Acoustic Guitars: Playing Tips For Beginners

Acoustic Guitars: Playing Tips For Beginners

Every time you pick up the guitar to play, tune and practice at least the standard tuning method, for all six strings individually, and then as a whole, octaves and chords. Use the electronic tuner or opt for piano cues, reference point type cues from another guitar or tuning fork. This way, you will be establishing good artistic habits and you will sound better too (even if you cannot play very well, at least you are in tune!)

Do this as an investment of time and energy, in your evolving guitarist artistry. Knowledge, skill and understanding your instrument, knowing its parts, intricacies, functioning, are all important. Some teachers will argue as important as knowing how to hold the instrument, sit well, position and support the guitar, box and neck. You do not have to suffer through the novice, newbie, beginner phases, with an improperly tuned instrument to boot and make things worse.
There are some key terminologies to understand with regards to tuning (taken and quoted here from expert instructional materials, available online and in print)

Relative Tuning

–    Guitar itself, tuned relative to itself sounds great
–    However, playing with other instruments it can potentially be wickedly out of tune
–    If you are not playing with others, do not bother to get it perfectly right, attuned to the other instruments (as there will be none, as you go and play solo!)
–    Known pitch and frequency is an industry standard.
–    The lowest and thickest string on a guitar (6th string) corresponds with the note “E” on the piano.

Absolute Tuning

–    Guitar exactly in tune with piano
–    This refers to all instruments, including guitar and piano being in-tune and attuned in reference to one another
–    Use a tuner to be sure

The Unison Method

Here we use the high E-string as a reference note.

–    Tuning the B-string: Pluck the open high E-string.  Pluck the B-string at the 5th fret. Adjust it until it has the same pitch as the open high E-string.
–    Tuning the G-string: Pluck the open B-string.  Pluck the G-string at the 4th fret. Adjust it until it has the same pitch as the open B-string.
–    Tuning the D-string: Pluck the open G-string. Pluck the D-string at the 5th fret. Adjust it until it has the same pitch as the open G-string.

–    Tuning the A-string: Pluck the open D-string.  Pluck the A-string at the 5th fret. Adjust it until it has the same pitch as the open D-string.
–    Tuning the low E-string: Pluck the open A-string.  Pluck the low E-string at the 5th fret. Adjust it until it has the same pitch as the open A-string.

To test the accuracy of this method, ensure that the interval between the two E-strings is exactly two octaves.

Tuning with Octaves

Again use the low E-string as a reference note or starting point

–    Pluck the open high E-string. Then, pluck the low E-string at the 12th fret. This note should be in tune with the high E-string. If not, then adjust it into tune.
–    Pluck the low E-string. Then, pluck the D-string at the 2nd fret. This note should be in tune with the low E-string. If not, then adjust it into tune.
–    Pluck the A-string. Then, pluck the G-string at the 2nd fret. This note should be in tune with the A-string. If not, then adjust it into tune.
–    Pluck the D-string. Then, pluck the B-string at the 3rd fret. This note should be in tune with the D-string. If not, then adjust it into tune.

Harmonics and resonance techniques are also quite commonly used by more advanced musicians and professional players, as is 5/7 harmonic tuning (rough-method for quick-tuning, not recommended)