Tuning Tutorial and the Life Changing Guitar Store

Yesterday, I had a tuning tutorial with the tech at my local guitar shop. It was very good. I learned a ton. My nut slots are fine.

Tuning a guitar is more of an art than a science. Also "tuned" is a matter of degree. We used the different tuners, in different combinations, and listened to the variance between them. I learned more about the range of each one, and how to use them together to get the sound dialed in.

The Snark/Unitune have the biggest "range" that will read as "in tune." I can use one of these to quickly get myself in the ballpark. And sometimes that is going to be enough.

The Strobe tuner will get me tuned more precisely, but starting from zero with the strobe tuner takes a lot longer. Not an issue if I'm not in a rush.

The last tiny micro-adjustments I have to rely on my ears.

We did this several times. I can hear how the chords ring out "true" when the guitar is tuned. They sound "crisp" and "chimey" to me. Very sweet sounding to my ears. It gave me more confidence.

Tuning is a skill that requires practice, like everything else with the guitar.

Part of my problem was not tuning on the "attack." He showed me how to keep hitting the note pretty hard and tune to that, vs. trying to tune as the pitch is settling or dissipating. Not sure what that is technically called.

Fortunately (or unfortunately as the case may be), my LGS is next door to a high end guitar consignment shop. The "life changing guitar shop." I walked in to have a look, though I have drooled over their website often enough. It was like walking into chapel. The owner was wonderful and let me play any guitar I felt like taking off the wall.

I had a chance to play a 1938 Martin 00-18. I could not get over the sound. It had such incredible projection and volume for such a small guitar! But it also had quite the incredible price tag on it, so before I got too attached, I put it right back.

I also tried two Goodall guitars, a regular and a baritone. They were amazing, too! There were no non-amazing guitars there. I wanted to just move right in and live there with all those beautiful instruments. I came home, feeling all frisky and freshly tuned, and called my husband and said, "I just want to let you know... there will be more guitars coming. Not immediately, but definitely, there will be more guitars coming." His response... "I knew it." LOL. He is a prince, and I am a very lucky woman.

I'm shopping at Life Changing Guitars now.

[Mr. Jelly]

I'm curious, did you learn to tune a guitar without using a tuner?

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

I'm curious, did you learn to tune a guitar without using a tuner?

If you mean, no tuning reference at all...no. I need a reference for at least one string, but with one string in tune, yes I can tune the rest.

I aspire to be able to tune someday from the memory of the pitch sound in my head.

[mcduffnw]

Originally Posted by janinep7

If you mean, no tuning reference at all...no. I need a reference for at least one string, but with one string in tune, yes I can tune the rest.

I aspire to be able to tune someday from the memory of the pitch sound in my head.

Just carry a pitch pipe with you in your case...or your purse or pocket. That is all I use, ever, and of course adjust for whatever the intonation "intangibles" are of whatever guitar I am playing. and if I am playing with others, what they are tuned at/to, unless they want to use me and my guitar for the "home" tuning of the group. Those "intangibles" vary from guitar to guitar that I own, and that is true for pretty much every guitar...they all have their little tuning quirks and you just have to adjust to them.

And the better you get tuning your guitar by pitch pipe and your ear, as you want to do, the way WAY better off you are whenever you go play with anyone, anywhere.

And...now you know what the fuss is all about with a "great" vintage Martin



duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher

[Dru Edwards]

Janine, sounds like you had a great day. Did you talk about how once you tune open strings that if you're playing chords up the fretboard (not the cowboy chords) that you may need to tweak it some more?

Originally Posted by mcduffnw

And...now you know what the fuss is all about with a "great" vintage Martin

Every day, the list of "Information Janine Does Not Need But Got on AGF" gets longer and longer.

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Janine, sounds like you had a great day. Did you talk about how once you tune open strings that if you're playing chords up the fretboard (not the cowboy chords) that you may need to tweak it some more?

We did not specifically talk about that, but thank you for the reminder. I don't do a lot of playing at that end of the neck right now since I am still such a beginner, but when I finally get there, I don't want to be unpleasantly surprised.

[Bluenose]

I predate clip-on guitar tuners by quite a few years so I had to tune by a reference note ie. my pitch is imperfect lol. I did buy a Seiko metronome back in the 80's that had a 440Hz (A) tone that I used for quite a while until I bought my first clip-on. I prefer to tune by matching string tones using the natural harmonics found at the 5th, 7th, and 4th frets. I still fine tune that way sometimes. I'm not saying that is the proper way, I'm saying that's how I like to do it. Have to get that out before somebody torches me.

[b1j]

Once you stray into Stevie’s impeccably curated shop, you’re done for. It doesn’t help that he’s impossibly nice and incredibly knowledgeable. Plus, his inventory is stunning.

Originally Posted by b1j

Once you stray into Stevie’s impeccably curated shop, you’re done for. It doesn’t help that he’s impossibly nice and incredibly knowledgeable. Plus, his inventory is stunning.

Sooooo done for.

[TBman]

For decades, yes DECADES, I tuned my guitar with a 440 tuning fork to the 5th fret, 1st string. Then I tuned the rest to the 1st string. I would also from time to time do the harmonic at the 12th fret of the 5th string. Then as I fell deeply into the computer age I would tune using Guitar Pro while sitting at my computer, then later on I used a cell phone app and now I mostly use a Snark and my phone app.

[jseth]

As for "recalling" the pitch of, say, an A note (for the fifth string), what works for me is to think of, to "hear" a song that I know I play in the key of A... I don't have perfect pitch or tremendous ear training abilities, but if I "hear" that song in my head, I can get really close to that A string, and then tune from there.

I will say that, after playing for 20 years or so (before the plethora of tuners available!), that it's really handy to have a good little tuner, BUT using it all the time absolutely degrades my ability to just tune the guitar by ear...