Why?

[DieselGenny]

Why, after 12 years of playing, do I still find it difficult to tune my guitars by ear, particularly electrics - strangely I find it easier with acoustics ?

 

Any tips? What am I doing wrong?

[btoth76]

Hello! I don't know the answer, but I can say, that learning theory (modes, scales, chords) opened up my hearing a lot! Also very helpful if You try to figure out songs (chord progressions, solos) by ear. Good luck! Cheers... Bence

[DieselGenny]

Thanks for helping here. Definitely consider you advice.

 

I have spent a lot of time with scales & modes, being able to identify when I've played a note out of key etc, and can often pick up tunes and chords by ear. But I still can't seem to make that step to being able to tune my electrics reliably by ear for some reason.

 

Maybe I'm not full-on "guitar god" material? Not that I'll let that affect my enjoyment and appetite for learning new stuff.

 

All ideas welcome.

[LarryUK]

I tune by harmonics. It's easy to hear the pulse. Try it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_Zw175mInQ

[DieselGenny]

I tune by harmonics. It's easy to hear the pulse. Try it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_Zw175mInQ

Excellent tip - just tried this out and with a little practice, I think this will be the way to go for me!

 

Just one final question on this method - I assume it relies on the guitar's intonation being set up well in the first place? Not that I have a problem with intonation: just interested?

[btoth76]

Yes.

[DieselGenny]

Thanks guys.

[LarryUK]

I wouldn't say the intonation matters that much with harmonics, because it's open strings.

[stein]

As good of an ear as I like to think I have, there are some days I can't hear "tune" well and can't tune by ear at all. Specifically, as good as I can usually pick these things up and how "practiced" I am at it, there are days that it just isn't there at all for me.

 

I think in some ways we have become a little spoiled by tuners. Today, there is really no reason to HAVE to tune by ear as they make a tuner for everything...stage tuners, headstock tuners, strobe tuners anyone can afford. I think it's a good thing.

[Guest farnsbarns]

As good of an ear as I like to think I have, there are some days I can't hear "tune" well and can't tune by ear at all. Specifically, as good as I can usually pick these things up and how "practiced" I am at it, there are days that it just isn't there at all for me.

 

I think in some ways we have become a little spoiled by tuners. Today, there is really no reason to HAVE to tune by ear as they make a tuner for everything...stage tuners, headstock tuners, strobe tuners anyone can afford. I think it's a good thing.

 

I wouldn't allow a student to use a tuner until they could tune without one. Obviously a pitch pipe or some other source of a correctly pitched note is OK but I've met people who have always used a tuner and can't get by without one. In fact, the OP is a prime example of just that. I think tuning by ear is good ear practise for beginners too.

[D-poland]

just curious which git do you play the most!is it the acoustic? it might just be that your more familiar on it?!

that being said iam not sure that i could do a simple one string at a time check and tell that its out of tune. but if i do my little routine playing it usually will be evident that somethings a miss or not!

[DieselGenny]

just curious which git do you play the most!is it the acoustic? it might just be that your more familiar on it?!

that being said iam not sure that i could do a simple one string at a time check and tell that its out of tune. but if i do my little routine playing it usually will be evident that somethings a miss or not!

I play electrics most - about 40% of time SG, 40% Les Paul, 20% Acoustic, and mainly only use these three guitars.

 

I understand what you mean about the "string by string" thing. In standard tuning and Open E, the note my ear seems well attuned to is G, and it doesn't half grate on me if the G is slightly out. In Open G and Open A, it's the high E and high A. But the other strings, I don't seem to be able to pick up well for some reason. This is why I think the harmonic method helped.

[LarryUK]

When I started/gigged, I used a pitch fork. I tuned mine, then the others tuned from me. Even though I've got a Korg tuner, I still do it by ear.

Do you get annoyed when you see people tuning on stage, taking ages? Get the guitar sorted. My Les Paul custom never went out of tune.

[Sinner 13]

I use a BOSS TU-2 for stage, because it is annoying to listen to that crap between songs, this is the point in the set where it helps to Banter/Bond with the audience.

the key to this is to break it up through the set, every 2-4 songs if needed.

Nothing sounds worse than an out of pitch band.

 

at home, I use a 440hz source to set my A string and tune by ear. it takes time and experience to do this, it used to baffle me how some could.

than one day I tried and could do it, harmonic tuning works but I have found it to be a little less than accurate.

as always, Practice makes perfect, so to speak.

[slavestate]

If you still have a land line at home, you can always use that as a reference.

 

The dial tone is 440 hz. You can check that against your A string.

 

 

I find that I can always hear the right note, anticipate the right note, however hitting the right note is practice practice practice.

 

Some people have perfect pitch, in that they can decipher notes, overtones, undertones, melodies and harmonies in an instant and always in key. I relate to this in that I can hear and almost see what notes should be next and/or now.

 

However, that doesn't mean my facility in playing is to speed with my ear.

 

 

If your ear isn't dialed to quite that extreme, I would say practice humming the notes you play while you play. Make up melodies you can hum and harmonies you can refer to your melodies with. This should directly help you in finding the tuning you need when you're looking for it.