Tips For Using An Electronic Tuner

Getting in tune and staying in tune.

Lots of people buy electronic tuners which look easy to use, but then they have trouble getting in tune. I've had students tune to the wrong notes, not be able to figure out which way to turn the tuning knobs, or my favorite "that's close enough." Here are some tips to help you get in tune.

• Know which notes your instrument is tuned to. Standard guitar tuning from the 6th string, (the thick one), to the 1st string: 6=E, 5=A, 4=D, 3=G, 2=B, 1=E

•  What kind of tuner do you have? Chromatic means it has all the notes on it. A guitar tuner has just the guitar notes. It's worth the slight extra cost to buy a chromatic tuner. Many guitarists use alternate tunings and/or tune lower than standard pitch. A chromatic tuner enables you to match these tunings.

•  What the symbols mean. A sharp, the one that looks like a pound sign # means the string needs to be tuned lower. A flat, the one that looks like a lower case b, means the string is too low and needs to be tuned higher. Pick the string so you can tell how much it changes when you make it higher or lower. The thicker the string, the less you have to turn the tuner to change it. By playing the string you can also be sure you're tuning the right one. A common mistake is to play one string and tune a different one, resulting in a broken string.

• How to get an accurate reading. There's a tiny microphone built into the front of the tuner, so you need to be fairly close to it with an acoustic guitar. Electric guitars can be plugged directly into the electronic tuner. For best results, pluck the string every few seconds so the tuner receives a steady signal. Sometimes an adjacent string will vibrate sympathetically, so if the needle bounces around, stop the other strings. I usually use my left hand to deaden the strings and the right hand to pick with.

• Clip on tuners. Tuners that clip on to the peghead work by vibrations. If the tuner doesn't respond just try moving it a little. Most of the time that fixes the problem.

• How often should you tune your guitar? I highly recommend that you tune each time you play the guitar. Weather can affect the tuning, and the strings do tend to stretch, so tuning each time you practice is a good habit to get into. This also makes it less likely that your guitar will be way out of tune.

By following the tips above you should have a much easier time keeping your guitar in tune.