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Tuning

OffHeGoes29OffHeGoes29 Posts: 1,240
edited April 2008 in Musicians and Gearheads
I have no idea how to tune my strat. I got into it about four months ago. I was looking to pick up the Fender PT-100. Please send me in the right direction. I've been going on my uneducated ear as to what my guitar should be tuned to.
BRING BACK THE WHALE
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  • MichaelMcKevinMichaelMcKevin Posts: 1,161
    OffHeGoes29 wrote:
    I have no idea how to tune my strat. I got into it about four months ago. I was looking to pick up the Fender PT-100. Please send me in the right direction. I've been going on my uneducated ear as to what my guitar should be tuned to.

    Buy a tuner. Korg makes a nice cheap digital one for about $20.
    Camden I '06, Camden II '06, Bonnaroo '08, Camden I '08, Camden II '08, Philly Spectrum II/III/IV '09, MSG I '10, MSG II '10, Made In America '12, Wrigley '13, Brooklyn II '13, Philly I '13, Philly II '13, ...
  • jordn6971jordn6971 Posts: 675
    I tune my guitar by ear using harmonics. I just get one string to the right tuning (with a second guitar). Or I play like the intro to Sad or something and see if it sounds low or high. Then just tune the others to that string.

    Play a harmonic on the 5th fret, it should sound like a harmonic of the 7th fret of the next highest string. Do this for every string except the B string. That you play the 4th fret of the G string and open on the B.

    http://www.giventowail.com/lessons/tunings.php
    This might help.


    http://www.giventowail.com/chordguide/index.php
    Also I read all of these last night. I learned a lot about how to figure out chord. That might help.
    "There was a band playing in my head, and I felt like getting high"
  • ianvomsaalianvomsaal Posts: 1,224
    Get a decent tuner!
    It also helps to get a small key chain sized tone generator so you learn to match pitches.
    Keep it in your case, this way if you're in a jam you'll at least have something to go by.
    ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
    <b><font color="red">CONTACT ME HERE</font>: www.myspace.com/ianvomsaal</b>
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  • lucylespianlucylespian Posts: 2,403
    I despair of threads like this.........

    "I'm trying to play guitar, but I have no idea how to tune it"

    Don't mean to rag on you, but give yourself a chance, get a tuner and use it. Tuning by ear is an over-rated skill that won't teach you a dang thing about playing. A well-tuned guitar will sound good, a badly tuned one will always sound bad.
    Music is not a competetion.
  • PaukPauk Posts: 1,084
    lucylespian wrote:
    I despair of threads like this.........

    "I'm trying to play guitar, but I have no idea how to tune it"

    Don't mean to rag on you, but give yourself a chance, get a tuner and use it. Tuning by ear is an over-rated skill that won't teach you a dang thing about playing. A well-tuned guitar will sound good, a badly tuned one will always sound bad.
    Agreed. If you want to develop tuning by ear eventually over time then that's fine, but it's not something you want to learn straight from the off. Getting a tuner will help immeasurably.
    Paul
    '06 - London, Dublin, Reading
    '07 - Katowice, Wembley, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Nijmegen
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  • Drew263Drew263 Posts: 602
    lucylespian wrote:
    I despair of threads like this.........

    "I'm trying to play guitar, but I have no idea how to tune it"

    Don't mean to rag on you, but give yourself a chance, get a tuner and use it. Tuning by ear is an over-rated skill that won't teach you a dang thing about playing. A well-tuned guitar will sound good, a badly tuned one will always sound bad.


    it's like doing "real" world trigonometry without a calculator. Just dumb.. ;)

    Besides, your ear will develop faster with a properly tuned guitar anyway.
  • lucylespianlucylespian Posts: 2,403
    Drew263 wrote:
    it's like doing "real" world trigonometry without a calculator. Just dumb.. ;)

    Besides, your ear will develop faster with a properly tuned guitar anyway.

    Yes, that last statement is so true.
    The other thing that Satch says, is that perfect tuning encourages playing. Even slightly out of tune will sound "off" and discourage playing.
    It should be a flogging offence to sell a guitar to a beginner without a tuner.
    Music is not a competetion.
  • OffHeGoes29OffHeGoes29 Posts: 1,240
    Ok I get it, I'll get a tuner.....you people are relentless.
    BRING BACK THE WHALE
  • Drew263Drew263 Posts: 602
    OffHeGoes29 wrote:
    Ok I get it, I'll get a tuner.....you people are relentless.

    you should get a tuner.

    lol...
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    It's not JUST tuning either. INTONATION is critical to sound good.

    http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/intonate.htm


    Good luck though. Have fun. That's most important anyway.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • OffHeGoes29OffHeGoes29 Posts: 1,240
    I got another question......what should the hight of the bridge be? Mine has a small gap of about 1/8 inch from the back edge of the bridge to the body of the guitar. I tried tightening/loosing the screws in the front, but I have no idea what is the desired hight should be in relation to the tune?
    BRING BACK THE WHALE
  • ianvomsaalianvomsaal Posts: 1,224
    OffHeGoes29 wrote:
    I got another question......what should the hight of the bridge be? Mine has a small gap of about 1/8 inch from the back edge of the bridge to the body of the guitar. I tried tightening/loosing the screws in the front, but I have no idea what is the desired hight should be in relation to the tune?
    Here are some guidelines from Fender - but just try tp remember that it's all subjective.
    It's typically up to the individual player - what might feel like a great set-up to one
    person may feel like a terrible set-up to another (it's all personal preference).
    click: STRATOCASTER® ADJUSTMENT AND CARE
    "Note: These are minimum specifications that are meant as a guide; they should not be construed as hard and
    fast rules, as we realize that every player's subjective requirements often differ."    .

    - Ian
    ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
    <b><font color="red">CONTACT ME HERE</font>: www.myspace.com/ianvomsaal</b>
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  • lucylespianlucylespian Posts: 2,403
    OffHeGoes29 wrote:
    Ok I get it, I'll get a tuner.....you people are relentless.


    On this subject, yes I am.
    You will thank us.
    A tuner will also let you dicscover alternate tunings, drop D, Eb, and all the other wonderful tunings that Stone and many others use so much.
    Music is not a competetion.
  • AnonAnon Posts: 11,175
    OffHeGoes29 wrote:
    Ok I get it, I'll get a tuner.....you people are relentless.
    sometimes they can be :), but you could get a decent one for around $20 - $25.00.
    Such a small price to pay to know you have it right, especially when you are learning. The better you sound, the more you will wanna play.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    ianvomsaal wrote:
    Here are some guidelines from Fender - but just try tp remember that it's all subjective.
    It's typically up to the individual player - what might feel like a great set-up to one
    person may feel like a terrible set-up to another (it's all personal preference).
    click: STRATOCASTER® ADJUSTMENT AND CARE
    "Note: These are minimum specifications that are meant as a guide; they should not be construed as hard and
    fast rules, as we realize that every player's subjective requirements often differ."    .

    - Ian


    thanks for the link Ian. I have one to do this week myself.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • OffHeGoes29OffHeGoes29 Posts: 1,240
    I order the Korg tuner, should be in this week. Thanks for the push in the right direction.
    BRING BACK THE WHALE
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