Aside from learning the different chords, learning how to tune a guitar by ear is perhaps another very important lesson that needs to be given special attention. Yes, you can always use other devices such as a digital tuner, but it is important to learn to tune a guitar by ear because your skill as a musician will depend largely on your ability to distinguish between different notes/chords. If you do not develop this skill, you will not even be able to tell if your own guitar is out of tune.
Why do I need to learn to tune a guitar by ear, and how do I do this?
Learning to tune a guitar by ear will definitely enrich your experience as a musician. It will help you “understand” music better and it will give you a deeper appreciation for it. Aside from this, there will be times when
Some people have the natural ability to distinguish the sounds of different notes, and they are able to tell if something is out of tune right away, and they are able to remedy that on their instruments straight away. But don’t worry, if you were not blessed with this kind of talent, you can develop it on your own and still be able to learn how to tune a guitar by ear.
To tune a guitar by ear, you will have to “train” your ears to be sensitive to the differences in sound, pitch, and tune of notes/chords. Look for musical scales played on guitar, chord exercises, and other similar pieces on guitars. Listen to these over and over until your ears get used to the sound of a guitar that is in tune. Pretty soon, you will be able to differentiate when your guitar is in tune or not.
Different ways to tune a guitar by ear
There are different ways out there to tune a guitar by ear. For more detailed explanations, feel free to check the other articles on this site on tuning your guitar!
Use another instrument
To tune a guitar by ear using this method, you will need either another guitar that is in tune, or a piano. Ask a friend to help you out with this one, because it is hard to keep switching from one instrument to another. Have your friend take the guitar that is in tune, and ask him to pick each string, one at a time, while you listen. When he picks the sixth string (Low E), listen carefully, and then pick your own sixth string to hear if the sounds match. If they don’t, adjust the string until it matches the tune of the other guitar.
The same thing goes for using the piano to tune a guitar by ear. For standard tuning purposes (there are many ways to tune a guitar, but for now, let’s focus on basic standard tuning), we will use the middle octave of the piano. For example, you wish to tune the sixth string – what you need to do is play the E note in the middle octave of the piano, and match the sound of your sixth string to the sound of the E note.
The 5th fret method
This is also known as the “relative tuning” method because to a guitar by ear using this means that the sound of the lower string will depend on the sound of the string above it. To be able to do this, the sixth string needs to be in tune. Press down on the fifth fret and then play the fifth string open (no notes pressed) – the sound of the fifth string should match that of the sixth string’s. This step is to be repeated for all the strings, except when you are tuning the second string, because for this, you will need to press on the fourth fret of the third string instead of the fifth.
Using an online tuner
Now to tune a guitar by ear using an online tuner works almost the same way as using another instrument. By using an online tuner, you will hear what your guitar strings are supposed to sound like, and if the sound your guitar strings create do not match, then you should adjust them until they sound the same as the sound on the online tuner.
Tune A Guitar By Ear – How to do it easier?
Those are just some of the ways to tune a guitar by ear. As you keep playing music and practicing, tuning your guitar by ear will become easier. All you need to do is practice constantly, and you will be able to tune a guitar by ear easily in no time.