A tuning fork is a device that plays a reference note, from which all other sounds on the instrument are tuned. There are the following common types of tuning fork: metal, brass and electronic.

1.1. Metal tuning fork

The metal tuning fork came to us from time immemorial. It is reliable, accurate, durable, and just looks beautiful.

Most of these tuning forks give the note "La" of the first octave, which corresponds to the sound of the 1st string (the strings are counted from the bottom up, the first string is the thinnest), pressed at the 5th fret. The tuning fork is used in two modes: quiet and loud. Quiet mode is when you hold a vibrating tuning fork to your ear. And loud - when you touch it, say, to the piano or to the guitar deck. At the same time, the volume of the sound increases noticeably.

So, let's start tuning the guitar.

1. Take the tuning fork from the side where it has one tip, and hit it.
2. Listen to the note.
3. It is necessary to tune the first string so that, being pressed at the 5th fret, it gives the same sound as the tuning fork gives - the note "la". Turn the peg carefully so as not to overtighten or break the string.
4. Set up? Now let's listen to the open (not pressed) 1st string. This is the note "mi". We need the 2nd string, pressed at the 5th fret, to sound the same way - to the note "mi". Set it up. Please note that the note "mi" on the 1st and 2nd strings does not sound exactly the same - there is a difference in timbre (sound color).
5. Now by analogy. Tune the 3rd string so that it sounds like an open 2nd at the 4th fret. This is the note "C".
6. 4th string at the 5th fret - as the 3rd open (note "sol").
7. 5th string at the 5th fret - like the 4th open (note "re").
8. 6th string on the 5th fret - like the 5th open (note "la").

Unlike metal, wind tuning fork gives 6 sounds of open strings. This is convenient, but there are significant drawbacks. Such tuning forks are short-lived and gradually lose accuracy due to oxidation of the reeds.

1. Blow into the hole corresponding to any string;
2. Tune this string.

Although the error does not accumulate, checking by intervals and chords will still allow you to tune the guitar more accurately.

1.3 Electronic tuning fork

It can produce many different sounds, the set of which differs depending on the model. The photo shows a device from Korg, which successfully combines a tuning fork and a metronome in one case.

On most of these tuning forks, you can calibrate the pitch of the reference note “la” of the first octave, relative to which the device tunes the rest of the sounds. This is useful if you play, say, with a piano tuned to 442 Hz (remember that the reference frequency is 440 Hz). Here's how the guitar is tuned:

String	Name of note and octave	Designation on the display (depending on the instrument model)
		The device indicates octaves according to the Helmholtz system	The instrument denotes octaves in scientific notation	The device indicates the note and number of the guitar string
1	"Mi" of the first octave	e1	E4	E1
2	"Si" small octave	b (possibly "h"*)	B3 (possibly "H3"*)	B2 (possibly "H2"*)
3	"Sol" of a small octave	g	G3	G3
4	"Re" small octave	d	D3	D4
5	"La" of the big octave	A (capital "A")	A2	A5
6	"Mi" of a large octave	E (capital "E")	E2	E6

* - there is confusion associated with the designation of the note "si". Part music world designates it with the letter "B", and part - "H". Moreover, in the case of "H", the B-flat note is designated as "B". Most likely, your tuning fork will use the first notation, where "si" is "B".

Keep this in mind not only when tuning your guitar, but also when reading alphanumeric chords.

Another interesting point concerns where which octave is on the guitar neck. You can often find information that the first open string is “Mi” of the second octave, and all the rest, respectively, refer to the first and small ones. This is an erroneous statement. It came from the fact that notes for the guitar are written an octave above the piano. I will dispel this assertion. The first open string is "Mi" of the first octave, as it is written in the table.

1.4. Other tuning fork options

The role of a tuning fork can be performed by a beep on a landline phone, the first note of a ringtone on a cell phone, or something else. Just use your imagination.

2. Piano tuning

Here everything is simple. The piano is the same tuning fork, you just need to know which key to press. The diagram shows which key corresponds to which open string.

Another thing is how well the piano itself is tuned. Practice shows that usually not very. In this case, you can take only one of the piano notes as a standard, and build up all the others from it, as in the case of a metal tuning fork. It is important that the strings of the guitar are first built with each other, and only then with the piano. If you tune your guitar to a synthesizer, then there is no tuning problem (as long as the synthesizer is in good technical condition).

3. Tuning the guitar by the tuner

A tuner is a device that responds to the sound of your instrument and helps you tune it. The display shows various helpful information, For example:

• Note name and octave;
• string name;
• Note vibration frequency;
• Recommendations for stretching or loosening the string;
• The frequency of the reference note "La" of the first octave.

The most important characteristics for a tuner are how quickly the indicator responds to the sound played and the step size of the indicator (the smaller the step, the more accurately you can tune the guitar). Tuners are different in terms of design and purpose. The following table lists the main varieties:

Tuner type	Purpose	pros	Minuses
Clip-on tuner attached to the fretboard	Acoustic concerts	Aesthetically pleasing, lightweight, set and forget	Has moving parts that fail over time
Effects Pedal	High Volume Electric Concerts	Reacts only to the useful signal of the guitar, the noise in the hall does not interfere with it	Bulky, only works via cord connection
Small rectangular device powered by AA or AAA batteries	homework	These tuners often have a built-in metronome, which is convenient for home practice.	Not suitable for concert use
Tuner mobile application	homework	Free	Not suitable for use at concerts, may ring

Now let's look at how to tune a guitar using the example of two tuners - mobile applications. The first of them is the most popular GuitarTuna. This tuner is designed specifically for guitarists, as indicated by its "guitar" style interface.

The application is able to automatically detect which string you are playing if the "auto" mode is on. It is enabled by default, but check it out anyway.

1. Play the first string.
2. Look at the display. Make sure that the tuner recognizes exactly the first string (the pin of the first string is highlighted). You will also see an indicator arrow sliding across the top of the screen and a green line extending from it. If the arrow and the line are to the left of the center line, then the string needs to be pulled slightly. If on the right - loosen. It is necessary to ensure that the green line covers the central one*. To figure out which way to turn the peg, you can experimentally.
3. Tune the first string and do the same with the 2nd, 3rd, etc.

* - The string does not sound mathematically even, so the arrow dangles a little to the right and left and it may not be possible to completely close the middle strip. Just try to close it as much as possible. The 5th and 6th strings are especially capricious in this respect. When setting them up, you need to wait until the green bar becomes more or less stable. You may have to wait a second or two. At first you will see a curve, as if drawing a mountain across the entire screen, but then the indicator will find a conditionally stable position (“conditionally stable” it is because the arrow still dangles back and forth, but already in a small amplitude). On this conditionally stable position and be guided.

The most common mistakes beginner guitarists make when tuning their guitars are:

• Spins the wrong peg
• Plays the wrong string
• Sets up in a noisy environment
• Disabled "auto" mode and forgot about it
• It plays a note, immediately muffles it, and only then rotates the peg (the peg must be rotated when the note is sounding, observing the behavior of the indicator arrow in real time).

In "auto" mode, the tuner determines the string by its pitch. That is, he hears that now something close in frequency to the first string sounds and determines that this is the first string. If the guitar is very out of tune, then this method does not work. Then you need to set the string manually.

1. Disable the "auto" mode;
2. Click on the image of the peg of the desired string, make sure that the peg is selected;
3. Tune the string;
4. Click on the image of the other string's peg and tune it. Tune the rest of the strings in the same way.

It is important not to forget to switch the string by clicking on the image of the peg. Otherwise, there is a risk of overstretching and breaking the string.

Now let's try another tuner. It's called DaTuner. He is a representative of a different concept of tuners. There is no highly specialized guitar information on the display, such as “which peg to turn and which string we are currently tuning”. But there is the name of the note, octave and the frequency of the sound in hertz.

And now, using the table, we tune each string.

If you decide to purchase a clip-on tuner or something else, then I advise you to practice these two first. mobile applications. The fact is that they are accurate and have a fast response. Using them, you will understand what a real tuner should be like and, having come to the store, you will choose a high-quality device.

4. Conclusion

The tuner makes tuning the guitar much easier. In fact, it sets up the tool for you. Someone may say that it is harmful to use it, because it does not develop one's own ear for music. But I will object. Quite the contrary: the ear develops as the guitarist has a standard for the right sound of the instrument and over time he gets used to how it should be, and he has the ability to fine-tune the guitar by ear. If he starts with a tuning fork, then it is not a fact that his tuning will be accurate. For some reason, some people think that tuning by ear is easy, but I personally have seen more than once how even musicians cannot cope with this task, in whose ear for music no doubt.

Once you've mastered the tuning methods presented in this article, it's time to deepen your understanding by reading my Professional Guitar Tuning article. The fact is that although the tuner makes it possible to fine-tune open strings, this does not mean that your guitar will perfectly keep the system, say, in consonances of three sounds. For concert performances The tuner's accuracy is more than enough, but more accuracy is required in the studio. This is especially important for a distorted electric guitar, where the slightest tuning inaccuracy leads to “beats” and “out of tune” on fifths.

Kirill Pospelov was with you. If you have any questions about the article - write to me at

Incorrect tuning of the guitar makes itself felt at the very first notes played. Not every musician can tune his instrument by ear, especially for beginners. Fortunately, there are quite a few software tools available to make this task easier. An example of one of these is the Guitar Camerton.

The only task of this application is directly tuning the guitar. This action is performed by playing sounds corresponding to the notes of the standard tuning of the normal acoustic guitar. Focusing on these sounds, the user must stretch the strings in such a way that they begin to produce the most similar notes.

Advantages

• No need for installation;
• Intuitive interface;
• Free distribution model;
• Russian language support.

Flaws

• Extremely poor quality digital sound, only vaguely reminiscent of the sound of a guitar.

Guitar Camerton is far from the best representative of such software due to the low quality of sound samples. In general, the application will help you tune your guitar in the right way, but a much better solution would be to use other software or buy a real tuner.

guitar tuner allows you to perform professional tuning of any stringed instrument on Android; its speed, accuracy will surprise many who want to try its functionality. Perfect for both beginner and professional guitarists musical art. The application uses the device's microphone to implement its capabilities.

Tuner Features

The guitar tuner is already used by a large number of musicians. And this is not surprising.

Features and functions will delight many:

• The tuner is characterized by high accuracy, convenience for different types guitars.
• In the characteristics, you can switch the program to a professional mode, which allows you to perform high-precision instrument tuning for use by experienced musicians.
• By changing the settings mode to functionality for beginners, you will get a convenient, understandable interface that teachers recommend using.
• The visual response is intuitive and logs and records the history of previous signals.
• An automatic setup mode is available, which is very fast and does not require extra clicks.

A little more about the features of the program

In addition to the above, there are many more features implemented in the Guitar Tuner. The metronome allows you to manually beat the rhythm using the monitor screen - while supporting sound changes. The application has built-in games that allow you to learn the necessary chords and train not only the playing technique, but also your ear. At the same time, the internal library has all possible diagrams of previously known chords.

There is a function of learning some songs, melodies. Four songs with trabs included in the program help to test the skills of playing the strings musical instrument. The sound recognition technology implemented in the app has won multiple awards. At the same time, application developers are actively developing feedback with its users, taking into account all the advice and suggestions.

During the instrument's tuning period, background noise is automatically muted, making it possible to perform tuning in any room. Serious specialists worked on the development of the application: software developers, professional musicians and sound engineers.

And why exactly is it?

It will help beginners to learn the basics of playing the guitar and at first it can replace a teacher or supplement his lessons. For complete beginners, there is an instructional video that will help you understand the mechanism of the tuner and tune the guitar for the first time. In addition to all types of guitars, the program helps in tuning the following instruments: mandolins, banjos, viols, violins, balalaikas, cellos and any other strings. The application has additional features that are implemented on a paid basis. But all the basic settings work in the free version.

Decided to learn how to play the guitar? Don't know how to set up an instrument? Download the Android app right now and have a lot of fun using it. The guitar tuner is one of best products in this direction, professional developers are constantly working on its improvement. Install the application and learn to play instruments with pleasure!

It is not always possible to rebuild a guitar with high quality, especially when there is not enough experience in the guitar business, and there are no "older comrades" nearby, so I suggest you download guitar tuner for computer- the most necessary.

Even seasoned and venerable guitar virtuosos regularly use tuners, because it greatly simplifies life and, most importantly, saves time that can be used for creativity.

I have selected for you the best tuners for tuning the guitar so you can download them to your computer to add to your guitar software collection:

Not so long ago, every guitarist, as well as many other musicians, had in their arsenal a few “by ear” using a tuning fork or using the reference sound of keyboard instruments.

The old methods, of course, helped to develop, but their advantages end there, especially if the guitar is taken to be tuned by a beginner, albeit a promising musician.

In this case such a modern device as an "electronic tuner" comes to the rescue. With the help of a digital tuner, an inexperienced musician can quickly and accurately tune a guitar, as well as any other instrument.

Just some twenty years ago, no one heard about them, and today they are available to absolutely everyone and for any budget! These amazing devices be able to tune any instrument and in any situation - even in noisy "combat" concert conditions.

Guitar tuner - what is it?

No matter what style you play, rock, jazz, classical, pop or whatever, it is important that your instrument is perfectly tuned. You can even be a multi-instrumentalist who knows many ways to tune different instruments, but if you make a mistake when tuning and your ears fail you, performing in front of an audience with an instrument not tuned, you will find yourself in a very embarrassing situation.

Why not save on matches? The tuner (electronic tuner) is small in size and can fit in the palm of your hand, and it is not at all expensive.

There are two main types of tuners:

1. Simple electronic (guitar) tuner - designed specifically for guitars and basses
2. Electronic chromatic tuner - more versatile, suitable for any instrument

"Guitar Tuning" is an application that is already used by more than 20 million users. Utility using your microphone mobile device, detects the sound even in noisy environments, allowing you to set the optimum sound.

Characteristics

The Guitar Tuning app is used by both beginners and professionals. With it, users tune their electric and regular guitars, bass guitars and ukuleles, mandolins and viols, balalaikas and banjos, cellos and violins, and many others. string instruments, and with a different number of strings (including non-standard combinations).

Sound recognition technology has received honorary awards. Now, using a regular smartphone or tablet, you can accurately and without outside help tune your guitar.

Peculiarities

• Accurate tuner, based on the use of the microphone of your mobile device, will allow you to tune acoustic and electronic guitars.
• Professional modes with maximum precision. Enabled in advanced user settings.

• Simple control. Recommended for use by tutors and guitar teachers, thanks to a clear response and signal history, and, most importantly, a large number of automatic settings - no extra taps, string by string, super-fast, and so on).
• Additional functions - metronome, chords, learning songs with tabs, alternative guitar tunings and etc.