Tuning Your Guitar In this fourth lesson, you will learn step-by-step instructions for tuning your guitar as well as standard tuning techniques.
Tuning the guitar is critical, because nothing you play will sound “right” if the guitar is not in tune. If your guitar is out of tune or tuned incorrectly it will make a perfectly constructed chord sound bad.
There are many ways to tune your guitar:
1. With an electronic tuner2. With tuning software3. By ear with a tuning fork4. By ear with another guitar or reference note
The easiest and most accurate way to tune your guitar is with an electronic tuner or with tuning software. Electronic tuners typically work for both acoustic or electric guitars, although this is not always the case. An acoustic guitar tuner will have a built in mic, to pick up the sound. Electric guitar tuners usually have a 1/4” instrument cable input for the guitar. Most tuners have both a built in mic and a 1/4” instrument cable input. We highly recommend that you purchase an electronic tuner, such as the Boss TU-15 Chromatic Tuner.
There is also some great free or inexpensive software available for tuning the guitar. Most software tuning products range in cost from $10 to $20 and work with standard computer sound cards and microphones.
Although electronic tuners and software tuners are great tools, we suggest that you learn to tune your guitar by ear to a reference note. This will help you to train your ear, so you can quickly tune during a live performance or when you don’t have an electronic tuner nearby.
You can also try tuning with a tuning fork. A tuning fork will provide you with a reference tone. You can purchase tuning forks at any musical instrument retailer. The most common tuning fork for guitarists generates an A (440) reference tone, so you can tune the 5th string (A). In order to generate a tone with the tuning fork, you should lightly tap it against a hard surface and then press the non-forked end against the body of your guitar. This will cause the tone to resonate throughout the guitar body, so that it is louder.
Tune your 5th string to the A tuning fork’s tone by picking the “open” 5th (A) string (“open” means that you just play the string without pressing down on any frets) while listening to the tone of the tuning fork. Adjust the tuning key for your 5th string by turning it in either direction until the tone of the picked string and the tuning fork are identical.
Once your 5th string is in tune, you can tune all the rest of the strings on your guitar. Start with the 6th (E) string. This is the fattest string of the six. It’s also the string at the top of the guitar (See figure 3 for reference).
Press your index finger on the 5th fret, 6th string. Make sure that you press firmly and that your index finger is close to the edge of the fret, almost touching it. If your string is buzzing as you pick it, then either you are not pressing firmly enough, or your finger is not positioned close enough to the edge of the fret.
Pick the 6th string with your index finger pressing down on the 5th fret 6th string and then pick the “open” 5th (A) string. Compare the two tones. The pitch of the 5th fret, 6th string should be the same sound as the open 5th (A) string. If it is not the exact same sound then turn the 6th string’s tuning key so that the sound is the same. Now your 6th and 5th string are tuned.
Repeat this step, but this time place your index finger on the 5th fret of the 5th string. Pick that string and then pick the open 4th string. They should sound the same. If they don’t, then turn the tuning key for the 4th string so that the 4th string sounds like the 5th. Be careful to turn the correct tuning key.
Continue the same process from the 4th string to the third string. When you get to tuning the second string there is a slight change. To tune the 2nd (B) string, place your index finger on the 4th fret, 3rd string (instead of the 5th fret). Now pick the 3rd string and then pick the second string. If the second string does not sound like the third then turn the second string’s tuning key so that the second string sounds like the 3rd.
Finally, for the 1st (E) string, move your index finger back to the 5th fret on the second string. Then pick the 2nd and 1st strings. The open 1st string should sound exactly like the 5th fret, 2nd string. If it doesn’t then turn the 1st string’s tuning key so that it sounds like the second string.
Ok that is probably going to be the toughest part of learning to play guitar. We recommend you buy an electronic tuner, but knowing how to tune the guitar by ear will be extremely valuable, especially in live playing situations or at times when you don’t have access to a guitar tuner.
Basic Chords In this fifth lesson, you will how to construct and play the most popular chords, which are the building blocks for playing many songs.
Now for the fun stuff. In this section we will teach you the basic chords you need to know to play the songs you love. So let’s get started!
Before we move on to chord construction, here are some basic tips that will help you sound better.
1. Press firmlyBe sure you press each finger down so that it firmly presses the string against the fretboard. This will ensure the sound of the string is clean and does not buzz. If you don’t push the string down hard enough you will hear a buzzing or a muffled sound.
2. Close to the fretIn general (this is not always the case), make sure that your finger is as close to the fret as possible without actually touching the fret. This will ensure that the string does not buzz or sound muffled when played.
3. One finger per stringBe sure that only one finger touches each string. Often times you will find one finger slightly touching a neighboring string. This is particularly common with the more difficult chords (like the G major chord). This is one other cause of muffled or buzzing strings. Take some time after constructing the chord to make sure that each finger is only touching the necessary strings and not resting on neighboring strings.
4. RelaxRelax your hand so that it is comfortable when constructing the chord. Re-position your wrist for each chord so that you are comfortable and so that your fingers can sustain their position (without cramping) while you strum.
In the following section you will find pictures and videos (downloadable from the iPlayMusic website) that explain the finger placement for 3 chords: A major, G major, and D major.
These are three of the most widely used chords in popular songs today.
By learning to play just these three chords you will know the building blocks of many popular songs by some of the biggest recording artists.
Look at each chord diagram closely. Spend some time positioning your fingers to look like the images. Try constructing these chords yourself, strumming them, and listening to how they sound.
If you are having trouble, don’t panic. Just play the chord videos to watch the instructor construct the chords step by step.
A Major
G Major
D Major
Strumming Patterns In this sixth lesson, you will see how with just a few chords and strumming pattern combinations in your repertoire you will be well on your way to playing popular songs.
In this section you will learn how to play two popular strumming patterns.
A strumming pattern consists of down strokes and up strokes.
A down stroke is played by strumming the guitar strings from the top of the guitar to the bottom – or from the 6th (low E) string to the 1st (high E) string. We will represent a down stroke with a down arrow.
An up stroke is played by strumming the guitar strings from the bottom of the guitar to the top – or from the 1st (high E) string to the 6th (low E) string. We will represent an up stroke with an up arrow:
Remember to think of your strumming hand as a windshield wiper, or a pendulum. A dashed arrow will represent the direction your arm should be moving as you swing your arm up and down without hitting the strings.
If you need further instruction or these concepts seem a bit confusing, please watch the “Strumming Basics” video and then make sure to watch the videos at the end of this section for an in-depth explanation of each pattern from the instructor.
With just the following two strumming patterns you will have the ability to play many popular songs. Let’s get started.
Strumming pattern one
Strumming pattern one is a very classic strumming pattern that can be used to play a number of songs.
Strumming pattern: Down, Down, up, up, down, up.
Try strumming pattern one with any of the three chords you’ve already learned.
If you need further instruction on strumming pattern one, please watch the video for an explanation from the instructor.
Strumming pattern two
Strumming pattern two is a slight variation on strumming pattern one, because it adds one up stroke and introduces a “swing” feel to the pattern.
Strumming pattern : Down, up, down, up, up, down, up.
Again, try strumming pattern two with any of the three chords you’ve already learned.
