Tuning Your Guitar

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of learning guitar is that it initially seems impossible to play anything that actually sounds good. While it is true that it takes some time to learn the techniques needed to play songs well, the real reason most new guitarists sound bad is because their instrument isn't in tune. Here is a guitar tuning tutorial that, with a little practice, should allow you to keep your instrument in tune.

How Often Should I Tune my Guitar?

You should tune your guitar every single time you pick it up. Guitars (particularly cheaper ones) tend to go out of tune quickly. Make sure your guitar is in tune when you begin to play it, and check the tuning frequently while you're practicing, as the act of playing the guitar can cause it to go out of tune.

How Long Does Tuning the Guitar Take?

At first, it may take you five minutes or more to get your guitar in tune, but the more familiar you are with tuning, the more quickly you'll be able to do it. Many guitarists can get their instrument roughly in tune in about 30 seconds.

Let's move on to learning the process of tuning the instrument.

1)Know which note each string on the guitar plays.

Note that there are two E strings on a standard six-string guitar. The thickest string is the bottom E (or low E) and the thinnest string is the top E (or high E). Low E is the top string.

2)Know which tuning keys correspond with which strings.

Follow each string up to its tuning key and make note of how they correspond and which way you should turn them to make the strings tighter or looser. (Tightening will make the pitch higher, while loosening the string will make the pitch lower.)

3)Tune the bottom-E string. 

This is the string you will use as a reference by which you can tune the rest of the guitar. (It’s good for this purpose because its thickness makes it less likely to detune.) Before you can do that, however, you must get it properly tuned.

Find a way to listen to an E note. This can be done using a (properly tuned) piano, a pitch pipe, a tuning fork, or a recorded E note.You can also play it from a piano/keyboard and compare.

Pluck the bottom-E string while listening to the E note from the other sound source.

Turn the tuning key for the bottom-E string until your guitar's bottom-E string sounds the same as the known E note. When the string is slightly out of tune, the E from the guitar will combine with the E from the sound source (i.e. piano), and cause the sound to "waver" in pitch. This is dissonance. As you tighten the guitar string, you should hear this wavering slow down; the two strings are in tune if the wavering has stopped. If you go too far, the wavering will increase again.

 4)Tune the A string. 

Now that the E string has correctly been tuned, you can use it to tune the next string over.

Push down on the fifth fret of the bottom-E string that you just tuned and pluck the string. The resulting note is A (which is what you want the next string over to be) and can be used as your new reference point for pitch. This will be referred to as the fifth-fretted bottom-E string.

Pluck the A string  and compare it to the sound of the fifth-fretted bottom-E string. Pluck the two strings in succession and then simultaneously.If the sound produced when both of them are plucked together is a uniform sound with a same pitch, you have tuned it perfectly! Else adjust the tuning screws until you do not hear multiple sounds.

Turn the tuning key for the A string until it sounds the same as the fifth-fretted bottom-E string.

5)Tune the D string.

Now the fifth fret in the A-string will be your reference to tune the D string.

Pluck the D string and compare it to the sound of the fifth-fretted A string. Pluck the two strings in succession and then simultaneously.

Tune the D string to the fifth-fretted A string.

6)Tuning the G string.

Pluck the G string and compare it to the sound of the fifth-fretted D string. Pluck the two strings in succession and then simultaneously.

Tune the G string to the fifth-fretted D string.

7)Tune the B string.

Pluck the B string and compare it to the sound of the fourth-fretted G string. Pluck the two strings in succession and then simultaneously.

Tune the B string to the fourth-fretted G string. Note that this is the only time the fourth fret is used.

8)Tune the high-E string.

Pluck the top E string and compare it to the sound of the fifth-fretted B string. Pluck the two strings in succession and then simultaneously.

Tune the top E string to the fifth-fretted B string. Be very careful when tightening this string as it can break easily.

Thank you for reading this!

Buying A Good Acoustic Guitar

Test the sound quality in the store. The sales person will expect this so don't be shy. Try out different guitars in the store, and try to see what 'feels' right, more than what looks right! Play a few chords and preferably up and down the fret board to measure the responsiveness at different points. A common fault in cheaper acoustics is the greater distance between the strings and fretboard closer to the 'hole'. Look for what sounds the best to you. You'll be glad about this later. Take the guitar into the amp room if possible to do this. Strings on the other acoustic guitars in the room will create sound when you play a guitar (sympathetic vibration), making the guitar sound better than it actually is.

Consider how big the guitar is. If you like the sound but can't play it, Gibson and Ibanez offer smaller guitars. The key thing is that the bottom groove should fit comfortably on your right thigh, and sitting upright, you should be able to strum with your elbow at right angles to the neck, and your wrist flexible. It should feel comfortable in your arms, like a good woman!

Select a guitar that fits your style. Some examples are electric/acoustic guitars for rockers, and acoustics for classical or country or even jazz and blues. The electro-acoustic guitars or semi-acoustic guitars create a different sound which can only be assessed using an amp so ask the store to set up an amp for you to test this. Don't get confused between Spanish Classical guitars, which have nylon strings, and normal acoustic guitars, which have steel strings.

Make sure once you choose your guitar at a store where they let you play your guitar. Make sure after you play it for a while, there are no buzzing sounds on the 1st string 3rd fret, or on the 13th fret.

Electro acoustic guitar is a good type, but it might not sound as rich as a real acoustic guitar unless you use an amplifier. But electro-acoustics, which are usually half the size, are also quieter to practice on - unless plugged in! - and don't stretch your voice if you want to sing along!!!

The Guitar Cleaning Kit

As an owner of an acoustic guitar myself, I have mishandled it in-numerable times.
Over time,even the utmost care that you take in handling your guitar would sometimes prove in-efficient as the guitar will develop some in-consistencies due to the ageing of various guitar  parts over time.
Some of the most notable features of  an aged guitar include
=> Rusted Strings.
=>Damping of a note which is quicker than the normal time a note takes to die out.
=>Rusting of the grooves present on the fret board.
=>Difficulty in tuning the guitar as the turning screws get rusted.

These effects can be minimized if not completely taken care of in the guitar using various guitar maintenance products.
One of the product which I have personally used and would recommend it for others is the

Dunlop System 65 Guitar Maintenance Kit

This kit provides the most essential products that will get your guitar back in shape within no time.
This kit includes :-
-Formula 65 polish :- Any light abrasion on the body of the guitar can be taken care of by this polish.
 The body gives a nice and neat polished look and you wont resist picking it up and playing a quick solo!

-Bodygloss 65 Cream of Carnauba Wax :- That "bling" you get while you brought your brand new guitar is back! A nice,clean and a shiny wood is therefore obtained after using this wax.Pick it up and go for another solo c'mon :D

-Ultraglide 65 String Saver:- One of the most common behaviour of a rusted string is that it produces shrill multiple notes when strummed.Also changing chords on a rusted string becomes difficult
as it usually results in minor cuts in your fingertips. The Ultraglide 65 String Saver is used to clean the rust on the strings and makes it nice and hard so that it produces a sharp note when strummed.

-Fingerboard cleaner/prep and Fingerboard Conditioner:- These are used to remove any abrasions/irregularities on the fret board thereby giving a nice and smooth finger movement.

Here are a few pics of the Dunlop package

The Guitar.

Hey There!

Before we move on to the maintenance part,lets do a quick review of what the guitar is made up of.Firstly let us know more about the Acoustic guitar.

The Acoustic Guitar:-

The word  "Acoustic" basically means that the sound produced is not amplified by any electric means and is dependent upon the natural frequency of a guitar.The "headstock" reffers to that part of a stringed instrument which is attached to the lower neck of the instrument.

On the headstock are "tuners", which you will use to adjust the pitch of each of the strings on the guitar.At the part of the guitar where the headstock meets theneck of the guitar,you will find a "nut" which is basically a small peice of material(steel or plastic) that is used to guide the strings upto the turners.The "neck" is that part of the guitar which enables you to  play different notes.The neck is divided into different sections called the "frets".Each fret represents a specified range of frequency that can be produced by strumming the strings at that particular fret.The "sound hole" is a hollow enclosure in the body of the guitar which is responsible for the sound produced by the guitar.When a string is plucked,the air column enclosed by the  body of the guitar vibrates thereby producing an amplified sound.
The strings of the guitar run from the tuning pegs, over the nut, down the neck, over the  body,  over the sound hole (or pick-ups), and are anchored at a piece of hardware  attached to the body    of the guitar, called a "bridge".The tension in the strings can be altered(i.e tuned) by turning the"turning machines"  situated on the headstock.So now as we are familiar with the most important parts of the guitar that are responsible  for how the guitar sounds lets move on to the maintenance part.

Maintenance

 Well, as most people are unaware of this, the sound produced by a guitar is very much dependant upon the environment in which it is placed.

Here are some of the things about your guitar that you must take care of:-

1)Carrying & Storage ~ It is always better to carry your guitar in a case - whether soft or hard. However, a hard case is better because it will provide for your guitar maximum protection from bumps, temperature and fluids.

At times, putting your guitar into its case may be inconvenient to you, but laying it around or leaning it against the wall can be a set-up for accidents. A good invention that solves this, by providing support for your guitar and easy access for you is a guitar stand.

2)Temperature & Humidity ~ Enemies of your guitar are extremes in temperature and humidity including when they change rapidly. Shifted necks, cracked finishes, slackened glued joints are all examples of damages that can happen to an acoustic guitar due to environmental changes and conditions.

A stable environment of controlled humidity and temperature is ideally what your guitar needs. A humidifier is an effective device that can be placed in the sound-hole of your guitar that can be set to maintain humidity at a particular level. An acceptable level of humidity for guitars is 40% - 60%. Humidifiers won't interfere any at all with your playing.

When carrying your acoustic steeled string guitar on a flight, it is advisable to slacken the strings as the lower temperature may cause the strings to contract (i.e. tighten) and place too much force on the neck of your guitar. Too much force on the neck may cause it to be displaced.Here's a pic of an acoustic guitar humidifier system.

3)String Care ~ Wipe your guitar strings with a cloth to get rid of deposits of dust, dirt and oils from your fingers. Use a string lubricant if you have metal strings to keep them shiny, light and bright.

Before playing, you can clean your hands with a small amount of hand sanitizer and wipe them in a cloth. The natural oils from your hands will transfer to the strings and bog them down, so you will have to avoid this.

4)Cleaning ~ Your guitar is quite easy to clean. Guitars are not high maintenance, so what you will need to do is to wipe your guitar with a damp cloth to get rid of smudges, elbow grease and dust. Wipe the body, neck and fretboard.

Occasionally polish your guitar. Many Guitarists abuse their guitar by over polishing, lubricating and waxing. Some experienced guitarists suggest that keeping the wood of your guitar dry is great for the increase in quality of sound. The deposits of products used on the guitar can change the natural resonance of the wood, and reduce the sound quality over time.

You can vacuum the inside of your guitar via the sound-hole to get rid of dust and other unwanted particles.

Here are some miscellaneous tips :-

• Avoid over-tightening your guitar strings, as this can cause excessive strain on the neck.

• Be extra careful when walking around with your guitar from room to room to avoid bounces and scratches.