What Are Some Tuning Tips for Guitar?
Back from the road and full of turkey and gravy, I thought that I would talk just a little bit today about tuning tips. I keep going to shows where the people playing their guitars can't quite get it in tune. Piano players are off the hook, but you guitar players need to address this, even as you are playing.
To begin with, it helps to have an on stage tuner that you can plug into if you have a guitar with a pickup. But let's say that you don't. From a pitchfork or a piano or another musician, get an E. As a matter of fact get both E's. If you have no access to any pitch, you can get pretty close by doing what I have done many times. The lowest note that I can actually hit and use as a viable singing note, happens to be E. But it doesn't matter, find out which is the lowest note that you can hit. Yes, it will vary a little depending upon the time of day and what kind of shape your voice is in, but essentially you will get a pitch from which you can derive a frame of reference.
The first thing that I do after I have the E that I want is to hit the harmonic on the 6th string at the 12th fret, then i go to the 7th fret of the 5th string and play that note (not the harmonic, but the note). It should be the same note. If it isn't then adjust it until it is. Then go to 4th string at the second fret. It should also be the same note and once again, adjust it until it is the same note.
Now go to the 12th fret and the 5th string and do the same routine just moving it one string down from the E. The same pattern will work until you get to the 3rd string (the G). Now you must go to the 8th fret of the second string and pluck the note (it will be a G), then go to the 1st string, 3rd fret and pluck the g there. All the unison notes should sound the same at the same octave. This will get you in the ball park.
Now, if the song is going to be in E, then play an E chord. More than likely you will have to slightly adjust the B string (the 2nd string) down a little bit. If the song is in G then you will probably have to adjust the B string up a little bit. This is because in the western world, we use a tempered scale, which simply means that the B in a G chord, for instance, is not exactly the same B as the B in an E chord. I know it's a bitch, but you could have just stayed in school and become an accountant, but NOOOOOOOOO, you had to be a musician.
And then you have the fun of alternative tunings. There are so many that I am only going to address a simple technique that my pal, John Batdorf (www.johnbatdorfmusic.com) turned me on to. He favors the drop D, (6th string down one step to D) and the easiest way to insure that you are in tune there is to play the 6th string on the 5th fret and check it against a G chord. It is the easiest way I know to get the exact D you need to wow them with some Stephen Stills type modal thing.
I'm going back to the Turkey. Talk to you tomorrow.
james lee stanley
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Reader Comments (4)
James—Tuning tips are extremely important and I’m glad you touched this potential Nightmare On Elm Street. The frame of reference concept is very good if one has developed somewhat of an “ear” for tuning. I stole one of John’s techniques that I noticed at a B&R’s concert at the Waikiki Shell in Hawaii in the mid-seventies. Basically, it’s finding a reference—via a tuning fork—then tuning to the octaves of four chords: E, A, D & G in the open (or folk) position. If each of these chords sound right, you should be go to go. This seems to work quite well for me. The key here is that your guitar’s intonation MUST be true (thank God for Taylors). Some guitarists I know user digital tuners exclusively. Although that might work nicely, one can get to dependant upon technology and be dead in the water if they ever forget their tuners and/or a back-up battery. This is similar to programming numbers in your cell phone (convenient, yet somewhat of a crutch on one’s memory). I suppose the key is to find what works best for you.
Well, as you said…it’s round two for turkey and I’m on my way. That second piece of pumpkin pie might not be a good idea, but darn it sure goods good!
Take care,
Max
max, you got that right. and i must admit, batdorf has an exceptional ear. i love performing with him and i love making records with him. and his trick with the four primary chords is a good one.
thanks for the post.
james lee
Hey,
You can also use the harmonics on the 5th and 7th frets. So 6th string 5th fret, tap the harmonic, and then tap the harmonic on the 5th string 7th fret. They should be the same (and easier to hear the waves). Then move to the 5th string 5th fret with 4th string 7th fret. Same for the 4th string and 3rd string. When you get to the infamous B string, you have to tap the 7th fret harmonic on the 6th string, and play the B open. Then you can go back to the 5th fret harmonic on the B string (2nd string) and the 7th fret on the 1st string.
I use this all the time, and it feels like I get a tighter tune, and also it seems to stay in better.
Sometimes if it doesn't sound just right, I'll tap the 12 fret harmonic on the 6th string and the open 1st string to check my octaves and that is a nice help too.
Thanks James for all the great tips!
Peace,
Andrew
andrew, yes i've also used the fifth and seventh fret harmonics to tune, but i don't do it so much anymore and consequently left it off the article, but i shouldn't have. it's also a good way to tune. what we each have to do is to try the myriad ways that one can tune a guitar and find what works the best for the ears we've been given. try them all out and one will work for you.
thanks andrew, good tip.
james