The Lost Art of Tuning

[jeremyb]

The sound of my cock slapping your mums face is a perfect low E, stood me in good stead back in the day.

That would be Db diminished?

[sizzlingbadger]

I have tuning fork that I used to use.

[Olderama]

The sound of my cock slapping your mums face is a perfect low E, stood me in good stead back in the day.

That would be Db diminished?

Surely it would be Jb diminished

[Miza]

I'd use a CD. Metallica stuff had a lot of open strings so makes it pretty easy to find your E, or Eb depending on the era.

I've used Nothing Else Matters to fine E more than a few times.

I've still got a track in my iTunes playlist from a Guitarist Magazine CD back in the day that starts: "Here's this month's tuning notes..." I have a feeling it's Mick from That Pedal Show?

[hamo]

How did you do it?

Wrong

I have had (cheap) digital tuners for most of my guitar playing life, but I tried early on with a tuning fork, or in group lessons to tune to the instructor, but I never really developed my ear. Still can't really ear tune, and it's my biggest regret as a guitar player that I never did the foundation stuff like ear training when I was younger and my ears worked better.

[kdawg2a]

I think of the opening chord of Alive by Pearlart Jammis, A. It's ingrained enough to get pretty good on the 'by ear' tuning front. I don't really know why the Yamz are my go to, they're a fine enough band but not something that shows up on my playlist. I think I've mostly just been aware of this song for a long enough time and known what the key is that it's locked into my brain.
Realistically, I'm from a generation of cheap tuners. That's my proper go to.
My FIL nails it by ear and while I can pluck a tune better than he can, he's way more on pitch. It feels like a natural thing you either have or don't.

[AiRdAd]

When i was beginning I'd tune the rest of the strings to what every the e string was at. If the neck was bending too much, I'd slacken the e string and tune the other strings again... True story!!!

[sty]

It feels like a natural thing you either have or don't.

I suspect it's far easier to develop this stuff when you're younger, I think I even read that somewhere online from someone who I'd respect got it right (maybe Beato). My son has bloody good pitch, I'm not sure how close he is to perfect but he's been doing Piano and singing since a very young age.

I was moderately "lucky" in that I played trumpet through school from age 10 till about 16, we'd have to tune up to the rest of the band and while the conductor/teacher would do most of the tuning you eventually got good at doing your own tuning. That rubbed off onto guitar when I started off and I had some horrible plastic pitch pipes I used to use - I think I had a tuning fork at one point but no idea where that is now.

I think I used to tune the bottom E and then I'd do the rest with 5th/4th fret tuning and verify using harmonics.

Thankfully cheap digital tuners came out when I picked up the guitar again as a young adult, and stuff like the Pitchblack and Polytune and clip on Polytune are just witchcraft

[Delayman]

I think it varies from day to day how good my ear is - and how much minor tuning differences bother me. Sometimes I nail it pretty quickly by ear, then other days i'm glad I own a tuner.

I used to use the dial tone from the old telephones - it was a G note.

[Michael]

Even my in tune guitars sound out of tune to me. Does that mean I have whatever the opposite of perfect pitch is?

[Slowy]

Even my in tune guitars sound out of tune to me. Does that mean I have whatever the opposite of perfect pitch is?

More likely means you have a heavy fretting hand.

[Michael]

Even my in tune guitars sound out of tune to me. Does that mean I have whatever the opposite of perfect pitch is?

More likely means you have a heavy fretting hand.

That.. is very likely.

[robthemac]

Even my in tune guitars sound out of tune to me. Does that mean I have whatever the opposite of perfect pitch is?

More likely means you have a heavy fretting hand.

That.. is very likely.

Or high string slots in your nut.

[hamo]

Now I tune using the solo from Killing In The Name

[Rog]

In the early days we’d all tune by ear, normally from the lead guitarist’s guitar. How he tuned was entirely by ear. It was entirely likely that we were nowhere near a440 at any time.
Then we all got tuners. Trouble was they were possibly not in tune with each other (early tuners were pretty average) and we’d spend more time tuning by ear.
Then we got an B3 or a Rhodes in the band and we’d all tune off that, so at least it was somewhere near all the same.
Now everyone relies on their clip-on tuners and people are known to have been upset with me when I’ve suggested that they should change their battery cos they’re not right. The ear can still hear.