Free Guitar Tuner

By John McKenzie


Tuning an electric guitar should be done using a tuner. Consistently using an electric guitar tuner is one of the best practices that a beginning guitarist can follow. One way to understand the value of an electric guitar tuner is to look to professional guitarists. Most professional guitarists use an electric guitar tuner because they appreciate how important it is to be in tune and they understand that relying on an electric guitar tuner is the best way to get, and stay, in tune.

"Tuning" a guitar refers to the process of precisely adjusting each string to produce the correct note. In order to accomplish this, a "reference pitch" is necessary. A reference pitch is a correct note to which the guitar may be adjusted (either higher or lower) until it perfectly matches. The reference pitch may come from another instrument, such as a piano or another guitar, or a tuning device, such as a tuning fork or pitch pipe. Many electronic guitar tuners also feature a reference pitch emitter for tuning by ear. However, making accurate adjustments by ear can be challenging, and even frustrating, especially for beginning musicians.

That's where an electronic guitar tuner comes in. The main function of an electronic tuner is to automatically determine the pitch a string is producing and to visibly indicate whether that pitch is sharp (high), flat (low), or "in tune."

The acoustic guitar tuner uses a microphone to detect the sound emitted from the guitar and displays its readings by LED or on an LCD screen. The most basic tuner is programmed for the standard guitar tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E), while chromatic tuners feature the flexibility of tuning to match any note on the 12 note scale.

It used to be that many people used the Boss TU-2 electric guitar tuner as their go-to tuner. There was a problem with the TU-2, however. It was only accurate to +/- 3 cents (a cent refers to 1/100 of the distance between consecutive notes). If you have a highly trained musical ear, you can hear a 3 cents difference. Making matters worse, when two guitarists play together, each guitarist usually has his or her own tuner. If they each had a TU-2 electric guitar tuner, the two guitars could be out of tune as much as 6 cents with respect to each other.

Many people, including myself, are fans of the late Davy Graham who was greatly travelled and used these influences in his guitar playing and writing. He is probably best known for DADGAD tuning which he used so he could play along with musicians in Morocco, even though it is essentially a Celtic tuning (the global power of music!). This in turn ended up influencing Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin on songs such as Kashmir.

Despite the good accuracy, there were a couple problems with the Peterson strobe tuners, however. First, they were just downright expensive. Second, the quality of the product was not always high. There are a number of stories on the web where people have bought these tuners and they stopped working in relatively short order.




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By Jeff Yuan


Many people the world over would probably agree that the guitar is a very moving instrument. This is understandable. It may be due to the fact it plays a role in most genres of music.

A majority of the lead singers already play guitar. It is pretty popular to want to start learning, there are many people who do. Before you start, it helps to know that there have literally been millions of people before you who have already learned how - be sure that anyone can pick it up.

As you begin learning to play guitar, you will need to give a number of things. First off, you will need to face the following list of facts. Otherwise, you will only be wasting your hard-earned money and time.

It isn't simple to go about learning to play guitar. There isn't some secret potion, nor is Santa Claus going to visit you with the talent to play all wrapped in a bow. Sure, the pro's make it seem pretty easy if you watch a music video or interview, and then watch their guitar playing. What the video won't show is the amount of time spent practicing that it took to get them to stardom.

It will take plenty of time learning to play guitar, this is a reality you need to come to terms with. Don't bother picking up a guitar lesson unless you realize this is a commitment that spans years in the majority of cases. Practice takes dedication, and you will need to learn to basics like tuning, the easy chords, and then beginner-level songs.

You're going to need, likely above all, to have patience learning to play guitar. There will be plenty of mistakes along the way. You may have days wherein you will get so frustrated you just want to stop altogether. The sight of your guitar may become an eyesore to you, and if you quit easily with other things, then these lessons won't do you any good. Just remember, that all the great players had to face challenges and mistakes along their way to stardom.

Keeping your expectations to a point where you will allow yourself the frustrations associated with picking up the talent, then you are likely ready. Remember it will take commitment, patience and practice in order to learn to effectively play the guitar

One of the better approaches to learning to play guitar is to hop online and take a course that way. Many of these sites will give you exactly what you need in one place so you can learn how to play the guitar from your own home. You can expect to pay a little for a quality program. When compared to the cost of lessons from a local instructor, the cost-benefit is in your favor if you take web instruction. Given that you don't have to commute anywhere, you will save money as well as time commuting, giving you even more time to practice.




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By Ted Becher


Like lots of guitar players I spend a lot of time day dreaming concerning music when I am faraway from my guitar. Over the course of these "dreams" I have made the following ideas which have aided me to become a much better guitarist and also musician. I have broken this musical development into three elements:

- Practice - Playing - Performance

To grow as a music performer, and to get good at your craft as a guitar player I feel it's important to focus on these three parts. Although they all come together, every one deserves particular attention.

Practice

Practice is all about discipline, concentration and delaying gratification. Living in a culture where everything happens so quickly, it is oftentimes difficult to get the "practice groove". You must find that space where you're part of the thing that you are practicing; repeating an exercise in a mantra like manner can be a meditative encounter. Practicing is NOT playing. Sometimes it drifts into playing, and when this is creating creative outcomes stick with it. However if you are just wandering, return on track to the task at hand: practice.

Playing

Guitar players spend a great time noodling; I do know this first hand. We start playing a single thing and then move to the next and back to the very first thing. Most of the hours spent with the guitar are spent "playing around". The "Playing groove" is the simplest groove to find of the three. This is exactly where you find new licks, write songs, write solos, find out other player's solos by ear etc. Putting some structure to this endless wandering can assist produce more outcomes.

Performance

Performance generally takes place facing an audience of at least one individual (or a recording unit... a whole other topic all together). The piece of music is played completely from start to finish without regard to error. It has been said that one performance is worth two practices (maybe more). A performance offers insight into your mental and physical comfort and control of the instrument as well as the songs. It is the naked reality and there's no chance for cover up. Performance as a soloist is more reveling .




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By Selena Schlesinger


There are many different factors that go into buying guitar strings. To make the right choice that feels best for you will take some time and thought. It is never a good plan to just go down to your local store and buy the first set that jump out at you because different sets have different sounds and are made for different types of guitars.

Take a moment to consider the type of instrument you currently own. Different types are made for different instruments. A nylon string does not work so well on an electric guitar and a wound steel string can wreak havoc on a classical acoustic guitar. Talk to your friends for ideas and see what best acoustic strings work for them.

Consider what your string gauge is for the instrument you will be using. The string gauge has a great deal to do with both the width and flexibility of the string. Basically the lighter string gauge are easier to play and will have a lighter the sound. Those who are inexperienced should always stick with using a light gauge string till they begin to get a feel for the instrument they are playing.

It is a good plan to compare the costs of using coated and uncoated strings. There have been several improvements with the teflon coatings made today that coat the string protecting it from the oils and other contaminates. It could be more expensive though they also last a good deal longer as well.

The string shape will play a part in the tone and playability as well. Some of the best bass strings are generally round wound. The other types are flattened on the side for added playability. This will be a personal preference thing so try out each type and see how each works for you.

Another thought is the actual string tone itself. This largely depends on its composition and how it was made. They could be steel wound brass or hollow. They may even a brass wound steel string. Nylon also has its variants. It is generally best to first try them out and see what you like best.

Cost always plays a huge factor in the items we buy. When you are buying guitar strings this is no different. One or two sets are not that expensive. It is always a good idea to try to plan ahead. If you can get a package deal on several sets that may be the way to go.




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