Those who are new to playing the guitar are often so anxious to get started that they don’t learn to tune properly. Certainly you should take the time to learn to tune your guitar by ear for many reasons. One of these is that there are times when tuners are not available. Ear tuning is actually quite simple and often times much faster too. Sometimes this type of tuning is necessary to make small adjustments quickly. It takes very little time and effort to learn.
After playing the instrument for a while, most people get pretty good at using their ear to determine whether or not a string is in tune. Of course tuning each string based on its expected tone for a given tuning can be a bit much to ask at first. Instead, getting the low E tuned is a good place to start, and most newcomers are pleased to find they can get pretty close, even without a tuner.
With the sixth string providing the proper pitch, all the other strings can be tuned relative to the sound of the string directly above it. For example, the fifth string should be an A. Picking the sixth string on the fifth fret also results in an A. This means string 5 can be tuned to the sound of string six when played five frets up.
String four, played open, is a D note. This same D can be found on the A string by picking it in the fifth fret. The third string is G, and it should sound exactly like the fourth string played in fret five. Match them and keep moving down.
The second string, also known as B, is where the pattern changes. To play a B on this string it must be picked at the fourth fret. For standard turning this is the only time fret five isn’t used.
Move back up to the fifth fret for the first string. This is high E and should match the tone that results from playing the second string on fret five. Finally, play the first and sixth strings. They should match. Remember the sixth string is Low E and the first string is the same note only one octave higher.
This tuning process will become quite easy with time. It can be an excellent way to learn to tune your guitar by ear and can help get you tuned up in a hurry. Since tuning is based off the pitch of the sixth string, the entire guitar will sound correct even if it is not perfectly in tune as a whole.
Check out our tips on how to learn to tune your guitar by ear now in our overview of the best online musical instrument store and everything you need to know about where to find online guitar tuners