Tuning The Low E String

The first step in tuning your guitar is to at least get one string in tune with the correct pitch, and then you can tune the rest of your guitar in reference to that string. To keep things simple, lets first tune the Low E String.

The first thing needed is a reference pitch. This could be a guitar tuner, piano, tuning fork, a recorded note, another guitar, or any other instrument. In this case, we are going to use the following audio file. Listen to the video and try and match your low E string to that pitch.

If your guitar string sounds to low or flat then tighten the string. If it sounds to high or sharp then loosen the string (If your having a hard time identifying if your guitar is flat or sharp, its in your best interest to tune with an electric tuner which has a graphic display).

Once you have one string properly tuned, you can now tune the rest of the strings with just the guitar. Lets tune the next string, in this case the A string.

We can tune that string by finding the same note of A on the E string that we already tuned. We can find the note A on the 5th fret of the E string. The following should help illustrate this method.

Part III - Tuning The Rest Of Your Guitar

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Your First Scale / The Pentatonic Scale

The first scale most guitarists learn is the minor pentatonic scale. Pentatonic may sound scary but it really isn't, it simply means 5 notes. So a pentatonic scale is just a 5 note scale. The pentatonic scale is extremely useful for guitarists. This is for a few good reasons. - Music that is commonly played on the guitar (rock, blues, country, pop, ect...) use the pentatonic scale in its melodies and improvisation. - The pentatonic scale is easily playable on the guitar with pentatonic 'boxes'. - The licks and riffs from the pentatonic scale sound amazing. With that said, lets get into the minor pentatonic scale. The following is a tab file and a scale diagram of the minor pentatonic scale in the Key of A. Didn't I say a pentatonic scale was only 5 notes. The above tab file and scale diagram feature alot more then 5 notes. Take a look at the red dots on the scale diagram, for example the 5th fret on the Low E string and High E string and the 7th fret on ...

How To Build A Barre Chord

It should be clear by now that the barre effectively replaces the use of the nut on the guitar. If not, then go back and read Part One . Once understanding the barre replaces the use of the nut, it should make sense that you could use the same basic chords in open position and apply them after the barre. Use the exact same chord shape, just replace the nut with the barre using your first finger and refinger the chord as necessary. While this method will work with all open position chords, there are four particular chord shapes, two major shapes and two minor shapes, that are essential for all guitarists. The two basic open position chords that we will be using to build our major barre chords are the E major and the A major chord forms. Let's start with the E major chord. This chord should already be familiar. If not then read up on the basic chords in open position . The two diagrams to the right is an E major chord in open position followed by an F# major barre chord. T...

Tuning The Rest Of The Guitar

The same method is used to tune the next two strings, the D string and the G string. Fret the 5th fret on the A string and that gives the note D, you can now tune your D string in comparison to the 5th fret of the A string. Once the D string is tuned, do the same for the G string. Fret the 5th fret on the D string and that gives the Note G and you can now tune the G string. The B string is tuned with the same method but instead of fretting the 5th fret of the G string, you fret the 4th and tune in comparison to the 4th fret, not the 5th. You should now just have the High E string to tune. In this case, we go back to the original method of fretting in comparison to the 5th fret of the previous string. The following diagram will help illustrate the entire tuning process. You should now be able to tune your guitar. It may take a while for a beginner but you should get it. If your having trouble, read through the material again. The above diagram should illustrate the method clea...

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