There are two common ways to tune your guitar.
This is really after you get familiar with your guitar in terms of what everything is called.
This is really where you want to start.
Make sure your guitar is in tune because everything you learn after that is going to sound so much better.
I recommend getting a decent electric tuner
and the electronic tuners the decent ones range between about fifteen and thirty five dollars.
Make sure that it's got a built in mic and that it has also got a way to plug your guitar in.
That way if you are playing your acoustic guitar you can use it there also.
Any local music store will have them and you can order plenty online.
That is the first way to tune.
It is always a good idea to know how to tune by ear which is the second common way to do it.
Tuning by ear using the fifth fret tuning method is what it is called.
Most of the notes we are going to be playing here to get our guitar in tune will be based off of the fifth fret.
What you want to start out by doing is tune your
most people start out by either tuning there low E or the high E to a piano, a tuning fork or another in tune guitar.
The important thing is what you are tuning to is in tune.
If you have got your electric tuner you can practice if you have a piano in the house, a keyboard, a tuning fork etcetera.
You can practice getting it in tune with your ear and then checking it with your tuner.
So start by getting your low E in tune to a piano or something and then here is what you do.
You are going to play your E string on the fifth fret and for this exercise for tuning we will use our second finger
just because it is nice and comfortable.
So you are going to play your E string on the fifth fret and when you play your E string on the fifth fret you are getting an A.
The A is the same note as your fifth string.
If you are tuning and if your guitar is set up correctly these should be exactly the same note.
If they are not you adjust your tuners.
Now here we have got on this guitar we have got my E string, A string and D string tuners up here.
We have got my E. B and G tuners down here.
So fifth fret second finger E string gives you an A.
Since we know my E is in tune I will be adjusting my A string until they are the exact same note.
Which thankfully I have tuned for the both of us.
Thankfully I've tuned at the beginning of this lesson.
Next you are going to put your second finger on the fifth fret on your A string and you are going to get a D.
Which is the same name the note name as your D string so those should be in tune.
You are going to go to the next set of strings once you have adjusted that.
Play your D string on the fifth fret and that should be a G.
Now there is a little bit of a hiccup here because of the way the guitar is tuned
when you are going down to the G string and you are comparing it to the B string your B note on your G string is on the fourth fret
instead of the fifth fret.
You are going to be on the fifth fret the whole time here but when you get to the G you are going to play on the fourth fret.
That's a little bit off so here bringing it up just a little bit, it is a little bit closer.
Now that I've got those in tune I am going to come down here and we are going to go back to the fifth fret on my B string.
Which gives me an E and that also is off. There that's a little bit better.
So again fifth fret second finger bring these all the way down the strings comparing each note.
Fourth fret when you get to the G string to adjust your B string and then back to the fifth fret for your E.
What I like to do when I get done is make sure that my high E and my low E are decently in tune with each other.
So that’s the fifth fret tuning method and like I said before if you can
go back and forth while learning this method to help train your ear.
Start by playing with a piano or with a guitar etcetera and tuning that way and then double check yourself with your electronic tuner.
After a while it will be a lot easier for you to tune by ear which you are going to have to do
because you can't always grab that tuner when you need to be in tune.
Next we are going to look at proper posture and left hand techniques.
We have already worked on holding the pick
but we will get you setup all around so as you are practicing for a while you don't end up getting sore
and you are able to be the most efficient you can be with your left hand.