Am I in tune?

Guitar Repairs Caroline Springs School of Music.

The short answer is; “No”. Having established that, the following article should help you to tune more accurately.

The easiest way to start sounding good pitch-wise, is to make sure you are always in tune. It is quite easy to achieve these days, with a huge range of good quality cheap tuners on the market. Our favourite inexpensive tuner is the ‘Snark’, a small clip on Chromatic Tuner. (RRP $29.95)

When talking in musical terms you should always refer to the thickest strings as the bottom strings NOT the top strings. the terms — "up" and "down", " top" and" bottom", " low" and "high", " above" and "below" — should refer to pitch. Musicians should think in pitch, NOT; altitude! Many inexperienced guitarists call their bass strings the 'top' strings because they're closer to the top of the guitar neck than the treble strings, this can lead to confusion (especially when buying single strings). The top strings are the thinnest ones and higher in pitch. Music is aural, not geographical.

Always tune the A string first. Then the high E, low E, B, D then G and repeat. Do not tune from thickest to thinnest or vice versa as this creates uneven tension on the neck and causes the strings to go back out of tune. Always tune from below the desired pitch up to the note, not from above the desired pitch down to the note. The last movement of your tuning peg should be a tightening up, this ensures the tuning pegs will not slip and cause the note to go flat.

Guitars should be tuned every time you play. If you tuned your guitar at home and have put it in a case and taken it to a new location, it will almost certainly be out of tune. Many guitarists make the mistake of tuning their guitar and leaving it on stage before a performance without checking immediately prior to the first number. Changes in temperature due to stage lights and the audience can have a significant impact on tuning.

If your open (unfretted) strings are in tune and fretted notes are still out of tune your guitar may be in need of a service to adjust the intonation, or you may just need a new set of strings. Although we recommend using a tuner, don’t forget to engage your ears as well.

Stay tuned for a forthcoming blog; “How to tuna fish”