How to Tune a Guitar

Tuning – At the beginning of the Guitar 1 Start Out Jammin’ DVD, I’ve provided tuning notes to get you started. But here are some instructions on how to tune a guitar without the use of the DVD.

Notice that some of the notes are circled. Press down on the “A” note on the 6th string, 5th fret. Pick that note and the next string open (A). You should hear the same pitch coming from both strings. Think of it like this, the E string, plus five frets, equals the sound of the A string. Let’s continue through the whole process before you actually do any tuning. The “A” string, plus five frets, equals the sound of the “D” string. (Play the 5th fret of the 5th string and compare that sound to the open 4th string). Next, the “G” note, 4th string, 5th fret, should match the pitch of the open 3rd string. The one pair of strings that is tuned differently than all the others is the 3rd and 2nd strings. You will be holding down the 4th fret of the 3rd string (B) and comparing that to the sound of the 2nd string. And last, play the 5th fret of the 2nd string and compare that to the open 1st string (E).

Q & A
1. What if the 6th string is out of tune?
Don’t make any changes until you check all strings. So if the 5th, 4th, and 3rd strings are all in tune to each other, but the 6th is not tuned to the 5th, then that is a pretty good indication that the 6th string must be tuned to match the 5th.
2. What if all the strings are out of tune?
You could:
1. Use the DVD tuning notes.
2. Find someone who plays guitar to help you tune it.
3. Tune the strings to the same notes on a piano or keyboard.
4. Get a tuner (not a chromatic tuner) and make sure somebody shows you how to use it. You should be able to order a tuner from our website.
3. I tuned the guitar and it still sounds out of tune when I strum a chord.
Check with the DVD tuning notes. This is probably your quickest solution. Tuning can be tricky
at first. That is compounded by the fact that less expensive guitars sometimes don’t tune up
as well as more professional models. It takes a while to develop the ear to know what to listen
for when tuning. You can purchase an electronic tuner. This can remedy the situation, but
make sure you don’t get a chromatic tuner, as they are more difficult for a beginner to use.
4. Call us at (916) 549-0387