The electric guitar is played on the same principles as the acoustic guitar and hence has the same tuning methodology. There are also several ways in which an electric guitar can be tuned. The most difficult way in which the electric guitar is tuned is with the ear. This type of tuning is one of the difficult ways, because it requires a lot of practice and also a very well-developed musical ear. Many guitar experts have such a deep knowledge of guitar tuning, that they can tune their electric guitars more accurately than a tuner.
How to Tune an Electric Guitar
Many beginners ask frequently put forth the query, 'how to tune an electric guitar with the help of the ear?'. Here is the answer.
The normal electric guitar tuning is done in a format that is as follows.
- 6th string (the fattest of all) is tuned using an E note.
- 5th String is tuned to A note
- 4th string is tuned to the D note
- 3rd string is tuned to the G note
- 2nd string is tuned to the B note
- The last string is also tuned to the E note, however in guitar music sheets it is denoted with a 'e' note. This note is on a higher octave as compared to the 6th string.
While tuning an electric guitar it must be noted that though the first string and the last string are of different sizes, and occur in different octaves, they should sound one and the same. Tuning an electric guitar with the help of the ear, is always difficult and it is recommended that one has the 6th string that is the E string in tune. The other strings can be tuned with the help of the E string as the guiding note. First one needs to tune the A string that is the 5th string. The 5th fret of the E string plays the A note, which is corresponding to the A string. Now, as the A string is out of tune, when played, it won't match the A note. The A string which is out of tune, produces a small 'wah' sound when it is played. Go on tightening or loosening the string till the 'wah' sound is not heard. Then play the A note and the A string, and try to further tune the string fine. Fine tuning is more difficult than getting the note right. This same process is to be repeated with all the strings. However, different and corresponding notations have to be followed.
- The 5th fret of the A string produces the D note that can be used to tune the D string that is right below the A string.
- The 7th fret of the D string produces the G note with the help of which the G string can be tuned.
- The 4th fret of the G string, that produces the B note can be used to tune the B string.
- The simplest way to tune the highest E or the 'e' string is to take a guidance from the 6th String that is the E note.
Electric guitar tuning is not very durable and the strings go out of tune very quickly hence make it a point to tune the guitar every time you pick it up to have a jam. The electric guitar can be tuned with the help of several other instruments such as the keyboards or the bass guitar. There are also two other relatively simple methods of tuning an electric guitar. The first one is to use an electric guitar tuner. The electric guitar tuner is available in many forms. The most common forms of electrical guitar tuner are the clip-on and the plug-ins. The clip-on electric guitar tuner are relatively cheap. The LED lights on the tuner act as guides and instruct the player whether to tighten or loosen the strings. The clip-on tuner can also be used to tune an acoustic guitar or a bass guitar. While using the plug-in tuner, one has to plug the guitar to the tuner and then follow the instructions of the tuner. Guitar effect processors, also have very effective inbuilt tuners.
However, it is always advisable to tune electric guitar with the help of the ear. Some of the tools that can be used to tune the electric guitar are the mouth organ that is also known as the harmonica or even a pitch-pipe.
