Walz Guitar - Eight Ways to Tune a Guitar

Something that astounds some guitar students is learning different ways to tune a guitar. Here's a short list with some obvious and some lesser used techniques.

1. Use a tuner.
Duh, duh freakin' duh. Plug in, set on soundboard, clip on, whatever. Pluck a string and adjust according to a display. Some problems are some tuners don't pick up low notes and microphone types need a quiet place to use them--though you can sing to them

2. Tune to someone else.
I like using this sometimes, helps to train your ears. Getting used to microtones and such is like ear college. The problem would be if the master tuner is off.

3. Use the 5,5,5,4,5.
Playing strings in next-to-each-other pairs, fret the low E on the 5th fret and play it at the same time as the open A string. Repeat up the strings with the difference being fretting G on the 4th fret for the open B string. A problem with this is that any mistakes are increased as you tune the remaining strings.

4. Tune to a sound source.
This could be a tuning fork; recording, like many 80's bands that tuned down a 1/2 step (Van Halen!); or some other tuners. This trains ears in the same was as #2. A problem is some recordings have sparse sections where a notes is clear and then you have to use something like #3 to finish--though you can use some below to help avoid those problems.

5. Harmonics
This has a pattern to it, play the 7th fret harmonic on A and the 5th fret harm. on low E. These tones are an octave apart. You get some ear training, which goes for all else from now on. The problem is there isn't a simple harm. between the G and B strings and some people have problems with harmonics and/or some guitars don't pick up the 5th fret harms. well. (Remember on accoustics, pluck between the soundhole and bridge.)

6. Octaves
There are two patterns to apply here. Play an open string and play the octave note on the next higher string. For example play the open D string and fret the 7th fret D noteon the G string. Another way is to use the skip string octave shape, such as play open A string and play the 2nd fret A note on the G string, skipping the D string. This technique is flexible as you can use it all over the fretboard.

7. Octaves and Harmonics
Another pattern approach, play the 12th fret harmonic then on the next string up, play the octave note. For example, play the 12th fret harm. on the B string and play the 7th fret B note on the high E string. For octaves use the open string instead of the harm. This can be helpful in checking bridge position if you have an archtop or guitar with a non-fixed bridge. Same problems as the other patterns with the addition of possible note mismatching from open to harm. due to bridge placement.

8. A Base
This is my favorite and a dependable way to tune. Get the A string tuned. Then tune all other strings to the A string. This avoids many problems of mistakes as one would only affect one string. Use this pattern: 5th fret E to open A, open A to 7th fret D, open A to 2nd fret G, open A to 19th fret B, open A to 5th fret high E. The problem with this technique is that A is relative to whatever you tune it to.