Hi!

I'm just wondering how you would know when an acoustic guitar has been tuned properly? In other words, how would you know the notes sound right?

Cheers,
Car Expert

There is a guitar tuner online Type "online guitar tuner" in google and it should find one

^ Yep, thats what I do. Or used to do. I can automatically tell when it's out of tune now

Tune it using your piano/keyboard.
Assuming you have one, by looking at your signature?

Car expert - are you asking for a general way of ensuring it's tuned into other instruments (I use the middle C website for that) or how to tune it yourself?

might be lazy but i use a chromatic tuner [i can plug the strat into it but rarely bother as it has a built in mike]. i also play the violin so it helps with that. i can tune both relatively without but can't guarantee hitting a=440.


a computer's ok as long as its available but if you're out playing.....

I'll have a look!Yes, I could do that. But mainly, I wanted ideas for when I practice the guitar when's there's no piano/keyboard around, and I had to tune my guitar.I wanted to know how to tune it myself.
Just out of interest, what's the URL for the website you mentioned?

Car Expert

Unless you've got perfect pitch, just tune it from the top E to the bottom E by playing an E on the B string, a B on the G string etc. etc. and tuning the fingered string so that it sounds the same as the open string above it .

I seem to just know by the sound if it's in tune or not. Not perfectly, but good enough.

Thanks! I'll try that!

Car Expert

yes I think that's the best way...and listen for "beats" as you tune each string, and then check the 2 Es are the same (with no beats)

Aren't frets wonderful!!!!

Car Expert, the guitar is such a mobile instrument whereas a computer is not always at hand for checking online that yours is perfectly in tune. How about investing in a guitar tuner? It's not cheap, of course, but it's very small! So it's really handy for travel, and just before a performance, Violinutter has always used a guitar tuner to tune her violin outside the home. At home we have a piano like you, CE, but I dare say, tuning by herself all the time instead of letting others or her conductors do it for her albeit using a piano / (guitar) tuner has done her a world of good! She has just started using her ears for tuning only 2 weeks ago. Definitely worth every penny!

It might be better to buy yourself a nice, cheap, tuning fork to start out with.

Then save your pennies and buy yourself a chromatic tuner (i.e. more versatile than a simple guitar tuner) with a metronome function as well. Viohazard uses the metronome function heaps more than the tuner function.

I have (sneakily) avoided this problem, as when i bought my guitar it came with a electronic tuner, which flashes green when the note is right and also tells you if its too sharp or flat.

Just seen the website, and it looks very helpful!

Car Expert

I resisted my luddite tendencies the other day and went out and bought myself a chromatic tuner. What a nifty little device. Very happy with it, so thanks for suggesting it.

Viohazard, what we have is actually a chromatic tuner! It's real nifty like you said - you can even fit it in the violin case! But I've always called it a guitar tuner. When I say, "chromatic tuner" the other kids tend to say "What? Oh, you mean a guitar tuner!"

I think that strictly, a guitar tuner is the one preset to the guitar open string tunings...you can't use it for any other notes. A chromatic tuner will tell you what note you are singing and how sharp or flat you are.

Of course, that isn't going to stop people calling chromatic tuners guitar tuners any time soon!

P.S. They're very handy when you travel, even if you can and do tune by ear - I think even the vibration of a car tends to affect tuning, and if you loosened strings slightly before travel, a tuner will make your life a lot easier, and if you're in holiday mode and not practicing as long or as regularly as usual, your ear may not be as reliable anyway!

Soon, did you say? Hoho, no, as far as I know, all the kids in her orchestras call a chromatic tuner a guitar tuner!

CE, it's really worth getting one if you can afford it.

How much do they usually cost?

Car Expert

I just paid about £19 for mine.

J

Will ask my hubby when he comes home in 45 mins' time and let you know. Oh, I forgot to say that it has an inbuilt metronome function, too.


EDIT - Well done, Meerkat! You beat me to it!

Hope this isn't breaking any rules, but here's a link to various ones:

http://www.sheehans.com/products.asp?prod=...nomes&page=viol

Mine's the korg chromatic, about halfway down the page. There's a combi on the second page. I bought mine in the music shop down the road, not at sheehans, for the same price, so I reckon they probably retail at about the same amount whereever you get them.

J

Hubby got his from Boosey & Hawkes late last year at £24.99!

Just resurrecting an old thread of mine, rather than start a brand new thread on the same subject...

Just want to check... when tuning the strings, which way would you turn the screwheads to make the strings sharper or flatter?

Thanks
Car Expert

I think it's anti-clockwise for tightening and clockwise for loosening. That's what I think because if you think about it, if you turn it anti-clockwise, you're pulling more of the string into the screw hence tightening it. I hope I'm right. I don't play the guitar though. That's what I feel.

Depends which way you've wound them on.
I take it you're on a mission to teach yourself?

Well, I am having lessons with a teacher at the moment, but won't be next year, as I'm taught by the Music Service at school and I'll be going to college next year. Might have to find a new teacher, but not sure yet...

Car Expert

Tighter is sharp and slacker is flat.

On my guitar (and probably most guitars, since I have an acoustic as well) counterclockwise for tighter and clockwise for looser.

I bought myself a tuner just in case my piano is out of tune, but if you play the fifth fret on a string, it should be the next string up. (So fifth fret on E string would be A, etc.) except for the G string, where the fourth fret should play B (which is the next string up). Wow that didn't make much sense did it...sorry hehe.

I got the £15 one in Argos.

It is good for acoustic as it has a mic in it.