As a guitarist I have often asked myself ‘How do I tune a guitar in an easy but precise way?’. There are numerous techniques we can use to tune up our guitars but its hard to know which one is the most efficient and the most accurate. In this article we will look at some of the common techniques used to tune a guitar.

Technique #1

How do I tune a guitar online? Use an online guitar tuner. They are  simple to use and can easily be found by searching on google. Online guitar tuners usually consist of a small application that can produce the sounds of the guitar strings. All you then have to do is match the sound of your guitar strings to that of the sound produced by the application. Some of the better ones have options for multiple alternate tunings which is handy if you want to put your guitar into Drop D or Open G ,for example. There are also a couple of sites online that offer sound recognition and work with a microphone for acoustic, or a line-in cable for electric. This takes out the problem of knowing whether you are hearing correctly.

Technique #2

How do I tune a guitar offline? The Basic Guitar Tuning Method is great for when you don’t have access to a computer or online tuner. You match the sound of the same note played on the previous string. For example, you play the A note  on the 6th string (5th Fret) and tune the 5th string until it sounds the same. You repeat this all the way until your guitar is in tune. This technique is used by most beginner guitarists as it is very simple. You do, however, need a reference note to begin with so you are tuning from an in-tune string.

Technique #3

You can also tune your guitar with harmonics but this techniques is a little more difficult. Its similar to the previous method but you make the reference notes by playing a harmonic. This is also a relative tuning method so it helps alot if you can put the 6th string in tune first using a piano, tuning fork or online tuner.

Technique #4

How do I tune a guitar without relying on my own ears? Use an clip-on guitar tuner. They pick up vibrations from your guitar and are amazingly accurate. They are also cheap to buy and very easy to use. All you have to do is clip onto your guitar neck, pluck the string and adjust until the tuner gives you a positive reading. Its really that simple. Clip-On Tuners are so easy to use and provide a more precise tuning method than the relative tuning techniques suggested above.

Its good to know several techniques so you can quickly put your guitar into tune in any situation. Its also worthwhile practicing the relative tuning techniques as they will train your ear to recognise the different notes. After much practice with this you’ll easily recognise when your guitar is even slightly out of tune.