Fail-safe Guitar Tuning
By Gene Imbody - 10/24/2001
Ever own a guitar that just refused to stay in tune? Maybe it's the guitar you own now. It seems like everyone has had the problem at some point. You tune and retune and tune again, and before you even get to the lead in Stairway to Heaven, you're out of tune again. Every wonder if it's really the guitar's fault? Is it your tuner, or your strings? Maybe you should just not do Zeppelin covers. If you haven't figured it out already, I plan on addressing tuning problems in this article, and hope to give you some tips and techniques to make your instrument reach and hold tune better. Before we begin, let's agree on one thing: guitars (stringed instruments in general) are not static objects. The very function of a guitar dictates that it must change. In other words, it moves to create sound. This applies to all instruments, electric and acoustic. Some instruments are much more stable than others, but they are all subject to changeno instrument holds tune forever. Here is what I'm getting at: the guitar is a tension related instrument, in order for a string to reach appropriate pitch it has to reach a certain tension and hold that tension. Any change in this tension changes the pitch. An increase in tension creates sharp notes a decrease creates flat notes. The natural movement of the instrument to create sound shouldn't cause tuning problems, but any excess movement or lack of normal movement (which I will explain later) can cause problems.
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Let's begin with you, the player. I would say the number one cause of tuning problems originates with the person playing or tuning the instrument. I firmly believe that in order to know if you are holding pitch, you must be able to hear pitch. This doesn't mean you have to have perfect pitch, but being in the ballpark is necessary. The electronic tuner may be partially responsible for many players not hearing pitch as well as they should. After all, if the tuner light is green, you're in tune, right? Not necessarily. Unless you've shelled out some cash for a really good tuner, chances are you have a tuner with a 3 to 5 cent tuning window. This means that when your in tune light comes on, you could be 1.5 to 2.5 cents sharp or flat. Add this to the fact that many cheaper tuners don't register the note long enough to get an accurate reading to begin with, that many players stop at good enough before the tuner really has a chance to make the call, and you might as well not use a tuner at all. My suggestion? First of all, every player should own a good tuning fork and/or pitch pipe. Secondly, buy a good electronic tuner! Like anything in life, you get what you pay for. When you are home practicing, leave the tuner off, and tune by ear. When you do use an electronic tuner, listen to the string when it is in tune; don't just rely on the tuner itself to tell you. Personally, I hum the notes to myself, and I first try to tune the note by ear and check my result with the tuner. This will help you develop a good ear; which, of course, is an invaluable tool as a musician. If you are a beginner, then it is ok to rely on an electronic tuner. Hearing pitch takes experience, and an electronic tuner will help you to hear correct pitch. However, as you become familiar with tuning, try to pull away from the tuner and develop your ear.
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Another common player mistake is improperly tuning the guitar to begin with. It isn't rocket science, but there is a definite method to the physical action of tuning. This begins with the installation of your strings. In my experience even the best players rarely do this correctly, and if the strings are not on the guitar correctly to begin with it will never stay in tune. Take a second to look at your tuning posts. Notice the shape? These posts are engineered to hold string tension. (See Figure A) There is no need to tie knots, or run the string through the hole 20 times or to do any fancy string-locking tricks. Basically, it is as simple as running the string through the hole, and winding 3 to 6 clockwise revolutions neatly around the post. Wound strings need fewer wraps, plain strings need more. You should end up with something that stops toward the bottom of the post, and looks like the throat of a hangman's noose. (See Figure B) The windings shouldn't cross and there is no need to tie anything. Since the post tapers toward the hole and flares out after, if you have several clean windings, the natural tension at pitch will push the windings up to the hole and lock them in place. Once you relieve the tension, the string comes off of the post easily and string changing is simple. There are a few good string-locking methods that wind the string back over itself on the first revolution; but, in my opinion, it isn't necessary and I have never had a problem with the simple method I've described here. Doing this correctly takes practice. I suggest you buy a couple sets of the cheapest strings you can find, and practice winding them correctly. A good neck rest and string winder will make this much easier. This is also only in reference to steel string instruments without slotted headstocks. There is a completely separate method for those tricky nylon string, and slotted headstock instruments that I wont go into here. If anyone is interested in that technique, Email me and I'd be glad to post it.
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Once you have your strings installed correctly, bring them to tension and give them a pull to help seat them. Don't be too aggressive! A gentle tug moving lengthwise is sufficient. As you tune, it is important to always tune up to pitch and never down. Tuning down introduces slack in the gear and will cause you to go flat. The proper method if you are sharp is to go below the desired note, and tune back up. If you have the time, allow the strings to stretch naturally at this point, and let the guitar settle to tension. If you do not have time, repeat the stretching and tuning sequence several times until the act of stretching no longer pulls the note too far from pitch.
Now lets touch on the inherent errors of the traditional methods of tuning that most of us learned in the formative stages of playing. For example, every player knows the fret five and fret seven harmonic check: ring the bass E harmonic at the fifth fret and compare it to the A harmonic at the seventh, and move on down the line. Ever notice that no matter how perfect you tune these notes, the guitar still plays out of tune? The problem is that you are comparing two pure tones, and since the guitar is set up to an Equal Tempered Scale (a little more on this later,) none of the notes you play are perfect tones, everything is always a little sharp or flat. It is always best to tune every string against one known pitch. A simple yet effective way to tune goes like this: First tune the high E string to pitch with a tuning fork, pitch pipe, or electronic tuner. Tune the open B string to the open high E string. The dissonance between these two open notes is like what you hear between two harmonics, and it should be easy to hear the B come to pitch. Next, check the G string fretted at the second fret compared to the open E. Again, the dissonance should be evident as it was with the B string. Third, check the D string fretted at the second fret against the open high E. Move to the A string at the seventh fret (you could use the seventh harmonic here if you would like) and compare that to the open high E. Finally, check the bass E fretted at the fifth fret (or the fifth fret harmonic) against the open E. It may take some time to re-train yourself to tune like this, but you will appreciate the difference. For more behind the theory of why this tuning method works or for even more methods, check out How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great by Dan Erlewine.
Now we enter the realm of intonation. Most experienced players are at least familiar with the concept of setting intonation. If you have an electric guitar or an instrument with adjustable saddles, setting intonation is a relatively simple task. Most acoustic instruments are not this adjustable, and I would recommend seeing a good repairman to set these instruments. One factor to keep in mind is that fretted instruments are imperfect tools at best. They are based on what I referred to earlier as an Equal Tempered Scale. Without going into great detail and getting overly technical about it, this basically means equally out of tune in all positions. Usually the best you can do on a guitar is to be perfectly in tune open, and the again at the twelfth fret, which is the halfway point for the scale of the instrument. All other notes on the board will be at least a little sharp or flat. Unless you have perfect pitch (which you probably don't, even if you do have good ears) this doesn't create too much of an issue. If you don't have a decent electronic tuner, you might want to visit a repairman. Cheaper tuners are not accurate enough to set reliable intonation, and don't always register twelfth fret notes well. Once you have the guitar in tune open, check a string fretted at the twelfth fret. If this note is sharp, you will move the saddle back (further away from the twelfth fret.) If the note is flat, move the saddle closer. The further from pitch the twelfth fret is, the more movement of the saddle is required, but always retune the open note after any movement of the saddle. Some repairmen and players set the intonation using the harmonic on the twelfth fret. Technically, the harmonic is the purer note; but, as I stated earlier, the fretted not is the note you actually play, and in my opinion, it is more important to be in tune with the note you actually fret. There are also two methods for setting intonation. You can set to the attack or the decay. When you initially strike a string (attack) it is slightly sharper than it is as it moves toward still (decay.) I recommend making the sharp vs. flat call with the initial reading of the tuner (the attack reading) and not as it settles. Most people play to the attack, but if your style dictates that you hold many notes and use a lot of resonating chords, you may want to intonate to the decay, or somewhere in between. If you are interested in another tuning and intonating concept check out www.buzzfeiten.com.
Now that you know how to tune your guitar, let's turn our attention to the instrument itself, and some of the things you can do to make it cooperate better. In the beginning of this article I mentioned that a lack of normal movement could also create tuning problems. This lack of movement is in terms of friction on the string, which is usually present in the nut and/or the saddles. These are the two opposing contact points on any string. When your guitar won't tune properly, the majority of the time it is in the nut. Ever turn a guitar tuner to notice little effect on the pitch until suddenly you hear a pinging sound and then suddenly the note is sharp? This is the act and sound of the nut slot pinching the string. Most players immediately consider the tuners to be the cause, but this is rarely the case, and actually impossible in this particular scenario. Many players put graphite (pencil lead) in the slots as lubrication. This is not a bad idea, but the slot needs to be clean and appropriately sized to begin with, or the graphite does little good. Check the slots in the nut to see how dirty they are. You can fold 400-600 grit sandpaper, or pull apart very fine grit steal wool to fit the slot and clean it, but be careful not to lower the slot or you will cause buzzing in the open position. Every player should also set aside a clean set of strings to use as floss for the nut slots. A clean string of the appropriate gauge makes an excellent cleaning and de-burring tool. You can also apply these same techniques to the saddles. The two points that contact each string need to be clean and smooth. If you have a tremolo, make sure that the screws that contact the fulcrum point of the bridge are clean and smooth as well. If the trem hangs up and doesn't return to the neutral position, you are only adding to your tuning troubles. A little Vaseline makes a good lubricant at the fulcrum points of the tremolo.
It is also very important to make sure all parts are tight on the instrument. If you have a bolt-on neck, make sure the screws are secure. The same goes with the tuners, and bridge. Remember, the instrument must hold tension consistently to maintain pitch. The last thing often overlooked by players is the height of the pickups. If a pickup is too close to the string, the magnetic field of the pickup will interfere with the elliptical vibration of the string and cause it to sound out of tune. Start by fretting the bass and treble E stings at the last fret. With an accurate ruler that measures in 32nds of an inch, measure the height from the top of the pickup polepiece to the bottom of the string. At the neck and middle positions, start with about 3/32”. The bridge position should be about 1/16”. The final height adjustment should be done by ear to balance the pickups volume-wise one to another to suit your tastes. Some magnets are much more powerful than others and require a further distance. If the notes sound strange check your height again! A general rule of thumb is that the further away the pickup is the better and clearer is sounds, but the closer it is the more volume it has. Find the balance that works best for you.
All of this information is given with the assumption that nothing major is wrong with your instrument. There are so many variables involved that it is impossible to cover everything in a short article. A bad set-up and poor frets are two major factors that aren't as easily corrected, but do cause major tuning nightmares. If you are comfortable that you meet the criteria listed here, but are still having tuning troubles, seek the advice of a good repairman, or invest in the books and tools necessary to properly maintain your instrument.
