string and running this along the length of the string. Make this a habit after each session and you will help prolong the life of the string and subsequently help keep it's tune longer.

Replace old worn out strings. This is usually indicated by the tuning being correct on the lower part of the fret, but going out of tune as you move up the fret. Alternatively the intonation of the guitar may need correction. If the tuning problem remains after replacing the strings, have the guitar checked by a guitar specialist. If your guitar gets average use, you should try to replace the strings every two to three months.

Apply pre stretching to newly fitted strings. All new strings have a period when initially they stretch easily.
Once fitted and tuned, you will find that they quickly go out of tune as you play. To avoid this, stretch each string individually by lifting the string away from the fret and applying a gentle bouncing action against it. This will gradually remove the inherent give that exists in the new string. After stretching, re tune and try playing again to see if it now stays in tune. If there is still some loss of tune in a short period, repeat the stretching exercise. Eventually you will find that the string stabilizes and stays in tune.

Rub the point of a pencil in the string grooves of the nut. This effectively leaves a deposit of graphite in the groove which acts as a lubricant. This ensures that the string doesn't snag against the groove and upset the tuning. Another problem that can occur with the nut is when the groove is too small for the gauge of the string. The string can then catch in the slot and affect the tune of the guitar. You could either change the strings to a smaller gauge, or have the groove filed out to accommodate the string.

When changing strings, make sure that you wind the new strings properly around the tuning posts. Not paying attention to the winding can lead to string slippage and loss of tension in the string. If your guitar is an acoustic, you sho00001AF0uld also make sure that the ball end of the string is properly positioned against the bridge pin and bridge plate. If it is not properly positioned, it may eventually slip into position while you are playing and cause a sudden loss of tune.

5 Simple steps that should become part of your ongoing maintenance routine for your guitar. Following these will avoid the stress and frustration of your guitar loosing tune and give you a lot more fun playing.

Ken Radwell has produced a free report "Secrets to Success Teaching Yourself Guitar" which can be obtained along with other information and reviews of guitar learning materials via his website http://GuitarSuccessNow.com/freereport.html