Tuning a 6-string guitar

People who have picked up a six-string guitar for the first time have a question about the correct tuning of the tuning. After all, not every person has such a perfect ear to match the sound of a string to the corresponding sound of a note. Modern manufacturers of musical instruments have created a wide variety of special devices for guitarists called the tuner, thanks to which tuning the guitar tuning does not cause any problems. Well, those who do not trust modern technology use other methods of creating string unison.

Any self-respecting guitarist, before embarking on the study of chords for 6-string guitar and different types of fighting, should learn how to tune a musical instrument. Otherwise, the strings of the guitar will make an uneven sound, which, of course, will affect the quality of the performed composition. Today, there are several ways to tune the tuning of a guitar, each of which has certain advantages and some disadvantages. But before you get to know them, it is recommended to know the basic guitar concepts.

• Tuners. The end of the neck connects to the head of the guitar, which has 6 rotating parts. They are called pegs. They can be used to tighten or loosen the strings to achieve the sound you want.
• Flazolets. In this case, we are talking about overtones, which are extracted by simply touching the strings with your fingers at the 5th, 7th or 12th fret. This way of setting up and even playing seems complicated. After all, the guitarist needs to put his finger on the string in the place of the nut and slightly pull it back without firmly pressing it.
• Tuner. A device equipped with a special program that senses air vibrations near the tuned string, taking into account its amplitude. Thus, it is determined whether that note is being played or not.

Where to start learning the tuning of a six-string guitar, each guitarist decides for himself. For those who prefer simplicity and do not look for complicated ways, it is enough to purchase a tuner. There is no need to buy a sophisticated model, created with the latest technology, which, you can say, pulls the strings on its own. A regular clothespin or microphone design will do just fine. By the way, they are more accurate. For those who wish to develop their hearing, it is recommended to use other tuning methods that involve self-selection of the sound according to the required notes.

Most classical guitars have a standard tuning in which you can clamp many different chords. That is why modern musicians mostly use standard string construction or logical distribution of notes. In simple terms, each individual string of an acoustic guitar has a numbering, Latin designation and must correspond to a specific note.

• 1st string - Latin letter "e" - note "mi".
• 2nd string - Latin letter "b" - note "si".
• 3rd string - Latin letter "g" - note "G".
• 4th string - latin letter "d" - note "re".
• 5th string - Latin letter "a" - note "la".
• 6th string - Latin letter "e" - note "mi".

Modern guitarists believe that manual tuning of guitar tuning using old-fashioned methods has long lost its relevance. No matter how it is. Sometimes a guitarist with an inborn hearing tunes a musical instrument faster than an excellent music student with special equipment in his hands. The grandfather's method of tuning the 5th fret of a six-string acoustic guitar is considered the most difficult, especially for the hearing impaired beginner. Experienced musicians, in turn, argue that the fifth fret method is the least reliable way to tune a musical instrument. Despite this, many guitarists understand the intricacies of the presented method and are often guided by it in the absence of a tuner on hand.

The first and foremost requirement of this method is the need to tune the 1st string to the note "E". It is quite difficult to pick up such a delicate sound by ear, so it will be correct to use auxiliary objects, for example, a tuning fork. When you hear a lingering sound, you need to start pulling up or loosening the 1st string so that both sounds emitted sound in unison. Well, having figured out the foundation of tuning the tuning, you can start tuning the rest of the strings.

• The guitarist should hold down the 2nd string at the 5th fret and simultaneously pluck it with the free 1st string. The sound produced must be the same, that is, produce the same note. If necessary, twisting the tuning pegs can tighten or loosen the string. The main thing is not to make sudden movements, otherwise the thin musical thread may burst.
• Further, the 3rd string is tuned to the sound of the 2nd, only clamped at the 4th fret. When tugging at the same time, they should make the same sound.
• The remaining strings are tuned only at the 5th fret.

There are other ways to tune classic acoustics at home. And the first presented method is designed to use a tuning fork - a special instrument that reproduces and fixes the sound of a reference pitch. Modern tuning forks produce the A note in the 1st octave with a frequency of 440 Hz. The guitarist does not need any other technical specifications for ancillary equipment. Now it is proposed to figure out how to independently tune the guitar using such an unpretentious musical device.

• The first string must be slightly loosened, and then wired along it.
• Carefully twisting the tuning pegs, it is necessary to achieve the same sound of the 1st string with the tuning fork.
• The next step is to set up the rest of the musical threads. The second string should have an identical sound with the 1st, 3rd with the 2nd, 4th with the 3rd, 5th with the 4th, 6th with the 5th.
• Tuning, with the exception of the 3rd string, is done at the 5th fret. The sound of the 3rd string is matched at the 3rd fret.

In the age of modern technology, in no case should we forget about the possibilities to tune the tuning of a guitar using specially developed programs for a personal computer. The only thing the guitarist needs to understand is that the computerized equipment will tune a musical instrument that is connected directly to the system. This means that it will be impossible to tune ordinary acoustics with the help of computer software, which cannot be said about an electric guitar or semi-acoustics. The actions of specially designed programs are in many ways similar to conventional microphone tuners.

• The program starts.
• The tuner scheme is selected.
• Next, each individual string is adjusted according to the corresponding note. For example, the sixth string. Pulling it, the scale arrow begins to move quickly on the screen, explaining that the musical thread needs to be tightened or loosened.
• All strings are worked through in a similar way.

The invaluable and most popular method of tuning guitar tuning in the 90s required listening to a long landline dial tone. Today this method is ineffective, since the beep reproduced in modern home telephones differs in many respects from what was heard in the recent past. And if suddenly an old-style telephone is lying around in the guitarist's garage or in the shed, it is best to plug it in and use it as a basis for tuning the 1st string. Old telephones are ringing at the frequency of the tuning fork. The only thing left for the guitarist is to tune the sound of the 1st string with maximum accuracy with a beep.

Young people of today, hearing about the existence of the tuning method through the phone, immediately imagine how they pick up their sophisticated smartphones, and they, in turn, report which string needs to be pulled up. And the most amazing thing is that such applications actually exist. They pick up the sound of the string through the telephone microphone. And the tuner installed in the programs already determines the frequency of the sound and prompts you to tighten the musical thread or weaken it.

There are several hundred such programs today. It is impossible to say specifically which one is better, since the sound of the string is received through the telephone microphone. The difference between the applications is visible only in the interface. Using the programs is as easy as shelling pears.

• The application must be started.
• Set the standard tuning mode, assuming classic tuning.
• Then start pulling the strings. The tuner from the perceived vibrations will give a hint about the need to loosen the string or pull up.
• Thus, the whole guitar tuning is being worked out.

Tuning with a normal tuner is basically like tuning a guitar pitch using a phone app. But in this case, the guitarist needs to purchase additional equipment, which can be a small clothespin with a miniature screen, a box or a pedal. Despite the external data, the main principle of the device is to catch sounds through the present microphone or audio output, when it comes to tuning an electric guitar or semi-acoustic. The tuner system analyzes the pitch and reports the differences from the declared standard.

The tuning process using the tuner is as follows.

• You need to turn on the tuner and tune it to the game tuning mode by setting the standard tuning.
• 2, you need to pull the 1st string. Focusing on the running scale, tighten or weaken it.
• It is important to check that the correct string numbering is displayed on the tuner screen, or the guitarist will have to re-tune the entire tuning again.
• All guitar strings are tuned in a similar way.

This is another tuning method that is considered more effective than the 5th fret method. As mentioned earlier, the harmonic is retrieved by touching the string with the fingers above the fret without being firmly clamped. The resulting sound should be high-pitched and not rattle or disappear when your finger is removed from the string. The main feature of the method is that certain overtones must sound in unison on several adjacent strings. But if the musical instrument is completely out of tune, you will have to tune the 1st string using a tuning fork.

Well, now it is proposed to carefully consider the principle of tuning a guitar using a harmonic.

• The flag on the 5th fret must be used at all times. The 5th string of the 5th fret must match the 6th string of the same fret.
• According to a similar scheme, the 4th string is fitted to the 5th string, then the 4th string to the 3rd.
• The 3rd string is, as always, an exception to the rule. To tune it, you must remove the harmonic at the 4th fret.
• The 2nd string is tuned identically to the 5th and 4th strings.
• Tuning of the 1st and 2nd strings follows the standard pattern with respect to the 5th and 7th frets.

Some guitarists face such a problem that they cannot tune their musical instrument. It seems like the tuning was successful, and after a few strikes on the strings, the notes begin to float away. There may be several reasons for this, and each one is proposed to be dealt with separately.

First of all, it can be bad strings. In the process of their production, the manufacturer did not adhere to the required technology framework. As a result, winding defects appear on finished products, which cannot be seen by the human eye. Failure to comply with the technology also leads to the creation of an uneven structure of the core and different thickness of the string in different places. That is why it is recommended to purchase strings only from well-known manufacturers and exclusively in trusted stores. Branded strings will cost more, but will be much easier to build. And they will serve their owner much longer than counterfeit counterparts. In addition, when buying branded products in a specialized store, the guitarist is given a warranty period, during which he can contact the point of sale at any time and exchange the purchased string.

The second reason for the inability to tune the guitar is the worn out strings. The resulting corrosion has a negative effect on the musical thread, depriving it of its production parameters.

Another, rather unusual for guitarists, reason for not being able to tune a standard tuning is that the strings are too new. It may sound silly to some, but many guitarists get the feeling that the guitar is not building as soon as they pull on a new set of musical strands.But do not worry and worry, any new detail should get used to the base, get used to the new location.

During the manufacturing process, the strings are tested at a weaker tension. This is why they need a few hours of peace of mind after installation. To speed up the adjustment process, you can try raising the pitch of the strings a half step higher. But experienced musicians, in turn, recommend pulling new strings on the guitar in the evening so that they get used to the musical base overnight, and in the morning just make the tuning.

Perhaps the reason why the guitar doesn't build is due to air temperature and humidity levels. Everyone knows that the main material of the guitar is wood. It is negatively affected by cold and dampness. That is why novice musicians cannot recognize their instrument after a winter walk.

Chances are high that you will not be able to tune your guitar strings due to problems with the tuners. Quite rarely, but still they can deform or get mechanical damage. Much to the delight of guitarists, this problem is extremely rare. And it’s easy to identify it. The guitar stops building not only on a certain fret, but also throughout the entire string. To prevent this from happening, the guitarist needs to visit a diagnostician from time to time to check the condition of the tuning pegs and, if necessary, replace them.

The problem of not being able to tune the guitar can result in improper strings. But the guitarist must be able to unmistakably pull on a new set of musical strings with his eyes closed. Here the guitarist needs to remember a few important rules. When pulling each individual string at the tip of the tuning peg, no more than 3 turns should be done. Having deviated from the norm, the string can begin to "undercut".

It is equally important to make sure that the string in the nut is stretched correctly. And most importantly, when buying new strings, it is best to choose kits that have special fixation balls at the end. Those musical threads that hold on to the knots do not allow making a high-quality tuning of the musical instrument. They are the ones who are torn more often than others. Interestingly, one of the reasons for the inability to tune the guitar may be the wrong tuning of the guitar itself. Some musicians have faced this problem. They originally changed the strings. Then they covered the guitar with special impregnations. But it turns out that it was necessary to make the tuning of the scale, the pitch of the strings and the bridge.

Well, the last reason for the impossibility to tune the guitar is its technical defect. You can identify this problem a few days after purchasing a musical instrument. If it was purchased in a store, it can be returned under warranty or replaced. If the guitar was purchased hand-held, chances are good that the money was wasted. The list of technical defects of the guitar includes incorrectly composed frets, a behaved neck, an incorrectly installed neck and a defect in the saddle. These are the most common problems a guitarist can encounter. That is why it is recommended to purchase any musical instruments in a specialized store.

Any person who is fond of playing the guitar must understand that specific mathematical formulas are used in the construction of this musical instrument. Any experiments on changing the shape of the guitar are based on the compiled mathematical calculations. If you do not follow these requirements, which, by the way, do little-known manufacturers of musical instruments, the created guitars are unusable.

For how to tune a 6-string guitar, see the following video.