I’m a beginner guitarist. I’ve been playing for just over 2 years in total now. When I started, I would do the string by string method, using one string to tune the next. I then used phone apps that were not only fixed to standard tuning, but took some time since I had a noisy family. Finally, when I decided to try and make a band again, I purchased a vibration clip on. But what’s my verdict?
To put it simply, Yes! You do and you should tune every time you play. There are many reasons why your guitar may be a little flat or sharp, which we will get into. Tuning is also a daily opportunity to train your ears.
Even if you have the technique right, and you’re playing the right frets or chords, it’s not going to sound right, and you won’t even notice until you play with a song or someone else points it out. Trust me, an out of tune guitar is quite painful to listen to, and it’s kind of embarrassing if you’re the only one who doesn’t realize this.
How does a guitar get out of tune?
1. Strings Loosen Over Time
There’s a reason why you need to change your guitar every month (or 6 like most guitarists) and that’s because strings aren’t immortal. Think of them like a rubber band. As strong and flexible as they may be at first, with time, they lose that. You’ll notice as you tune that you’re almost always tightening the strings, not loosening them. And this is why. The day to day differences won’t be as noticeable, but the longer between tunings, the more you’ll have to tighten them.
2. Humidity/Temperature
Your guitar is wood. Wood naturally expands and contracts based on the heat and humidity in the room.The first time I ever had to loosen my strings was when I installed a humidifier in my room, and it really proved a point. Most people will not need one, but if you’re not sure about your home, it may be worth it to install a humidity tracker, or find something to protect your guitar.
3. Bags and Cases
If youre guitar is in some kind of case, the pegs may be adjusted during transport. If only one string is quite out of tune, this is usually why. If you’re ever bringing your guitar to practice, be sure to tune once you take it out to set up.
4. Low Quality Guitars
This goes for any instrument, but usually the cheaper it is, the worse it could sound. I’ve bought cheap harmonicas and violins before, and they were not only built out of tune, but got out of tune a lot faster than a decent guitar would.
A guitar being a little flat is normal, but if you find that the notes change completely after a day, or worse, while you are practicing, this may be a sign of a low quality guitar. There are ways to fix it, and this may be a setup, or creating more friction between the pegs and nut, but just know this is a common cause*.
5. Accidents
If you’re a beginner, one thing that takes some getting used to is the size and weight of the guitar. It’s going to slip off your lap. You’re going to accidently bang it when moving to another room. You’ll forget about it while it’s in your bag on your back. And sometimes, the strap comes loose and it drops from some height (been there). Whether it was a big or small accident, after ensuring your guitar is alright, you’ll definitely want to tune to see if the pegs were moved in the process.
6. Curious Kids
Whether you have kids of your own or have guests that brought their own, if your guitars were left within their reach, you may come back to a surprise. I used to share a room in a small apartment, thus there was only one place I could leave my guitar in the open for easy access. Whenever guests came over, kids felt free to go where they pleased. I’ll be in the living room when I hear my guitar ringing out, and I come back to see them twisting the pegs. They always want to play with the pegs!
7. Use of A Capo or Whammy Bar
You may use different tools or seek certain guitars to get the sound you like, but anything that does something unnatural to a guitar has the potential to slightly knock the strings out of tune, or stretch the strings in the process. Capos put pressure on all the strings for an extended period of time, and the whammy bar physically moves the bridge of the guitar. If you’re using either of them, you’ll want to double check the tuning in the process and afterwards.
Tuning doesn’t have to be dreadful
I get it. Sometimes, you just want to pick up your guitar and dive right in, but tuning could be a pain. Depending on how you tune, it could take a minute, or even 10 minutes. “Who has that kind of time???”
Trust me, I feel you. When I first picked up guitar, I would tune manually, using a keyboard to get my low E string and then use the strings to tune each other. I then got an app, but it was quite hard since I had a noisy family that would get in the way. I know what a pain it could be…but playing out of tune and trying to figure out if you’re playing wrong when your tabs don’t match the song is even more annoying.
If anything, definitely get a clip on tuner that can pick up vibrations. My goodness, what a blessing! I use the Stark All Instrument Chromatic Tuner. It was only $20, and it can stay on my guitar all the time. So when I pick it up to play, I just click the button, and I can tune all the strings in under 30 seconds. I even bought my bassist one as he as using his phone, but he had to leave the room if others were playing.
How Tuning Helps Train Your Ears
Tuning is an opportunity to train your ears each time you play, and your music will be more consistent. If you know what an in-tune guitar sounds like, you can more easily tell when your guitar is out of tune. When you’re playing along with music, you would also be able to tell if you’re a little sharp or flat.
If you were to try to learn a song by ear with an out of tune your guitar, it may sound right at the moment, but it won’t always sound right. Then you’ll realize you were playing it wrong when you do finally tune your guitar properly. Or if you’re learning from tabs, you may think the tabs are wrong, but it’s just that your guitar is flat. You’re only going to be wasting time in the end if you have to relearn things.
There are a lot of guitarists out there, but you’d be amazed at how many have uploaded clips or played in a band where everyone is out of tune and/or out of key. They’ve gotten so used to sounding bad that they aren’t even aware how horrible it sounds to the audience. I mean, they recorded and uploaded their practice clips themselves, so they were proud of it. Don’t be like them.
Conclusion
You can’t look at tuning as a nuisance. Part of being a musician is taking care of your instrument and setting up accordingly.
When I took band class during school, everyone knew the drill. The woodwind musicians would put their instrument together, soak their reeds, and make sure it is installed properly. The strings will tighten their bows, run rosin on it many times, and then tune their instruments. Brass players will wash and install their mouth pieces, and get their lips ready. They may need to apply oil to parts for it to move smoother.
Only after 10 minutes or so will the music teacher come out from their room, and by then, we should all be set up, seated, and ready to go with our sheet music in front of us. If the teacher takes a bit longer, you can take a moment to do some warmups or run through a piece with musicians who shared your part.
If you want to be a serious or professional musician, you will do what it takes to ensure you play the music as intended and try to produce the best sound possible, and that can only be done if your guitar is tuned properly each time.
Even if you are a beginner, you deciding to pick up an instrument and practice makes you a musician, so take this to heart <3