Never formally educated or trained in music, I have been playing guitar off and on, listening to guitar music, reading about learning guitar, and lately watching TH-cam. This video is absolutely the first time ever I have heard about "inharmonicity" and such, and it FINALLY explains to me why my 3rd string sounds out of tune so often. Thanks a big bunch for this post, Martin Taylor.
Try tuning like this 6th string, then 1st and 2nd, next 5th and 3rd, then finally 4th. This can distribute the tension on the neck in a more even fashion. Just a theory nothing proving but does make sense .
This is a really great lesson! I've been playing for 15 years and I learned many new things. Also, what a perfect name for a guitar player, Martin Taylor. I wonder if his middle name is Gibson.
I wish I had known this when I was a teenager starting to play the guitar. I stopped playing the guitar because I thought I was not capable of tuning it. Two years ago, I started playing again, and despite technology, onboard tuners, and all methods I knew, the guitar still sounded out of tune, especially strings 1 to 3. I am so relieved, I just could not understand why the guitar sounded out of tune even when I had taken great care to tune it with several different methods. I just wish I had known this sooner. Thank you so much!!!
I've just watched James Taylor's tutorial on tuning which discusses sharp- and flattening, but without the maths / vibrating string explanation, which helps immensly. I've been tuning my guitar for years the way you've explained, thinking that something was wrong with my '66 J45, my ears or the weather, so thanks, I've been doing it right!
Mr. Taylor, great tutorial. Thank you. I've found that the downward pressure applied to a string can also mess with your ear when tuning. Often times people are not relaxed when they're trying to tune a guitar. In that excited state, applying to much pressure on a string will sharpen it. So Just wanted to say that folks need to take a deep breath and relax when they're tuning [especially electric guitars which typically use lighter gauge strings].
Tuning by ear is essential. Something us "pre-electronic tuner" guys learned how to do. I always compare an open E and an open C chord and adjust the G accordingly.
Depending on the chord,c major or e major, the third string g may sound out of tune. Maybe with the tuner the c for example sounds in tune but e doesn't. So you first tune with the tuner and then play c major and e major and trust your ears to adjust that third string
Fascinating - this explains a lot. I used the '5ths' method for years then stopped, thinking the tuner must be right. For me the test is a root position major triad played anywhere on strings 5, 4 and 3. The fifth (always the note on the G string) often seems slightly flat when I use a tuner.
For those who don't know the term, the "internal tuning" he mentioned, to do with the bridge and the 12th fret. that is called INTONATION. When you change the position of the bridge, back or forth, you are essentially changing the length of the string to suit the scale length of the guitar, so that the exact half way point of the string, is exactly at the 12th fret. This means the sound frequency of the note you play at the 12th fret, is exactly double that of the note you play open, creating a perfect octave.
Martin Taylor, MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) is a well-respected jazz guitarist. He performed with Stéphane Grappelli for 11 years. He is known for his ability to play chords, bass line, and melody simultaneously.
Hi, I play keyboards and have very good pitch, I started an interest in acoustic guitar a little over 6 months ago and have been tuning with an electronic clip on tuner. So often its driven me crazy by the tuner being correct but then the guitar sounding very slightly off key, even though the string height, neck relief and intonation has been checked. Your video makes so much sense and has been really enlightening! Subscribed without a second thought, thanks for the hard work making these vids! Regards.
Playing gigs we started the night by tuning to our Hammond B3 or piano ... and then use our ears from there. That worked quite well. As the night progressed and the ambient noise increase exponentially, that method no longer worked. I had a Strobe Tuner on top of my amp for tuning in a noisy room. And that seemed to work OK.Thanks for the video ... it seems that there is a bit of "magic" to correct tuning.
I only have ever tuned with a tuning fork and thought that there might be something wrong with my guitar(s). I had a floating bridge with my banjo and never had a problem tuning it. Thanks, I also never knew (before TH-cam!) that you should play the strings loudly if you are going to play loudly. I am so envious of this generation (I am 60) that can access all this knowledge for FREE. AND free tutorials. I can't imagine how my parents paid for piano/guitar lessons for all five of us-but so well worth it in the long run. What a source of joy for a lifetime. P.S.- AND you don't have to sit for hours _writing out the lyrics_ as you endlessly dropped the needle. >sigh< Thanks from Toronto.
I have spent many a time tuning my guitar and wondering why a D chord (my preferred reference for tuning by ear) sounds out. I would meticulously fiddle with the intonation and action etc to get it perfect. This is a superb tip. Thanx!
That was the best explanation I have heard on the subject. Long ago I never had an electric tuner and I never had problems with intonation. I just tuned it by ear. This explains it. My ear is spoiled....
Another point to note is that tuning with open strings is not always the best way. The first fret in particular is close to the nut and can sharpen notes because the strings "bend" more nearer the first couple of frets. Also on many guitars the G string is notoriously sharp when played as a major third in a chord. The B string is often sharp sounding also when played as a major third but will sound flat when used as a root note or fifth. All you can do is tune for the most prevalent notes applicable to a particular piece, or perhaps even tune major thirds on G and B strings slightly flatter then slightly bend the notes upwards in pitch when they sound a tad flat on other intervals. You cannot "unbend" a stopped note to make it flatter so it is best to tune rogue strings slightly flat then bend them up when needed.
Excellent video. Your teaching style and manner is engaging and pleasant and this makes it very easy to be drawn in to the substance of the lesson. Thank you. I’ve always thought that the importance of precise tuning isn’t stressed enough. Once you understand how important it is you must be willing to give it the time and attention necessary. There’s more than one way to accomplish it. Use whatever method you like just don’t rush through it.
Extremely enlightening and interesting. Finally, a guitar player who admits there are skills to be acquired and developed to be able to get a decent tuning. It's been driving me nuts for years. I've gone through every tuner on the market and did not know why. Very few teachers have the patience and many do not know how to address the questions by students. I want to thank you for posting this tutorial. Could you give me a tutorial online on this subject? Thank you in advance.
Thanks for this video. I am playing now for many years and always struggled with myself, since G strings seems always to be out of tune. Open D-Cord vs. open C or G. I always tried to compensate but ear in the Cord, but never got satifyable results. Now I know why and can work with this information. I always thougt it is only caused by my guitar (cheap one).
Thanks for going over the part about the tuner saying everything is in tune and my ear saying it isn't. I've been playing for a while and never used a tuner. i just started using one just to tune up faster and it sounded wrong. I thought i was tuning wrong all this time. Which landed me on this video somehow. Lol.
This is good stuff. I have almost found all electronic tuners to be "a little off" and I wondered if I was just a little OCD as many people don't seem to be able to notice that the clip ins, etc are a touch off.
YYYEP! Still baffles me sometimes and I've been doing it for 40 years. lol. Thanks! This is very complete. I also notice certain guitars I have I just can't get to sound right. Keep in mind the nut height and saddle height are factors as well. Ultimately I end up tuning to ear, but in a gig or group it gets difficult. A quick method of tuning (in that case) is to clamp your capo on 5 and tune there, making sure the strings are fully flexed. You can lift the capo briefly and check again if you aren't sure.
And sir, thanks for the tip about midway, and tweaking the top 2 strings to relieve my poor brain after so many years. This is the first explanation that equips me with “science” and sensibility. Subscribing now.
I listen to some jazz in Sausalito, and the guitarist plays with piano bass and drums. He never sounds quite in tune with the piano. I wonder if it's because the strings are so perfectly touched when tuning, but are bending more when he plays. (that is, if the piano is in tune)
@7:20 I am relieved to learn why I so hated those higher two strings, 1st and 2nd. Never sounded in tune by ear or compared to any pipe or digital tuner. Maybe I should’ve taken up the base? Or maybe I should use a thicker string for those two?
Good advice. I am a pro guitar tech and I recommend paying attention to this man. Have a great day! Sammy Bones #goodadvice #tuningaguitar #guitartuning #guitaradvice
What a shame other music teachers aren't as thorough on this subject as you are. It's driven me mad for years. I was explained this you are talking about from a guitar maker. Since then, I am on a quest to find the correct tuning. I think I have a very fine ear because when the strings are out of tune, I can't play its so horrible to my ear its like toothache. I can vouch for you and say that you are the best teacher, what a shame you don't teach classical guitar :) I might give Jazz a go once I fully get a hand on this tuning thing. I've found that many teachers refuse to talk about this subject. I felt crazy for a good many years. I was even told I had no ear for music by my teacher, just because I could not settle at a certain point. His system was tuning by harmonics and by using unions across the guitar on the 5th and the 4th fret on the G string. Incidentally, there are many tutorials online which are very misleading. They claim that if you match all six-string to a guitar tuner you are ready to go. It's a shame. If you are unlucky to fall in this circle. I've also heard many guitars out of tune, way beyond the guitar tuners inconsistency. Thanks very much, you have been a great help. All the best.
Does inharmonicity have anything to do with, 440 Hz standardised model Vs the 432 Hz old style binary system? Or is that a separate issue, and for a different discussion?
I know very little of music theory, but I felt there must be a mathematical explanation for the off-vibrato feeling. I found that the frequency of C#2 (on piano) is 138.59 and for A2 is 110. Dividing 138.59 by 110 gives 125.998, which is the cube root of 2. Maybe Martin can confirm if I am on to something or just finding a curious relationship that isn't meaningful.
Also try tuning your guitars with -12, -10, -8, -4, -6 and -3 cents. It just sounds "righter". -12c for the low E going down to the high E respectively
Yes, some excellent points, and each guitar can have its own vagaries, idiosyncrasies! James Taylor also has a method of tuning different strings a few 'cents' flat to compensate.
6m29s The string is not getting shorter when vibrating, it's actually getting longer if anything, but it's tension is increasing which results in a sharper note..
Guitars are built for equal temperament. The frets are spaced for it. All you have to do is tune it correctly and it'll be as close as you can get. If you go about flattening strings you'll just put the guitar out of tune. Think about it. Your own B string is in tune with the B on the 2nd fret of the A string. Now. Flatten the B string as he suggests he often does.. How do you think that octave is going to sound now?
One problem with playing a harmonic followed by pressing down to compare is that pressing down has too many variables. Is the string old? Are you pushing too hard? That's why you play the 12th fret harmonic followed by the open string. They will be an octave apart, but your tuner will tell you how those two are lining up with the calculated pitch in the tuner. Eliminate as many variables as possible. Inharmonicity has more to do with string stiffness than with intervals. Inharmonicity is the real life relationship in the harmonic series in any one string - which will affect intervals - but your terminology is being misused. Inharmonicity is why you can tune any two notes by listening to the beating harmonics, and get them perfectly in tune with each other by ear, and at the same time hear something else beating in the background. That's because you tuned the two notes to a chosen coincidental partial (matching harmonic) but because of string stiffness are faced with an imperfect set of harmonics as you listen to the string vibrating.
I think I am playing my guitar too sharp as I go up 3 octaves and have my strings very tight, in doing so cant barre at all, but now my ears are use to my tuner having the notes sharper. I just like it sounding higher pitched. my ears don't like it when it sounds lower and bassy. yet I am trying to force myself to do this to play barre chords. the strings are looser under my fingers and I am not having to put down so much pressure but...the downside to me is the chords sound much duller. I am using d;addario lights. good video thank you. I have been using my ears to tune but my ears are tuned to sharper now...so its throwing me off. thank you for vid dood!
7:30 Testing with a major 3rd sounds like a terrible idea. A purely tuned major 3rd is significantly flatter than in equal temperament. That interval will be more in tune, but the others will be out.
There's more. Even when you tune any way you like, you're only in tune for those notes and intervals. Tuning a guitar doesn't bring ALL the fretted notes into tune - only the ones you've used to do the tuning. Because of the different string diameters, you'd really need a different set of frets for each string - and that would still leave the problems Martin discussed here. So any tuning system will leave some fretted noted out of tune. It's inherent to the design of the instrument. The 'best' tuning system can only be the least bad. Luckily, in actual playing situations, our ears can only hear so much, and many in the audience can't hear when guitars are a little out of tune anyway.
Im a beginner and this tuning style seems very difficult. I don’t even get how to tune it. I just learnt that you have to adjust the guitar more so because “perfect tune” is actually out of tune in increments of fifths
The definition of "in tune" is vague, unless it's complemented with the type of tuning system. Tuning by fifths is good for playing solo or with violins (also tuned in fifths). When playing with fretted instruments, keyboards or instruments that use equal temperament, one cannot rely on fifths. For those who are interested: drkevguitar.com/2012/04/04/tuning-data-sheet-45/
Bear in mind that our 'musical ear' can change with exposure to and familiarity with different instruments, scales and even vocal techniques from around the world that come into and out of fashion. It's possible to become quite disenchanted with the 12-note Pythagorean scale of pure toe4s and the European invention of equal temperament to take account of the difference between 12 fifths and 7 octaves that locks many instruments into an unforgiving strait-jacket (any fretted instrument for example). Being a piano tuner I tend to favour fretted guitars myself but my wife - originally a cellist - ordered her last guitar fretless. So far, I've made the transition to fretless bass but I still can't master her instrument (though I do tune it for her since I'm used to moving piano strings a cent or two (1/00th of a semitone) in order to deal with the inharmonicity of shorter-than-desirable grands). Here's a thought - maybe guitars should be made with movable frets (like a traditional sitar) as well as bridge saddles...
I also have a problem with tuning the guitar with tuner. It sounded good after tuning with the tuner. But when I strum my guitar, it always like not in tune. What I do is, first, I'll be tuning my guitar using the tuner. Then, I will play some basic chords or play a song that I used to play to hear which strings not in tune. From there, I will tuning my guitar again for the string that does not sound good.
It has to do with compensating the errors evenly across the guitar so all chords sound OK. You can tune so a certain chord sounds sweet, but other chords sound terrible. It's strange, but a "perfect" tuned guitar sounds terrible! Trust your ears, it will need a little sweetening after getting it close.
Excellent. However, there needs to be an added explanation for the variant algorithm of fret placement on the first three frets. The fulcrum arch to the nut is exaggerated in standard chords and fret placement is compensated for this because of nut height at the top of the neck. This is only considered by luthiers on fine guitars before cutting the fret grooves, and it means a lot to standard three-chord-theory rhythm guitarists, if it can be conveyed properly. In the mean-time the "lead" guy playing in the middle of the neck is perfectly in tune.There are filing methods to make the first fret more perfect, and for making the back of the 12th fret sound perfectly in tune with the front of the 12th while adjusting(carving) the bone saddle-piece. I have been frustrated most of my life with cheaply made guitars that lack this compensation measure in the design of the guitar.
Assuming that a guitar tuner is tuning to equal temperament using an electronic guitar tuner then surely any subsequent change to the tuning is really just optimising the tuning for a particular set of keys. This means it will sound better and more in tune for those more sympathetic keys and MORE out of tune for the less sympathetic key than if tuned to equal temperament. If my assumption is correct then should not some comment be made about which those sympathetic keys are and which ones are not. For a guitarist playing across all key ranges does he retune for those less sympathetic keys and if he tried to would he know which string should be retuned without a huge amount of experience and know how. What if the music changes from a sympathetic key to a non sympathetic mid song. I believe this is what even temperament is all about and not to be wandered from unless you really understand what it is all about, Robbie
Never formally educated or trained in music, I have been playing guitar off and on, listening to guitar music, reading about learning guitar, and lately watching TH-cam. This video is absolutely the first time ever I have heard about "inharmonicity" and such, and it FINALLY explains to me why my 3rd string sounds out of tune so often. Thanks a big bunch for this post, Martin Taylor.
Try tuning like this 6th string, then 1st and 2nd, next 5th and 3rd, then finally 4th. This can distribute the tension on the neck in a more even fashion. Just a theory nothing proving but does make sense .
This is a really great lesson! I've been playing for 15 years and I learned many new things. Also, what a perfect name for a guitar player, Martin Taylor. I wonder if his middle name is Gibson.
His confirmation name is Ibanez.
Ha Ha Ha !
It is not ......it is Martin Rico Taylor !!!
I wish I had known this when I was a teenager starting to play the guitar. I stopped playing the guitar because I thought I was not capable of tuning it. Two years ago, I started playing again, and despite technology, onboard tuners, and all methods I knew, the guitar still sounded out of tune, especially strings 1 to 3. I am so relieved, I just could not understand why the guitar sounded out of tune even when I had taken great care to tune it with several different methods. I just wish I had known this sooner. Thank you so much!!!
I've just watched James Taylor's tutorial on tuning which discusses sharp- and flattening, but without the maths / vibrating string explanation, which helps immensly. I've been tuning my guitar for years the way you've explained, thinking that something was wrong with my '66 J45, my ears or the weather, so thanks, I've been doing it right!
Mr. Taylor, great tutorial. Thank you. I've found that the downward pressure applied to a string can also mess with your ear when tuning. Often times people are not relaxed when they're trying to tune a guitar. In that excited state, applying to much pressure on a string will sharpen it. So Just wanted to say that folks need to take a deep breath and relax when they're tuning [especially electric guitars which typically use lighter gauge strings].
Tuning by ear is essential. Something us "pre-electronic tuner" guys learned how to do. I always compare an open E and an open C chord and adjust the G accordingly.
doubleotwentyone can you further explain this? Cheers
Depending on the chord,c major or e major, the third string g may sound out of tune. Maybe with the tuner the c for example sounds in tune but e doesn't. So you first tune with the tuner and then play c major and e major and trust your ears to adjust that third string
It can definitely be frustrating. He has another video on Harmonics which is part of this series. Great tutorials.
I learned a lot here. You explained a very difficult subject very clearly! Thanks, Martin!
Fascinating - this explains a lot. I used the '5ths' method for years then stopped, thinking the tuner must be right. For me the test is a root position major triad played anywhere on strings 5, 4 and 3. The fifth (always the note on the G string) often seems slightly flat when I use a tuner.
Claymor the fifths have to be a little flat in equal temperament tuning :)
For those who don't know the term, the "internal tuning" he mentioned, to do with the bridge and the 12th fret. that is called INTONATION. When you change the position of the bridge, back or forth, you are essentially changing the length of the string to suit the scale length of the guitar, so that the exact half way point of the string, is exactly at the 12th fret. This means the sound frequency of the note you play at the 12th fret, is exactly double that of the note you play open, creating a perfect octave.
Martin Taylor, MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) is a well-respected jazz guitarist. He performed with Stéphane Grappelli for 11 years. He is known for his ability to play chords, bass line, and melody simultaneously.
Lance Baker I seen him live it was amazing. Especially when he plays solo the bass line sounds exactly a bass.
When he was tuning in 5ths, he sounded better than my playing LOL Adrian Legg is another great player in this style
Hi, I play keyboards and have very good pitch, I started an interest in acoustic guitar a little over 6 months ago and have been tuning with an electronic clip on tuner. So often its driven me crazy by the tuner being correct but then the guitar sounding very slightly off key, even though the string height, neck relief and intonation has been checked. Your video makes so much sense and has been really enlightening! Subscribed without a second thought, thanks for the hard work making these vids! Regards.
Extremely helpful. Tuning has always been frustrating to me and Mr. Taylor addressed the reason directly. Can't wait to practice this.
Playing gigs we started the night by tuning to our Hammond B3 or piano ... and then use our ears from there. That worked quite well. As the night progressed and the ambient noise increase exponentially, that method no longer worked. I had a Strobe Tuner on top of my amp for tuning in a noisy room. And that seemed to work OK.Thanks for the video ... it seems that there is a bit of "magic" to correct tuning.
An absolutely wonderful and moving experience. Both in listening to two great musicians and hearing wonderful stories Kudos!!
I only have ever tuned with a tuning fork and thought that there might be something wrong with my guitar(s). I had a floating bridge with my banjo and never had a problem tuning it. Thanks, I also never knew (before TH-cam!) that you should play the strings loudly if you are going to play loudly.
I am so envious of this generation (I am 60) that can access all this knowledge for FREE. AND free tutorials. I can't imagine how my parents paid for piano/guitar lessons for all five of us-but so well worth it in the long run. What a source of joy for a lifetime.
P.S.- AND you don't have to sit for hours _writing out the lyrics_ as you endlessly dropped the needle. >sigh< Thanks from Toronto.
I have spent many a time tuning my guitar and wondering why a D chord (my preferred reference for tuning by ear) sounds out. I would meticulously fiddle with the intonation and action etc to get it perfect. This is a superb tip. Thanx!
That was the best explanation I have heard on the subject. Long ago I never had an electric tuner and I never had problems with intonation. I just tuned it by ear. This explains it. My ear is spoiled....
Another point to note is that tuning with open strings is not always the best way. The first fret in particular is close to the nut and can sharpen notes because the strings "bend" more nearer the first couple of frets. Also on many guitars the G string is notoriously sharp when played as a major third in a chord. The B string is often sharp sounding also when played as a major third but will sound flat when used as a root note or fifth. All you can do is tune for the most prevalent notes applicable to a particular piece, or perhaps even tune major thirds on G and B strings slightly flatter then slightly bend the notes upwards in pitch when they sound a tad flat on other intervals. You cannot "unbend" a stopped note to make it flatter so it is best to tune rogue strings slightly flat then bend them up when needed.
Martin Taylor, nice name for a guitar player :)
Excellent video. Your teaching style and manner is engaging and pleasant and this makes it very easy to be drawn in to the substance of the lesson. Thank you.
I’ve always thought that the importance of precise tuning isn’t stressed enough. Once you understand how important it is you must be willing to give it the time and attention necessary. There’s more than one way to accomplish it. Use whatever method you like just don’t rush through it.
Extremely enlightening and interesting. Finally, a guitar player who admits there are skills to be acquired and developed to be able to get a decent tuning. It's been driving me nuts for years. I've gone through every tuner on the market and did not know why. Very few teachers have the patience and many do not know how to address the questions by students. I want to thank you for posting this tutorial. Could you give me a tutorial online on this subject? Thank you in advance.
Thanks for this video. I am playing now for many years and always struggled with myself, since G strings seems always to be out of tune. Open D-Cord vs. open C or G. I always tried to compensate but ear in the Cord, but never got satifyable results. Now I know why and can work with this information. I always thougt it is only caused by my guitar (cheap one).
Excellent tutorial. This has helped me better understand some of the most frustrating issues of guitar tuning. Thank you for explaining it so well.
Thanks for going over the part about the tuner saying everything is in tune and my ear saying it isn't. I've been playing for a while and never used a tuner. i just started using one just to tune up faster and it sounded wrong. I thought i was tuning wrong all this time. Which landed me on this video somehow. Lol.
This is good stuff. I have almost found all electronic tuners to be "a little off" and I wondered if I was just a little OCD as many people don't seem to be able to notice that the clip ins, etc are a touch off.
YYYEP! Still baffles me sometimes and I've been doing it for 40 years. lol. Thanks! This is very complete. I also notice certain guitars I have I just can't get to sound right. Keep in mind the nut height and saddle height are factors as well. Ultimately I end up tuning to ear, but in a gig or group it gets difficult. A quick method of tuning (in that case) is to clamp your capo on 5 and tune there, making sure the strings are fully flexed. You can lift the capo briefly and check again if you aren't sure.
“Martin Taylor” if he didn’t play guitar i wouldn’t know what he was thinking
And sir, thanks for the tip about midway, and tweaking the top 2 strings to relieve my poor brain after so many years. This is the first explanation that equips me with “science” and sensibility. Subscribing now.
Excellent lesson! Trust in your ear and tune to your guitar! Well done!
I feel a sense of validation after watching and hearing this video.
Me too! I am 60 and always thought there must have been something wrong with the guitar. I ears have been right for 50 years!
7:54 I was waiting for him to start playing the opening riff to "In My Life"
Such an educational video, thank you.
I've learned so much from this video! Thank you so much! Never knew this and when tuned with a tuner it never sounded right! Trust in the ear! LOL!
Martin, love your work and throughly enjoyed your time with Robin Nolan..
When tuning from sixth string in standard tuning how do we know that the e string is in tune without thr tuner?
Superb thank you Martin.
Thanks a ton, Martin!
This is really an eye-(ear)opener!
You put words on things I have realized but never understood!
Capital lesson! I could listen to the details of this science all day. Now, to find a piano tuner! Thanks very much!
Wow mind blowing stuff. I hae been playing for years and always wondered why my B string sounded sharp on A chords. This is why.
he's playing a custom Vanden in this video but also recently endorsed a line of Peerless archtop guitars
Great video thankyou - learnt a lot!
I listen to some jazz in Sausalito, and the guitarist plays with piano bass and drums. He never sounds quite in tune with the piano. I wonder if it's because the strings are so perfectly touched when tuning, but are bending more when he plays. (that is, if the piano is in tune)
High to low strings:
E -3 B -6 G -4 D -8 A -10 E -12
I learned this from James Taylor. Tune each string down in cents.
@7:20 I am relieved to learn why I so hated those higher two strings, 1st and 2nd. Never sounded in tune by ear or compared to any pipe or digital tuner. Maybe I should’ve taken up the base? Or maybe I should use a thicker string for those two?
Good advice. I am a pro guitar tech and I recommend paying attention to this man. Have a great day!
Sammy Bones
#goodadvice #tuningaguitar #guitartuning #guitaradvice
What a great video. i learned a lot about tuning from this. Much appreciated!
Best explanation I've heard....
What a shame other music teachers aren't as thorough on this subject as you are. It's driven me mad for years. I was explained this you are talking about from a guitar maker. Since then, I am on a quest to find the correct tuning. I think I have a very fine ear because when the strings are out of tune, I can't play its so horrible to my ear its like toothache. I can vouch for you and say that you are the best teacher, what a shame you don't teach classical guitar :) I might give Jazz a go once I fully get a hand on this tuning thing. I've found that many teachers refuse to talk about this subject. I felt crazy for a good many years.
I was even told I had no ear for music by my teacher, just because I could not settle at a certain point. His system was tuning by harmonics and by using unions across the guitar on the 5th and the 4th fret on the G string.
Incidentally, there are many tutorials online which are very misleading. They claim that if you match all six-string to a guitar tuner you are ready to go. It's a shame. If you are unlucky to fall in this circle.
I've also heard many guitars out of tune, way beyond the guitar tuners inconsistency.
Thanks very much, you have been a great help.
All the best.
dude great job, even your name is after 2 of the best guitar brands in the world!
GREAT GREAT LESSON - Thanks Martin.
Does inharmonicity have anything to do with, 440 Hz standardised model Vs the 432 Hz old style binary system?
Or is that a separate issue, and for a different discussion?
I know very little of music theory, but I felt there must be a mathematical explanation for the off-vibrato feeling. I found that the frequency of C#2 (on piano) is 138.59 and for A2 is 110. Dividing 138.59 by 110 gives 125.998, which is the cube root of 2. Maybe Martin can confirm if I am on to something or just finding a curious relationship that isn't meaningful.
Also try tuning your guitars with -12, -10, -8, -4, -6 and -3 cents. It just sounds "righter". -12c for the low E going down to the high E respectively
Thanks 🤙🏽🎶
That was so informative. I notice there are 27 thumbs downs, really!? what is your problem?
Probably Russian bot trying to sew dissent (Dischord >groan
This was certainly interesting and useful.
If I decide to take your on line course, Mr. Taylor, do I need to buy a jazz guitar or can I do the course with my classical guitar?
"How to Tune a Guitar by Ear" -- he cheated, he used his fingers instead.
Mick Kennedy
'by' doesn't mean 'with' ern
Really?
'ere 'ere pack it up
I fart in the sound hole
Hillarious
Yes, some excellent points, and each guitar can have its own vagaries, idiosyncrasies! James Taylor also has a method of tuning different strings a few 'cents' flat to compensate.
Martin is such a lovely guy.
very interesting video. _thank you_
6m29s The string is not getting shorter when vibrating, it's actually getting longer if anything, but it's tension is increasing which results in a sharper note..
This has been bugging me for years. Now I understand what's happening..thanks Martin
Great info, thank you
Guitars are built for equal temperament. The frets are spaced for it. All you have to do is tune it correctly and it'll be as close as you can get. If you go about flattening strings you'll just put the guitar out of tune.
Think about it. Your own B string is in tune with the B on the 2nd fret of the A string. Now. Flatten the B string as he suggests he often does.. How do you think that octave is going to sound now?
One problem with playing a harmonic followed by pressing down to compare is that pressing down has too many variables. Is the string old? Are you pushing too hard? That's why you play the 12th fret harmonic followed by the open string. They will be an octave apart, but your tuner will tell you how those two are lining up with the calculated pitch in the tuner. Eliminate as many variables as possible.
Inharmonicity has more to do with string stiffness than with intervals. Inharmonicity is the real life relationship in the harmonic series in any one string - which will affect intervals - but your terminology is being misused. Inharmonicity is why you can tune any two notes by listening to the beating harmonics, and get them perfectly in tune with each other by ear, and at the same time hear something else beating in the background. That's because you tuned the two notes to a chosen coincidental partial (matching harmonic) but because of string stiffness are faced with an imperfect set of harmonics as you listen to the string vibrating.
Thank you so much Martin . You Jazz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Martin this is very useful!
Thanks for sharing Martin
Thank you its such a wonderful guitar
I learned some new stuff - Thanks!
I think I am playing my guitar too sharp as I go up 3 octaves and have my strings very tight, in doing so cant barre at all, but now my ears are use to my tuner having the notes sharper. I just like it sounding higher pitched. my ears don't like it when it sounds lower and bassy. yet I am trying to force myself to do this to play barre chords. the strings are looser under my fingers and I am not having to put down so much pressure but...the downside to me is the chords sound much duller. I am using d;addario lights. good video thank you. I have been using my ears to tune but my ears are tuned to sharper now...so its throwing me off. thank you for vid dood!
How do you go up 3 octaves without breaking your strings?
That was just what i needed Thanks
2:18 'floating pickup'? Should be bridge, yes?
Yes.
Yes.
well done
Thank you for the good lesson.
Is it your real name? Mr. Martin Taylor?
fantastic explanation ..!
I always try to watch this fingering classes
great info thank you Martin ... Peace n Love n Rock n Roll B
7:53 in myyyy life, I love you more
Beetles I believe.
@Josuke Higashikata Oh I see, Beat as in Beat a drum not beet the vegetable, thank you.
20yrs of playing and recently beenbattling tunning issues all month. Now I know...!
7:30 Testing with a major 3rd sounds like a terrible idea. A purely tuned major 3rd is significantly flatter than in equal temperament. That interval will be more in tune, but the others will be out.
Great video
Perfect Pitch
thank you , help me so much ..
There's more. Even when you tune any way you like, you're only in tune for those notes and intervals. Tuning a guitar doesn't bring ALL the fretted notes into tune - only the ones you've used to do the tuning. Because of the different string diameters, you'd really need a different set of frets for each string - and that would still leave the problems Martin discussed here. So any tuning system will leave some fretted noted out of tune. It's inherent to the design of the instrument. The 'best' tuning system can only be the least bad. Luckily, in actual playing situations, our ears can only hear so much, and many in the audience can't hear when guitars are a little out of tune anyway.
I didn't know that. wouldn't that be that same at all frequencies?
Damn !! This was brilliant.. thank you
Im a beginner and this tuning style seems very difficult. I don’t even get how to tune it. I just learnt that you have to adjust the guitar more so because “perfect tune” is actually out of tune in increments of fifths
This guy can play and great teacher too.
The definition of "in tune" is vague, unless it's complemented with the type of tuning system. Tuning by fifths is good for playing solo or with violins (also tuned in fifths). When playing with fretted instruments, keyboards or instruments that use equal temperament, one cannot rely on fifths. For those who are interested: drkevguitar.com/2012/04/04/tuning-data-sheet-45/
Bear in mind that our 'musical ear' can change with exposure to and familiarity with different instruments, scales and even vocal techniques from around the world that come into and out of fashion. It's possible to become quite disenchanted with the 12-note Pythagorean scale of pure toe4s and the European invention of equal temperament to take account of the difference between 12 fifths and 7 octaves that locks many instruments into an unforgiving strait-jacket (any fretted instrument for example). Being a piano tuner I tend to favour fretted guitars myself but my wife - originally a cellist - ordered her last guitar fretless. So far, I've made the transition to fretless bass but I still can't master her instrument (though I do tune it for her since I'm used to moving piano strings a cent or two (1/00th of a semitone) in order to deal with the inharmonicity of shorter-than-desirable grands). Here's a thought - maybe guitars should be made with movable frets (like a traditional sitar) as well as bridge saddles...
Great points Christopher.
gracias
I also have a problem with tuning the guitar with tuner. It sounded good after tuning with the tuner. But when I strum my guitar, it always like not in tune. What I do is, first, I'll be tuning my guitar using the tuner. Then, I will play some basic chords or play a song that I used to play to hear which strings not in tune. From there, I will tuning my guitar again for the string that does not sound good.
It has to do with compensating the errors evenly across the guitar so all chords sound OK. You can tune so a certain chord sounds sweet, but other chords sound terrible. It's strange, but a "perfect" tuned guitar sounds terrible! Trust your ears, it will need a little sweetening after getting it close.
TED PETERSON you're right.
Whenever I use a tuner I hit a chord and know it doesn't sound right. I always thought "is it me? my guitar?" Thanks for the great info!
Excellent. However, there needs to be an added explanation for the variant algorithm of fret placement on the first three frets. The fulcrum arch to the nut is exaggerated in standard chords and fret placement is compensated for this because of nut height at the top of the neck. This is only considered by luthiers on fine guitars before cutting the fret grooves, and it means a lot to standard three-chord-theory rhythm guitarists, if it can be conveyed properly. In the mean-time the "lead" guy playing in the middle of the neck is perfectly in tune.There are filing methods to make the first fret more perfect, and for making the back of the 12th fret sound perfectly in tune with the front of the 12th while adjusting(carving) the bone saddle-piece. I have been frustrated most of my life with cheaply made guitars that lack this compensation measure in the design of the guitar.
Don't know why but I really like that headstock.
How do I get a wound third string?
Assuming that a guitar tuner is tuning to equal temperament using an electronic guitar tuner then surely any subsequent change to the tuning is really just optimising the tuning for a particular set of keys. This means it will sound better and more in tune for those more sympathetic keys and MORE out of tune for the less sympathetic key than if tuned to equal temperament. If my assumption is correct then should not some comment be made about which those sympathetic keys are and which ones are not. For a guitarist playing across all key ranges does he retune for those less sympathetic keys and if he tried to would he know which string should be retuned without a huge amount of experience and know how. What if the music changes from a sympathetic key to a non sympathetic mid song. I believe this is what even temperament is all about and not to be wandered from unless you really understand what it is all about, Robbie
+Robert Boettcher ..........Good point.... I guess the guys to ask are older guys who are longtime stage and studio musicians.