Beginner: tuning problem - or..?

I have just bought my first guitar (aucustic), a cheap one in a supermarket. I can't make it sound right.

You see, i have used a software program called Digital Guitar Tuner which I assume is just as good and reliable as a real one. I know about relative tuning: a string held at the fifth fret should sound as the higher string (with the G-B exception). When I have tuned each string perfectly, electronicly, the relative tuning is only true for the two lower strings. 6th string 5th fret sounds exactly like 5th string, but the four other pairs sound very little similar.

I have practiced some chords and compared them to the sound bits on this site, and they definenitly sound wrong. Ruling out bad finger position and stroke technique, I guess the strings are bad...

What do you think?

Originally Posted by: warberg80I have just bought my first guitar (aucustic), a cheap one in a supermarket. I can't make it sound right.

You see, i have used a software program called Digital Guitar Tuner which I assume is just as good and reliable as a real one. I know about relative tuning: a string held at the fifth fret should sound as the higher string (with the G-B exception). When I have tuned each string perfectly, electronicly, the relative tuning is only true for the two lower strings. 6th string 5th fret sounds exactly like 5th string, but the four other pairs sound very little similar.

I have practiced some chords and compared them to the sound bits on this site, and they definenitly sound wrong. Ruling out bad finger position and stroke technique, I guess the strings are bad...

What do you think?

The strings are probably good, tuning takes patience. You have to train your ear to master this. For now , go to a guitar shop and purchase a chromatic tuner, set it @ A 440hz (standard tuning) and listen to each string after the mechanical tuner has given you the proper pitch.

+1 of each of the above posts...


Also, when you're beginning to play it's hard to distinguish the difference between pitch and tone... Pitch is most commonly what defines a string to be "in tune" However, the TONE is something completely different. You'll notice that each string is a different guage (thickness)... this is what gives the strings their individual tone. This is most easily demonstrated by the way the E string sounds compared to the e string (E being the 1st and largest string and the e being the 6th and smallest). It might be that your ear is compensating for the deeper and tricking you into thinking that you need to tune the string higher than it needs to be...... This is just a suggestion of what might be happening... I suggest getting an electronic tuner at a local guitar shop that will give you a read out of the strings rather than you having to do it by ear... This will help you store a representation of what it SHOULD sound like in your mind that way you'll be able to train your ear a lot faster...

I had trouble tuning by ear when I started and the whole tone/pitch thing was what I found to be the problem for me... I am fine and dandy now 6 years later though. haha.

Yup. Agree with the others. Do yourself a favor and buy yourself a chromatic tuner. It's a purchase you'll be very happy with. I use mine all the time. Good luck. :)

Have you tried using the guitar tuner on this site?

Thanks to all the above!

I realize, that the software i mentioned just doesn't work as intented, so I will definetly buy a tuner. The guitar is actually playable.

Especially thanks to aschleman. Excellent point. The pitch/tone distinguishing is what I must work on. At any time, my hearing sense will tell me the 1st string is a "higher tone" than the 2nd, regardles which fret I hold 2nd string at. It helps a bit to hum along, I think.

I attempted to learn (well poor attempt at that) guitar back in highschool. I realy belive the thing that ruined it for me then was the fact I was tone deff. I couldent tune a guitar to save my life. Well im older and wiser now and went to the local music shop here and purchased an electric tuner. Ohhh my god the difference. I let my little black box do all the dirty work for me. I didnt buy the cheepest or the most expensive one there. Think i got out only paying around 30 for it. Worth every penny.