GUITAR TIP: Why you should tune by ear
If you’re not tuning by ear, you are missing out on the opportunity to develop your listening skills. Today I’m challenging you to put aside your electronic tuner and start using your ear!
*Also applies to electric guitar, bass, ukulele, lutes, and more!*
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#classicalguitar #guitartip
Eventually your ears will get so sharp that you begin to realize that, tuning is a myth.
Thanks!
неприяиный тип
Dude I actually had no idea about harmonic tuning until now. And I’ve been playing for over 10 years 😭 it’s so much easier
I used to operate up to 4 of the same model engine to pump water. I noticed once you get the engines running at similar RPMs you could hear the "Beat" . Its the same wave sensation as when i tune my guitar. You have to listen past the drone of the engine, but by making fine adjustments of the throttles on each engine you could match up the beats. Maybe that helps someone make a mental connection, it helped me.
I am a wanna-be flamenco player, cursed with over-critical perfect pitch. I understand that many guitarists are annoyed, when changing to different keys, guitar is out of tune, in addition to nylon strings often needing re-tuning. Any tips ?
Older video, but you can pretty easily illustrate beats with a sound clip of someone tuning bagpipe drones. Of course I’ve also played bagpipes for about twenty years, but I never really had an issue hearing the warble even when I was starting with them.
I just guessed an E got Eb instead…
I arrived to the same conclusion it is safer to have a single reference string.
In my case, I prefer to use the D string, as you dont need to use the higher fret7, which can pitch higher depending on the guitars.
As well, I use different tunings, and as how I use them, the D string always stays a D. As well the D string tends to be more fragile due to its thinner wraparound wiring, it is just better messing with it as less as possible.
Moreover as the D is a middle string, you never heve to tune over 2 octaves (in the case of the E’s). So :
D2 = both E’s
D = B3
D5 = G
D =D
D = A5
Some YTer once explained there was a trouble tuning with harmonics, I cant recall exactly why.
You left out using a tuning fork, like an 440 A, to get a starting pitch
I’ve found tuning the open D string first, since it’s the most stable, followed by tuning the d’s of every other string to the correct unison/octave to be most effective (bending the string you’re tuning to tell which direction to tune and by how much). The high E string tends not to intonate perfectly and will want to split the difference on frets 3, 5, and 10 with G, A, and D respectively. Once this is done, I find this offsets a lot of tuning inconsistencies inherent to the usual guitar setup, resulting in sweeter intonation overall.
Also playing a majer chord after tuning helps you know if the intonation is correct.
I have a note to add, its better to tune your guitar down the arm as possible close to the guitar, vibrations will match much better.
Sometimes when you tune the guitar up the arm then you play a note its out of tune, even if it sounded good when you tuned it.
My constant problem is getting the first string tuned right. Everything else makes sense. For any of these techniques, how do I know if the first string, from which I base everything, is tuned correctly?
Thank you, excellent video
Is this gutare nylon?
But how can I get in tune by playing Le Catedral? All over the neck and mostly very high up, combined with open strings…
Merci.
Does anyone tune by singing the notes?
I learned to use a tuning fork by starting it vibrating then holding it to the face of the guitar near the sound hole leaving both hands free to play harmonics on the strings
When I was 12 there where no tuning devices, we had to tune by ear and guess what, our ears where trained faster and we could find chords and melodies much easier! Now days I am just too lazy and halve deaf on my right ear!
Can’t help but smile at the energy given off in the vid. I have terrible pitch but checking back against a tuner after is doable
This is the most thorough and helpful guide for tuning I have found so far on the internet, this clarified a lot for me
I’ve noticed that classical guitarists tend to tune with the fifth fret method starting from the top string, while rock / pop guitarists do it from the bottom string.
I wonder why that happens
batteriies never die on tuning forks
I’m quite terrible at playing but I’ve been doing this since 1996 and I can tell you, if I did it, anyone can get good at this.
Great teacher!
Thank you lots!! I was looking for something like this!!! ❤ Tuning the guitar this way makes it sound so good compared to using a tuner!!
I use a tuning fork that I bounce off my knee, and harmonics. When a C chord sounds right, then we’re good to go.
And if I’m in a hurry to get the tuning basically in range, I have the rechargeable electronic tuner.
Thanks for another great lesson. They are amazing…
Shakira likes this!
I most often tune using harmonics from the D string to high E then from the D to low E. Then I check all my E’s on all strings on the lowest fret available.
I learnt guitar on a lot of terrible instruments and this method made those guitars most usable.
Great🎉🎉little to fast🎉🎉🎉
Haven’t played in years and listening to yt through cheap headphones i am kind of shocked how clearly i heard the beat.
I also own an old digital tuner and frankly don’t trust it to be super accurate! So tuning by ear (possibly after getting it within cooee with the tuner if she’s really rough) has always been my habit.
Do this on a solid body electric or hallow body like the one in the video teach yourself to know how to reach for your tuning pegs and feel where each one is up there and who is tuning what string and where your hand is over the fret board and the other at the bridge lay your ear and push your head on the guitar and strike the harmonics on the 5th and 7th frets you got to push you ear on it like you would if you were listening to something on the other side of a wall get the whole ear pressed on it and it resonates in your ear loudly and clearly and you really get to hear those beats pound I had a guitar that really vibrated every time id tune harmonicly and I was like…. lemme see what happened if you put your ear on the guitar and hear what that does and woah it’s going to be your left ear if you fret with your left hand and strum with the right hand and that’s why I said your going to need to learn to feel because you will be stuck looking away from the headstock give it a try it’s neat and takes a tad bit of doing but it’s totally doable because I can do it flawlessly anytime on any guitar acoustic or electric
From a violin background, I used to get cackled at for tuning to the 5ths (and 4ths) of adjacent open strings – easy intervals to hear when used to them. I’d check with a string of harmonics and a strum across all courses – even strumming across the open courses of a 10 string cittern with octaves on the lower courses sounds clearly in (or out) of tune with repetition – presume the same for english guitars and lutes.
The best tip voor guitar in years. Thanks Brandon!
My guitar (Amalia Burguet) is finally in tune! Whauh, it sounds so beautifu,l especially in the high positions. Another tip: tune your gitaar in A=415. This is the original tone hight for Barock (and Bach), it sounds much better and is much easier to play.
I 100% agree about final tune tweaking based on key of the piece. I tune everything to the D string sans any harmonics, because, (excepting 5th &12 fret) they’re not tempered. So, open D or 12th fret harmonic, (which is perfect) to third fret B. Open D to 7th fret G. Fifth fret harmonic D to 10th fret high E. 12th fret A to 2nd fret G. 12 fret low E to 2nd fret D. To my ear this gets it as close as possible. From what I understand Eddie van Halen tuned his open B so there were no beats with open D and G, but distorted electric’s accentuate the beats. Make sure your nut’s cut to the same height as your frets. Often a problem.
What do you think?
"If you are playing with other tune high E with a Tuner" 🤣😂🤣
Here is example how sound well tuned classical guitar
https://youtu.be/mDH4KFiGSEs?si=dPhc5ggqptdrxuSo
This is pretty awesome man! I like learning about this method in a pinch but ill stick with my chromatic tuner and 432hz. It has the perfect sound to me with none of that buffing or what ever you said lol.
GREAT info! I’ve been playing for 54 years and have never been shown this technique…Makes perfect sense!
no peice of quartz is the same so no quartz tuner is perfect as no quartz watch is perfect…
The #1 question being asked is "But how do you get the 1st string E in tune?" Answer below:
-This is when it is okay to use a tuner. I recommend having the tuner sound the pitch E and then using your ear to match it (instead of just accepting what the LED screen says).
-If you’re playing with another musician who is in tune, you can also get the E from them. (Disclaimer: Some instruments, like the piano, are difficult to tune to.)
-If you are changing your strings, use a tuner to get the strings stabilized at the right pitch. The strings will be going wildly out of tune for at least a day or so. Once the strings stabilize, you can begin using your ear.
Thanks for accepting my challenge!
~Brandon
Turn all your tuning pegs exactly 27 times and you should sound just like Green Day farting their greatest hit.
doesnt have to do with the actual musicality but oil on the tuners seems very important im using my grandpa’s harmony from 1967 and tuning the high strings is like fixing a car or something I almost threw my back out
Thanks!! I’m gonna get an ear to those beats! I played for many, many years and have developed some skills in learning songs by ear, but never felt quite secure about my tuning abilities. In some moments started like my own way of checking my tuning which consists of playing fifths and then trying some chords. Thanks again!
ive always felt that way… tuners lie. put a pitch fork will not…my ear wont lie to me either.
thank you
When I was 19 my friend told me to think of it like a tunning fork