The Best Acoustic Guitar Tuner

Tuning your acoustic guitar is the first step in your guitar playing career. Whether by skill, talent or technology, you must be able to get your guitar into tune.

One common obstacle to learning to tune a guitar is a certain natural resistance to learning new things which is present in everybody to some degree. The prospect of learning to tune a guitar by ear can fill some people with a sense of dread.

Before we start to tackle the job of tuning, we need to get straight which string is which. The first string is the narrow string nearest your knee as you sit with the guitar in playing position. The sixth string is the widest string, and it is closest to your chin.

And the tuning goes like this:

1st string is "E"

2nd string is "B"

3rd string is "G"

4th string is "D"

5th string is "A"

6th string is "E"

The Guitar pitch pipe plays the guitar notes when you blow into it so you can compare the sounds with your guitar.

A tuning fork, when you bang it on your knee and hold it on the body of your guitar, sounds the note you get when you play the harmonic at the fifth fret of the fifth string. Once you get this note right, you tune the rest of the strings to the fifth string.

If you have tried the methods of tuning guitars using a pitch pipe or tuning fork, and still feel less than confident in your guitar tuning abilities, then you could think about acquiring a guitar tuner that has a visual aid to tuning. You can always test your skill from time to time by tuning your guitar without the tuner, and seeing how accurate you have become.

You can also use a keyboard instrument to tune your guitar to. Start by finding on the keyboard the E note below Middle C. Then GO DOWN ANOTHER OCTAVE to tune the sixth string on the guitar. This is because the guitar's music is written an octave higher than it actually sounds compared to a piano!

The electronic guitar tuner is the simplest way of tuning your acoustic guitar. You pluck your guitar string and watch the indicator on the tuner to see how close you are to the correct note. There are also guitar tuners you can get for free on the internet that work the same way.

Online Guitar Tuners often play the notes to you, and you use your ear to see if your guitar is in tune.

The AP Guitar Tuner can be downloaded free to your computer, and has great visual aids to guitar tuning so you don't need to rely on your ear alone.

At Tab Guitar Lessons you can download another free guitar tuner as well as a bunch of other handy guitar learning tools.

Learn To Play A Guitar For Free has a heap of info and free resources on guitar tuning and many other guitar-related subjects.

Beginner Guitar Lessons Beginner guitar lessons consist of you getting to know your first guitar. This guitar will probably be a nylon string acoustic which will enable you to learn what it takes to get music out of an instrument without relying too much on electronic enhancements and without cutting your fingers up on steel strings. What style of guitar do you want to learn?

Electric Guitar Lessons Electric guitars are established in our universe. There are even classical pieces composed for electric guitar. This is a new kind of musical instrument. Not only is the sound amplified by electronics but the sound itself is MADE by electronics. Soooo . . . is playing electric guitar as easy as it looks?!

What kind of guitar are you going to buy?

If you have a rough idea of what kind of music you want to play, the next step is to find yourself a guitar.

Let's start with the basics - nylon string or steel string. A nylon string guitar was made to play classical and folk music. Acoustic guitars make their music by sending the vibration of the strings to the soundboard. The vibrations are then amplified in the body of the guitar. Nylon string guitars make a mellow tone; steel string guitars make a brighter, more metallic sound. One of the main things that will influence you in deciding what kind of sound you want is the guitar your favorite performer plays.

If you are just starting out you will not need a top of the range guitar but it is best to get the nicest one in your price range. A cheap, poorly made guitar will be an uphill battle to play. A good instrument will make your practice sessions something to look forward to.

Try different guitars. See how the neck feels. Check out if one neck feels more comfortable to play than others. Another consideration is the distance of the strings from the fret board which is called the "action". Low action is easier to play but if you are planning on strumming enthusiastically or picking loudly the guitar may have a tendency to buzz.

Go ahead and learn

The very first step toward learning to play acoustic guitar is to develop confidence and to overcome your natural reluctance to try new things. Money, lack of time, or lack of a good teacher are three big obstacles to your guitar learning progress. The other three are going to be you. You may be your own worst enemy. Challenges are your friends. If you find yourself getting frustrated, and not wanting to continue your practice, start again with a smaller goal. If you have two chords that you have trouble with, work on the first one alone for a while. Once you have improved a little, go to the next one.

Daily Practice

As far as your daily practice goes look at starting with half an hour a day. If you can do more, great, you'll become a guitarist faster. The way you carry out your practice is crucial. Putting in the time isn't the only requirement. If you rush or try to fit too much in, then you're working against yourself. Err on the side of too little material at first. If you really are accomplishing what you set out to do in less than thirty minutes, then add a little more.

Tuning Your Guitar

You can find online guitar tuners to help you get your acoustic guitar in tune. Take a day or two of your practice time to get the knack of tuning. When you start to develop an ear for tuning, try tuning the guitar without the tuner.

Holding Your Acoustic Guitar

Long hours of practice can take their toll. Learning how to sit and play your acoustic guitar is an art in itself. There are places on the internet that have illustrations showing you how to sit when you're playing, but it would be good to find somebody with a little experience to show you. But don't just go with the way one person plays. If he's self-taught, then you don't want to pick up his bad habits!