Learn about Tuning Techniques - Part 2

All right, so the video cutoff, random memory card, so it’s going to be a little bit of kind of jump in this video. But we just did finished on the last part before the camera cutoff, it’s coming Back Up from drop D. So what we did is we rend drop D. Okay, so we’re in drop D. Now, to come back from drop D. Basically, if you start this top string, your low E is usually tuned to an E. All right, so if you go backwards from E, you go E, you have an E-flat, E-flat and D-sharp are the same thing. So if you’re going from A through G, you have A, A-sharp, B, C, C-sharp, D or another way to say the same thing I just said is, A and then instead of an A-sharp, you can all use the flats. So you can say A, B-flat, B, C, D-flat, D, okay, so it’s either/or. It’s kind of like using different thoughts on a computer. It’s really just two different ways to say the same thing. So you can either say A-sharp or B-flat, it’s the same exact note, all right. So if you think about that from an E, you went two steps down to a D, where we are now. So we’re in an E, you went down two steps to a D, okay. Now, do that D, you want to get back up to an E, okay. So you got to go up two steps, all right. So basically the way I do it is, you can use a tuner, if you don’t have a tuner, just play this slow E, tighten it a little bit and then you want to put your pointer finger on the fifth fret of your low E, play it and play you’re A string, okay. You see it this low, is still low, so you turn up a little more, still low. Closer, but still a low, still a little bit more [Demonstration]. It’s pretty good right there, okay. Now, you’re probably asking, “Why in the world did he put his pointer finger on the fifth fret, on the E string?” The reason I did that is because your strings tuned E, A, D, G, B, E, okay. So one way you can make sure the guitar is in tune with itself even if you don’t have tuner is you play this low E string, okay. Now, if you put your pointer finger on the fifth fret, low E, you’re going to count up from this. So you start the E, okay. So you start on your E, open first fret is in F because there's nothing, no sharps and flats between any of that, so E open, F, first fret second, F sharp, third is the G, fourth is the F sharp and fifth is an A, okay. So if you play the fifth fret on the E string, it’s actually an A note. That’s based, I'm just counting up. So E, F sharp, E, F, F sharp G, G sharp A, okay. So if you play the fifth fret on the E string and then open A, they’re both A, both A notes. So it should sound pretty similar, okay. So once these two sound the same, you can move down. So you got you’re a string, count it from the beginning, A, A sharp B, second fret, C on the third fret, C sharp, D on the fifth fret. Coincidence, D on the fifth fret of your A string. The string bellow is a D two. Make sure those are in tune with each other. Then you get on the next string which is your D string and you count to fifth fret. So D, D sharp, F. Way out, sorry—D, D sharp E, F on the third fret, F sharp to G and guess what your string below the D is—it’s a G. So you play this two together, it should sound the same, okay. So again, your G string, now this is a little different, just because the make up of the tuning and notes. You go on your G and you count up G, first fret G sharp, second is your A, third is—I'm sure that’s not right. I'm sorry, your G is open, the first fret is G sharp, second fret is A, third fret is A sharp, fourth fret is a B, okay. So your second string up from the bottom, second string is a B. So your B string open, it’s the same as the fourth fret, your G string, okay. And then back to the fifth fret, so these last two, because your high E will go on the B string, B on the open, first fret C, C sharp second, D, D sharp, E fifth fret. So a good way to tune is you can actually just go fifth fret on the A, fifth fret on the low E, I'm sorry I didn’t play the A. it should sound the same, once that’s good, move down, okay. You can play fifth fret on the A string, check it with the D. Once that’s good, you can make your fine tune adjustments too. Once that’s good, you can go down here to D string and play fifth fret, check it with the D and the open G. Then when you get to put your fingers in the G string, you got to make sure that’s on the fourth fret, because that’s how it matches up with the open B. And then fifth fret B, matches with the open high E. So five, five, five, four, five, okay. Hope that helps. As far as getting to other tuning, you should get a tuner. This is probably not going to work like I'm going to try it but I'm going to try it anyway, okay. This tuner right here is the tuner that I use. It’s called the Korg. I'm not advertising for it. This is the one I use. This little button here turns it on, okay. You can see a light right here. Basically, when you play a note, this thing is going to go up. If it goes above that little dot there, it’s actually picking up my voice. If it goes above that, then it means it’s a little sharp and it means you have to lower the note. If this light is up, it means you’re a little flat. You tighten it up a little bit and raise the pitch. If it’s here in the middle, that’s where you want it. All right, on this side of mine—if you’re interested in getting a tuner, get a Chord if you want because I can’t explain how to use this one to you. You have these three buttons that says guitar and bass. If you’re playing guitar, don’t worry about it. This says flat, okay, basically what this means is—I hope you can see this. If I press it, it’s really though to see, but there's little flat symbols that come there. And basically, you can do use this to tune your guitar down. So if you want to play half step down tuning, you just push flat until there’s one little B, lower case B there, a little flat symbol and then it automatically changes. So you play your E and it will change to half step down. So then you just play it with no capo in a regular guitar. If you want to get two steps down, flat again till there’s two little B’s and then sound, that just plays the actual tone for you. That’s your B. That’s your low E. That’s you’re a string, so E, A, D, D, G. Here we go, B and E, high E and then it shuts it off. So that’s the one I use. If you’re having trouble using the little thing and also it’s like a gas meter to tell if you’re above or below or perfect, then you can actually just use those tones. Or if you have an acoustic electric guitar or an electric guitar, this little whole right here, you can plug your chord into right into your guitar and that actually will help you do it too. So it better help your tune. As far as tunings go, I'm going to try and have below the video. If you’re on the Free and Easy Guitar website, then the information on different tuning should be below it. Basically, what I'm going to have is just the different tunings, whether it’s open D, drop D, drop C, all that. I’ll have like probably drop C and then what the tunings are. So if you see, it’s standard tuning E, A, D, G, B, E, this means the top string is an E and as you move down towards the thinner strings, it’s A, D, G, B and the finish string is a high E. So I'm going to have a little bit of information below and some of the tunings. Also, if you haven’t noticed, if you’re on the www.freeandeasyguitar.com, if you’re on that website looking at these videos, you will also notice that on the right side of the video, has for the songs and all the songs teach. You can actually sort by tuning, so you can see what tuning it’s in and kind of navigate that way. So I hope this has been helping you guys and hope you’re enjoying the website. If this is the first day of the website, if it’s the first it has been opened, then Merry Christmas. It’s Christmas Day, so hope you’re new guitars and if you watch this after that, but I hope you guys are enjoying the videos and improving the guitar and take care.