Guitar Tuning


Tuning a guitar is not particularly difficult, yet it is a vital skill that all guitarists should develop. Although most guitarists will tune their guitars with the assistance of a tuning device of some sort, knowing the basics behind tuning each string to another string is particularly useful. In addition to knowing how to tune your guitar to a standard tuning, there are a large number of alternate tunings, some of which are frequently used for rock music. Knowing a little bit about alternate tunings can help musicians who are learning to play by ear, or who want to emulate a specific sound.

In the standard guitar tuning, the thickest string, that on the far left, is tuned to E. This means that when the string is not fretted, plucking that string should produce a E note. Following the sequence of strings from left to right, their appropriate tuning is EADGBE. The second E, that of the thinnest string, is an octave higher than the E of the first string.

In order to tune the strings to one another, it is essential that the low E be tuned perfectly. Some musicians are able to pick out a perfect low E, but for those who do not possess this ability, some other means of getting this string in tune must be used. Once it is tuned appropriately, however, the remainder of the strings can be tuned from there.

To tune the second string, the A string, press down on the fifth fret of the E string, and play the first two strings together. You will want to match the tone of the A string to the same tone of the fretted E string. This will usually take a bit of trial and error, adjusting the A string by turning the tuning peg. Be sure to turn the tuning peg slowly but evenly, and be careful of the tension placed on the strings. It is possible to break a string while tuning a guitar, if too much tension is applied to the string.

After the A string is tuned, you can follow the same procedure for the D string. This time, press down at the fifth fret of the A string, and strum it together with the D string, until they match. For all but one of the strings, the same procedure can be used. When you reach the B (fifth) string, you will want to press down at the fourth fret instead of the fifth fret of the G (fourth) string. Otherwise, it will always be the fifth fret of the previous string.

After all of the strings have been tuned in this manner, you will have your guitar tuned to the standard tuning. This tuning is what you will want for many songs, but not all songs. Although there are many alternate tunings for guitar, some are more common than others, and can be briefly explained.

In dropped D tuning, the first string is tuned to D, rather than the usual E. The remaining strings are tuned as normal. The major appeal of dropped D tuning is that it allows a guitarist to play power chords, also called fifth chords, using only one finger and the lowest three strings. Dropped D tuning is normally a darker sounding tuning, and is very common in rock music and metal, mainly for the ease of playing power chords. Some folk music also uses dropped D tuning, and often will use a capo at the 2nd fret in order to keep the ability to use power chords, but give the guitar a brighter sound than dropped D tuning normally affords.

Another alternate tuning is known as open tuning. In this form of tuning, the strings are tuned so that when all are strummed, without being fretted, they produce a chord. When the strings are all pressed down at the same fret, a different, but related, chord is produced. Slide guitar, where a solid object is used to press down all of the strings at the same fret at once, benefits greatly from open tuning. There are several variations on open tuning, each of which enables a guitar player to play a series of related chords without complex finger placement.

In addition to these two alternate tunings, there are a large number of other alternate tunings, each of which has specific varieties of music for which it is most appropriate. Depending on the type of music you hope to play, you may be able to just use standard tuning, or you may need to learn one or more alternate tunings. Some alternate tunings require more adjustment than others, but most of them are based off of the standard tuning, with one or more strings altered slightly. Between standard tuning and alternate tunings, a guitar can be used to produce an enormous range of notes and chords, all within the confines of six strings.