[superhodge88]

I have a teach yourself to play guitar e book because I didn't want to have lessons as I wasn't sure if I wanted to really get into playing guitar.
I’m using a Yamaha G-230 which is quite badly out of tune. I want to tune it but can’t get a tuner for a while and want to get started learning. Is it really important to learn on a well tuned guitar? Or am I ok to learn technique and pick up the sounds later?

[grzegorz_panek]

It is extremely important.

If you have the Internet, you have a tuner:
http://www.8notes.co...t.asp?sstring=a


If you have a telephone you have a tuner (when you raise the receiver the signal is close to A)
If you have Metallica's black album, or any record of Nothing Else Matters, you have a tuner that gives you the low E.


You should never play nor practice on a guitar out of tune. NEVER

[adds]

It is extremely important.

If you have the Internet, you have a tuner:
http://www.8notes.co...t.asp?sstring=a


If you have a telephone you have a tuner (when you raise the receiver the signal is close to A)
If you have Metallica's black album, or any record of Nothing Else Matters, you have a tuner that gives you the low E.


You should never play nor practice on a guitar out of tune. NEVER

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Robert Pete Williams played for years before he even found out you was meant to tune a guitar.He did all right did he not?

[Graeme! Yes, Graeme!]

To be honest, it's more important that a guitar is in tune with itself than in tune with the world in general for practicing, and you can tune a guitar to itself without the need for a tuner.

Start with the bass E string. You won't know if it's drastically out of tune or not, but as long as it's obviously not overly loose or tight then it should be OK. If you know a song that has a strong E note in it, you can listen to that and tune your guitar to it, if you like. Now, hit the fifth fret on the E string, and then hit the open A string. Tune the A string so that it is the same note as the fifth fret E string, as fifth fret E is an A note.

Now repeat the process for the A and D string, hitting the fifth fret on the A and tuning the D string so that it is the same note. Repeat again for the D and G string.

For the G and B string it's slightly different. Instead of hitting the fifth fret on the G, hit the fourth fret, as the interval between G and B is a semitone shorter than with the other strings.

For the B and treble E, go back to using the fifth fret, tunign the high E string so that it is the same note as fifth fret B. Give the guitar a bit of a strum, if you've done it right then it should sound in tune.

[grzegorz_panek]

It is extremely important.

If you have the Internet, you have a tuner:
http://www.8notes.co...t.asp?sstring=a


If you have a telephone you have a tuner (when you raise the receiver the signal is close to A)
If you have Metallica's black album, or any record of Nothing Else Matters, you have a tuner that gives you the low E.


You should never play nor practice on a guitar out of tune. NEVER

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Robert Pete Williams played for years before he even found out you was meant to tune a guitar.He did all right did he not?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sure. You know they say Jesus walked on water.

You can try and do the same or just learn to swim.

[adds]

It is extremely important.

If you have the Internet, you have a tuner:
http://www.8notes.co...t.asp?sstring=a


If you have a telephone you have a tuner (when you raise the receiver the signal is close to A)
If you have Metallica's black album, or any record of Nothing Else Matters, you have a tuner that gives you the low E.


You should never play nor practice on a guitar out of tune. NEVER

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Robert Pete Williams played for years before he even found out you was meant to tune a guitar.He did all right did he not?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sure. You know they say Jesus walked on water.

You can try and do the same or just learn to swim.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Fair point i cant argue with that.Though i wish i could i love a good row me .

[superhodge88]

Thanks for the help guys, think ill give that online tuner a go

[jimbomonkeypie]

To be honest, it's more important that a guitar is in tune with itself than in tune with the world in general for practicing, and you can tune a guitar to itself without the need for a tuner.

Start with the bass E string. You won't know if it's drastically out of tune or not, but as long as it's obviously not overly loose or tight then it should be OK. If you know a song that has a strong E note in it, you can listen to that and tune your guitar to it, if you like. Now, hit the fifth fret on the E string, and then hit the open A string. Tune the A string so that it is the same note as the fifth fret E string, as fifth fret E is an A note.

Now repeat the process for the A and D string, hitting the fifth fret on the A and tuning the D string so that it is the same note. Repeat again for the D and G string.

For the G and B string it's slightly different. Instead of hitting the fifth fret on the G, hit the fourth fret, as the interval between G and B is a semitone shorter than with the other strings.

For the B and treble E, go back to using the fifth fret, tunign the high E string so that it is the same note as fifth fret B. Give the guitar a bit of a strum, if you've done it right then it should sound in tune.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the help guys, think ill give that online tuner a go

Nice to see he took your concise and well said instructions and put them to good use!


Why don't you want lessons? If its because you want to be one of the "cool" guitarists who taught themself to emo, thus making them the best guitarist ever, then don't kid yourself. Lessons are much better than learning from a book, a good teacher will make sure you don't pick up and bad habits and it will help you a whole lot with theory.

But if its a matter of money, a book is better than nothing!

[grzegorz_panek]

It is extremely important.

If you have the Internet, you have a tuner:
http://www.8notes.co...t.asp?sstring=a


If you have a telephone you have a tuner (when you raise the receiver the signal is close to A)
If you have Metallica's black album, or any record of Nothing Else Matters, you have a tuner that gives you the low E.


You should never play nor practice on a guitar out of tune. NEVER

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Robert Pete Williams played for years before he even found out you was meant to tune a guitar.He did all right did he not?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sure. You know they say Jesus walked on water.

You can try and do the same or just learn to swim.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Fair point i cant argue with that.Though i wish i could i love a good row me .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Some other time in discussion.

By the way I remember I heard about Robert Pete Williams first. I managed to get his album, some compilation. He was very good indeed.

[superhodge88]

Why don't you want lessons? If its because you want to be one of the "cool" guitarists who taught themself to emo, thus making them the best guitarist ever, then don't kid yourself. Lessons are much  better than learning from a book, a good teacher will make sure you don't pick up and bad habits and it will help you a whole lot with theory.

But if its a matter of money, a book is better than nothing!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's not that. I wasn't sure if playing guitar was realy for me, so I thought if i learn a bit on my own and like it I can get lessons and if I dont like it then I haven wasted money

[dadfad]

It is extremely important.

If you have the Internet, you have a tuner:
http://www.8notes.co...t.asp?sstring=a


If you have a telephone you have a tuner (when you raise the receiver the signal is close to A)
If you have Metallica's black album, or any record of Nothing Else Matters, you have a tuner that gives you the low E.


You should never play nor practice on a guitar out of tune. NEVER

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Robert Pete Williams played for years before he even found out you was meant to tune a guitar.He did all right did he not?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sure. You know they say Jesus walked on water.

You can try and do the same or just learn to swim.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Fair point i cant argue with that.Though i wish i could i love a good row me .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

NOBODY else can play like Robert Pete Williams!






(Or walk on water as good as Jesus!)

[adds]

It is extremely important.

If you have the Internet, you have a tuner:
http://www.8notes.co...t.asp?sstring=a


If you have a telephone you have a tuner (when you raise the receiver the signal is close to A)
If you have Metallica's black album, or any record of Nothing Else Matters, you have a tuner that gives you the low E.


You should never play nor practice on a guitar out of tune. NEVER

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Robert Pete Williams played for years before he even found out you was meant to tune a guitar.He did all right did he not?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sure. You know they say Jesus walked on water.

You can try and do the same or just learn to swim.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Fair point i cant argue with that.Though i wish i could i love a good row me .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

NOBODY else can play like Robert Pete Williams!






(Or walk on water as good as Jesus!)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think ill sus the walking on water long befoe i can play like robert Pete Williams.

[LooPbacK]

I have a teach yourself to play guitar e book because I didn't want to have lessons as I wasn't sure if I wanted to really get into playing guitar.
I’m using a Yamaha G-230 which is quite badly out of tune. I want to tune it but can’t get a tuner for a while and want to get started learning. Is it really important to learn on a well tuned guitar? Or am I ok to learn technique and pick up the sounds later?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

when i bought my guitar i didn't knew how to tune it...and had no one else to ask to do it for me... so i practiced like that for about a month...and started to get the ideea of how to tune it...

a week ago i found a tuner on the net that made this thing so easy...plug you're mike in...and in 2 minutes you have your guitar tuned...(Guitar FX BOX 2.0)

however...it will help you a lot tuning your guitar by yourself...so take your time and be paitent...the first time you'll try to tune it it'll take you long...

also...try playing bits of music that you know how they are suposed to sound and make your guitar sound like them...for example one-metallica or nothing else matters or try struming common chords...you get the ideea...

also...very important...
be VERY carefull at the high e string...don't tune it to high...it'll snap...
Believe me...i broke a lot of strings this way...

well...good luck...

[superhodge88]

Well, it turns out that it was a whole step out of tune (whatever that means) But a friend kindly tuned it for me and i am having my first lesson later today

[dadfad]

Well, it turns out that it was a whole step out of tune (whatever that means) But a friend kindly tuned it for me and i am having my first lesson later today

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A little "nudge" in the right direction can help a lot. When I got my first crap-guitar and was carrying it home (not knowing ANYTHING AT ALL about one in those pre-internet days) a former "big kid" who'd lived across the street and had turned pro (guitarist for Sam the Sham and the Pharohs) was visiting his mom. He saw me carrying my case down the street as he was leaving. He stopped and took a couple of minutes to show me how to tune it and how to make an E-chord and how to barre it. That took me a long way!

[fatboy1]

internet tuners are a great help