The lucky musician who possesses perfect pitch is few and far between. The ability to hear the exact frequency of each note and tune their instrument without the use of a tuning device is very rare. So if you want to enjoy playing guitar like a musician, you need to learn how to tune your guitar as it is one of the most important technical elements of playing guitar. Besides, if your guitar is not in tune, you won’t hit the notes you want or play and all your favorite songs will sound out of tune. Like when an unpaid singer performs at Karaoke night. It would help if you keep your guitar in tune for this a tuner is an essential accessory.
What Is A Guitar Tuner?
A guitar tuner is a device used to tune your instrument up to a specific pitch. Although its function is simple, the importance is can’t be understated. The ability to keep your guitar in tune is paramount. For instance, if you play D note on your guitar, it will be the same frequency as the D played by the other members of your band. Having your guitar in tune also means you will be able to sing with your guitar as accompaniment a whole lot easier. When looking for a guitar tuner, you will find many options available in a seemingly saturated market, so how do you find the right one for you? This guide will help you hit the right note with the right guitar tuner. It’s brief and to the point so here goes.
Types Of Tuners You Need To Tune In Your Guitar:
From simple to more complex guitar tuners, there are many choices available in the market if you want to tune a guitar.
Pitch Pipes
When blown like a whistle, a pitch pipe provides six tones corresponding to the guitar’s six strings. However, it is complicated for use by students and especially in noisy environments. Besides, some pitch pipes are designed to use in specific instruments such as violin, cello, or ukulele so it’s important to get the right one.
Tuning Forks
When struck, your guitar produces the sound of an “A” note. After tuning the A string to that pitch, the other strings are then tuned to that string. Like pitch pipes, this process is challenging for students and challenging to perform in a noisy climate. Personally I have used them and find them difficult to use. It’s like you need a third hand to use them well. One to strike the fork and hold onto it, one to control the guitar and tuning key and one to actually play the note. I’ll pass
Electronic Tuners
Many electronic tuners designed for use with guitars. Some use a small microphone to detect the instrument’s sound, and others detect vibration of each string to help the player get in tune. Now I used one of these for years and I loved it. I used a Korg GA30 tuner for a long time. It worked great and got me through many years of jams and gigs. It is easy to use, compact enough to fit into a packed guitar case, durable enough to get dropped more than once (mine did) and keep on ticking, has a built in mic for tuning acoustics and a tone generator for tuning to sound. Here is a video about it. I can’t say enough how happy I am that I found this tuner. Below is a link to a youtube video that further describes this tuner
Strobe Tuner
While strobe tuner is more expensive, the accuracy is almost always worth paying for. Whether you are guitar tech or pro guitarists strobe tuners work extremely well. This tuner generates a reference frequency and shows you the difference between that and the musical note. If you have a rack or a home shop these are great but they are generally bulky and not as easy to cart around. I’ve never owned one. My stepfather who worked on guitars all the time did. He loved the thing for its accuracy especially when setting guitars up.
Clip-On Tuners
Because of their ergonomic and portable designs, clip-on tuners have become popular with modern guitarists. These tuners can be accurate, while cheaper clip-on tuners are not as good in loud and noisy environments, and this will help you pick up vibrations from other instruments like bass and drums. I was recently given one of these as a gift and I love the thing.
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