Discount Musical instruments - By 2Kool4Skool

Now that you have purchased your first guitar, the first step is learning how to tune it!!! Tuning your guitar may be the most important thing you should do before beginning to play.  Now, many people just purchase a guitar tuner for around $20 , but it is important to learn how to do it yourself first, in the event that your tuner is not available.  Plus, it is a great way to get introduced to your new instrument.

 First, you will need some type of instrument, pitch pipe or tuning fork to hear and �E� note.  It�s probably easiest to begin by tuning the 6th string, (the thickest string) to E, open. (Open means that this string plays an �E� note without pressing any of the frets).  Turn the tuning peg until the string sounds just like the �E� you have played on your instrument or tuning fork.  Once you have that first note, continue by tuning one string after another.  Press down on the 5th fret of the 6th string...then play the 5th string open.  Turn the tuning peg until the 5th string sounds like the 6th string with the 5th fret pressed. 

 Now the pattern continues and you press down the 5th fret on the 5th string...then play the 4th string open.  Again, tune until these two notes sound the same.  Then move onto the next string...Press down on the 5th fret of the 4th string and tune the 3rd string to this note. When you get to the third string, the pattern changes.  Press down on the 4th fret of the 3rd string and then tune the 2nd string to this note.  Finally you press down the 5th fret of the 2nd string and tune the open 1st string to this note. 

Now you have a tuned guitar!  Incidentally, if you don�t care about playing with other musicians, you can tune your guitar without having your 6th string in tune with �E�.  Your guitar will just be in tune with itself.  However, once you join that rock band you have been dreaming about, you will need to tune it to the correct note.

Also, this is not the only way to tune your guitar. This is called standard tuning [E A D G B E] and is used by most guitarists.  You can tune it in many different ways, but for the beginner this is the tuning that you'll most likely always use.