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Keeping your acoustic guitar in tune is very important and should be tuned every time you play, whether you are play for fun or doing a show. A guitar that is out of tune is not fun to play, so take a few extra minutes and tune your guitar and you will be rewarded. When you are a beginner learning the importance of acoustic guitar tuning can be a bit frustrating, but well worth learning and doing it in the correct manner.

For acoustic guitar tuning with an electronic tuner, sit down and place the tuner on either a stool or table next to your seat. Then pluck the first string. The tuner’s microphone can sense which string is being tuned. You will know how close you are to the right pitch by the indicator on the tuner. It also indicates if you are sharp or flat. Utilize the tuning key to adjust the guitar string until it indicates that you are in tune.

Keep in mind that one always tunes up, which means going from looser to tighter till its in tune. If it becomes too tight, don’t just unwind it a little bit to try to improve it (called tuning down). It works far better to give the string some play and then start tightening it again till its right. When you tune up, not only are your results more accurate, but you also help the string hold its tuning longer.

If you dont purchase an electronic tuner, you still need to have a reference for pitch when playing acoustic guitar. You can use another guitar, a piano, tuning fork or an MP3 that you are certain is already in tune. Acoustic guitar tuning with an electronic tuner will consistently provide reliable tuning. But if you choose to tune the traditional way then use an electronic tuner to test your results. This is a great way to learn to develop your ear.

To begin tuning your guitar, use the reference pitch to tune the sixth string (the thickest string) to low E. Once this string sounds right, the other strings can be tuned to their correct pitch based on that note. There is a reason why this technique works, but the explanation is long. Acoustic guitar tuning is a bit like driving. You don’t have to understand the internal combustion engine to drive a car, and you don’t have to understand music theory to tune your guitar.

Then proceed with your acoustic guitar tuning as follows:

(1) Once the low E string (sixth string) is in tune, play it on the fifth fret, and then pluck the open fifth string. Adjust the the tone of the fifth string as necessary until the two notes match. (2) Move up to the fifth string. Playing it on the fifth fret, tune the open forth string. (3) Similarly, adjust the tone of the third string while playing the fifth fret of the fourth string. (4) For the next note, play the third string on the fourth fret (not the fifth) and tune the second string. (5) Tune the open high E string, comparing it to the tone of the second string, fifth fret.

If you’re just starting out with acoustic guitar tuning, you may want to ask someone at the music store when you purchased your guitar to show you how to do acoustic guitar tuning the proper way. Then just keep practicing until you’re comfortable with the process. It takes time and practice to learn to do acoustic guitar tuning, especially by ear. For the novice, the simplest way to perform acoustic guitar tuning is with the use of an electronic tuner. You can find one for around $20 and you will definitely get your moneys worth. An electronic tuner that is made specifically for tuning guitars has the ability to recognize which string is being played.

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