Tuning methods

All the different guitar books, CDs and DVDs tell you of different ways to tune your Guitar. I am currently tuning by ear (having music experience), the 5th fret string method, pitch pipes and a fairly good automatic tuner yet can not get consistency.

When the automatic tuner says it is in tune the pitch pipe and 5th fret thingy implies it is not. In the end I tune it so it sounds right but was wondering about advice on what is the most accurate and which i should trust the most (i assume 5th fret thingy as it is the actual guitar, but any advicewould be helpful)

Thanks

Hmm, If a pitch pipe says you're out of tune, but your fifth fret implies otherwise, I'd say there's a problem with your guitar's intonation, meaning it's in tune when it's open, but when you fret, the pitch gets a little wayward.

My first acoustic had the same problem. So, I tuned my guitar based on the song I needed to play. If I were playing a song in E, I would fret an E major chord, then use a piano or my ear to make sure all the notes were right.

It's hard to tune by ear when you first start out, so my suggestion is to just by a good tuner (there are a lot of tuners I wouldn't trust, so buy a good one...not one that has a good cheap price) and tune with that until you are comfortable and have an ear for tuning.

Originally Posted by: Geeetar4LifeIt's hard to tune by ear when you first start out, so my suggestion is to just by a good tuner...

I'll agree with the first half, but not really the suggestion, at least not as the ultimate solution. Otherwise you might go years relying on it, or like my dad, hand it off to someone with an "ear" to tune it for you, or worst of all obliviously continuing to play out of tune. Although if you say you have previous musical experience (thus already have an ear so to speak), I say this more for the benefit of other readers. And yeah, they're not always so accurate either.

But like Zak said , proper intonation is mandatory. For instance, even after using a highly accurate tuner that yields nice sounding open chords, if the bridge isn't intonated the dissonance will become more and more apparent on the higher frets.

I've never liked pitch pipes. They just don't sound like a guitar string, or hardly anything musical for that matter. For reference tones I've always used a tuning fork. They come in several notes, but you really only need one, and then tune the rest to that string (for me it's A-440hz). Besides, they don't need batteries, they can't break, they're super cheap (compared to tuners anyways), and they can resonate on practically any hard surface...even your skull!

Ok, that all being said, the most effective routine is in fact combining several methods...typical 5th fret unisons, harmonics, fretting notes/chords in reference, etc. Personally I only use the 5th fret (4th fret G string) notes for the treble strings, and prefer harmonics for the bass strings. And definitely try to always tune going up, meaning from flat to pitch.
You can't go wrong with Eric Johnson's routine.

I agree with R. Shackleferd. I was thinking of a tuning fork before I got to his post. Except I use an E tuning fork; I don't know what frequency it vibrates at, but it's just easier for me. On an acoustic, I just tap the fork on something, and place the end on the body of the guitar- the tone will vibrate, and you can tune the high E and then the other strings accordingly. After all the strings are in tune, check the intonation of your guitar. If it's off, get it set-up properly. Oh, on an elctric guitar, I just hold the fork over one of the pickups. I use an E fork so I don't have to fret anything- yes, you can hit the A harmonic on the 5th fret A string; but I'm just giving a slightly different take on tuning.

I also agree that you should learn to tune manually before you get dependent on a pitch pipe or electronic tuner. But if I had to choose between the two, I'd trust the electronic tuner more, as the reed in a pitch pipe is subject to environmental conditions that can throw it flat or sharp.

After you're comfortable using the 5 fret tuning method, then I'd move onto tuning the various other methods, like harmonics, etc. But definitely make sure your guitar's intonation is proper- otherwise you can go nuts wondering why you can't get in tune. btdt! Can drive ya nuts.

Originally Posted by: Midgetoto In the end I tune it so it sounds right but was wondering about advice on what is the most accurate and which i should trust the most (i assume 5th fret thingy as it is the actual guitar, but any advicewould be helpful)

The 5th fret method is fundamentally flawed for a couple of reasons.

1- Any mistakes you make (and you will make slight mistakes on every string) you will pass on to the following string. So by the time you go from the sixth string all the way up to the first string you will have accumulated many errors. This results in the sixth string and the first string not even sounding close to in tune.

2- Any time you fret a note (as when you fret the 5th fret) you are slightly bending the string. The further up the neck you go, the more significant the bends will be. It is impossible to play the absolute perfect pitch when fretting the 5th fret. This also results in errors.

The SOLUTION???????
You have to use a system where you tune each string to one constant pitch. This takes away the variables. You also have to use a system of harmonics to avoid the bends when fretting. I will make a video in the next month explaining it all. In the meantime I would recommend that you use the electronic tuner. It's not perfect but it will at least get you close for now.

For some reason, I never use the tuner to tune my 6th string down to d or c. For some reason it never sounds in tune to me so I do it by ear. Standard I have no problems though.

i usualy tune the e string with a tuner then tune the rest with fifth fret method, you can almost always tell if its out of tune by playing any major chord, g,a,c etc.