How to Tune Your Guitar Perfectly by Ear Using the A-Harmonic Tuning Method

19 comments

1. 

   Chris / May 29, 2010

   GREAT ARTICLE on tuning your guitar!! Thanks for putting a new spin on a mundane necessity. Ive been tuning the same way for YEARS now, and it’s nice to switch it up some from time to time.

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2. 

   StickyStuff / January 31, 2010

   why not get a 20 dollar chromatic tuner and be done with it?

   Reply
3. 

   yo / May 10, 2009

   the warble is called beat frequency and it’s not waves cancelling each other, it’s just a psycho-acoustical effect

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4. 

   Dainis W. Michel / May 7, 2009

   Hiya,

   Wow, I just tried this and I really like it. I use my right hand to both finger and play the second note, so that I could hear the 12th fret of the A string while tuning and simultaneously be able to turn the tuning knobs with my left hand.

   Man, I like this.

   D Major doesn’t sound great with this tuning, which is odd because A is the 5th of that chord, so either I’m a bit off somewhere and could try again, or there is something inherent in this method that makes D Major a bit off, or it’s my guitar, but my guitar is pretty good…hmm…I do have an old set of strings on.

   At any rate, though it’s a bit funky, I do play and fret the second note(s) with my right hand to get this tuning method to work.

   The result is a nice harmonious sound.

   I am grateful to you for posting this, and I will pass this method along to my students (songwriting and composition).

   Best,
   Dainis

   Reply
5. 

   liijamin / October 11, 2008

   you dont need to hold down a harmonic note.vtake off your finger and it still rings out

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6. 

   burnleak / September 20, 2008

   It sounds great – I have a Les Paul that I usually have to make minor adjustments in my tuning around open D and open A chords to get the sound right – this method sounded great right off. Thanks

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7. 

   Rik / May 7, 2008

   Hi!

   Liked this method a lot. I agree that the build-up error is the biggest problem wheen tuning a guitar. But best of all is to learn a set of different tecniques and combine them when tuning. In that way you can even come around badly set up gutars.

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8. 

   Chelz / March 4, 2008

   I dont get it :
   can any1 help me plz ?

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9. 

   Jordan / August 15, 2007

   Wow I Stumbled Upon This And Loved It. Im New To Guitar And Trying To Learn Most Everything From The Internet Because I Cant Afford The Lessons…And Am Personally Against Them. I Tried A Couple Times And Got It Finally It Sounded Great! Thanks For The Post!

   Reply
10. 

    TJ Colatrella aka TJ Cole aka TJTele / August 10, 2007

    Actually a good method as you are trying to tune the guitar in a linear fashion and of course harmonically now you can add this I have also been suing the Harmonic say on the E-string 5th fret but them on the A string 18th fret..so they are the same note or the A string 7 frets above the 12th fret..

    This might be a good technique to incorporate with your technique and as a check since you are then covering more if not the entire neck or scale length..

    I agree that for beginners yours is very good as they re ear training and adjusting to just one note..

    Also if they begin with A at the 12th fret they can use the A on the D or E string and also the A on the D string at the 18th fret as well..

    Reply
11. 

    Jamie / August 10, 2007

    As soon as I read the article I tried it. It works brilliantly. I usually have quite an effort in getting lower E string in tune and the lower B string. I have to say my guitar tuning hasn’t sound better.

    Reply
12. 

    john / July 31, 2007

    [Editor's Note: John's lengthy and excellent explaination of intonation and how to correct intonation problems has been converted into a post and published here as "How Very Poor Intonation Can Blow Your Guitar’s Ability to Be Tuned". Check it out!]

    Reply
13. 

    Pete / July 31, 2007

    Nice tuning method! Thanks for putting it up, I found it really useful.

    Reply
14. 

    Michael Jae / July 30, 2007

    Hey Your Mom, while I don’t agree that the method you outlined is much easier I think it’s a bit easier because you can tune the strings while they are ringing out. However, as I commented to Ralph above who also proposed this the method, in my experience it has the drawback of not producing as good a final result. Like any tuning method it takes a little time to get the hang of. I used the method you outlined for years, and got very acceptable results, I’m just compulsive and like to hear my guitar in damn near perfect tune.

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15. 

    Your Mom / July 30, 2007

    Here’s a thought, why not use the much easier, standard method of tuning using harmonics?

    5th fret harmonic of low E = 7th fret harmonic of A
    5th fret harmonic of A = 7th fret harmonic of D

    and so on. Obviously you need to adjust for the B, but other than that, this method is much easier and you can take your left hand off the neck and tune while allowing the harmonic to ring.

    Reply
16. 

    Michael Jae / July 30, 2007

    Tim. The reason that this method makes sense to me is because often I don’t have a piano or tuner around. I might just have someone else’s guitar, and they can hit an A, but still want to get my guitar’s string in tune with themselves. Or, if you don’t have anything around that can produce a pitch then at least you can get your guitar in tune with itself really well using this method. I also, quite frankly, just despise guitar tuners, but that’s a personal issue

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17. 

    Michael Jae / July 30, 2007

    Good point Ralph. Here’s what I do to overcome that downside. I hit the harmonic on the 12th fret A-string then sound the note of the string I’m working to tune. Depending on how it sounds I then lift my left hand make a slight adjustment in the tuning and then hit the harmonic and fret the note again. It may sound complicated but works well for me. Usually I find myself hitting the harmonic and fretting the string a handful of times to make adjustments before getting it in tune. Once it’s in tune you can more on to the next string.

    The method you outlined above is the one I used to use before I started using the A-Harmonic Tuning. The big advantage I find that it has over the traditional tuning method is that it’s easy to hear the warble and so easy to get the notes you are comparing almost exactly the same. However I still find that the strings may be out of tune by the time I get to the end, I believe because of a build up of error. As you mention this will probably be greater if your guitar’s intonation isn’t setup so well. For anyone reading this, try both methods and see what you like. Like I said my method is for the *really* picky who like to get their strings as in-tune as possible with themselves

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18. 

    Tim / July 30, 2007

    That method really makes no sense at all, if you have the means to produce an A to tune to (piano or electic tuner) you then may as well tune all the other strings with the tuner or piano!

    Reply
19. 

    Ralph Carmone / July 30, 2007

    The problem I have with this method is that you can’t tune with your left hand if you’re fingering a note with it.
    This method works well for me, I believe it’s mentioned above.
    If any string is out, always bring it slightly below pitch and tune up until the wobbling stops and the notes are in unison.
    So:
    Starting with a tuned A string, pluck the 5th fret harmonic on the low E and the 7th fret harmonic on the A string, tuning the E string.
    5th fret harmonic on the A string and the 7th fret harmonic on the D string, tuning the D string.
    5th fret harmonic on the D string and the 7th fret harmonic on the G string, tuning the G string.
    Now play the 7th fret harmonic on the A string and an open high E note.
    Then play the 5th fret harmonic on the B string and the 7th fret harmonic on the high E string, tuning the B string.
    IF the intonation is correct on the guitar, it should be in tune. If it’s not, there will be trouble between the G and the B string, at least.
    But you know this.

    Reply

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