Tuning a guitar
When tuning a guitar , the strings of this musical instrument are set to their intended pitch .
Standard mood
The standard tuning serves as the basis for guitar tuning. It indicates the tone to which each individual guitar string is tuned.
The tones of the standard tuning are: E - A - D - G - H - E, whereby the first tone denotes the top, thickest and lowest sounding string.
In order to remember these tones, some donkey bridges have become commonplace, e.g. B .:
- E ine A lte D ame G eht H oday E inkaufen
- E in A nfänger D he G itarre H at E IFER
- E ine A lte D umme G ans H at E ier
- E ine A lte D eutsche G itarre H Senior Citizen E wig
Since the strings are counted from the high e-string, there are now donkey bridges such as:
- E in H ungriger G itarrist D arf A lles E SEN
The following table shows the frequencies of the strings of a guitar that are tuned according to the standard concert pitch a 1 = 440 Hz :
| string | grade | Frequency at a 1 = 440 Hz | EDP-compatible notation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (highest string) | e ' | 329.63 Hz | E4 |
| 2 | H | 246.94 Hz | H3 |
| 3 | G | 196.00 Hz | G3 |
| 4th | d | 146.83 Hz | D3 |
| 5 | A. | 110.00 Hz | A2 |
| 6 (lowest string) | E. | 82.41 Hz | E2 |
If you want to play with other instruments, the pitches may have to be adjusted. For example, in German and Austrian symphony orchestras a higher pitch on a 1 = 443 Hz is common, in Switzerland on a 1 = 442 Hz (see: concert pitch ).
Methods
There are several tuning methods. Since the intervals are known, the guitar can be tuned by a musician with appropriate hearing after he has tuned the A-string with a tuning fork by plucking two strings by bringing the beat frequencies of the intervals to close to zero. Not every guitar player can do that. The following methods are therefore more common:
Tuning with handles (5th fret method)
This method is the most common. With it, the pitch of the strings is compared with each other and the untuned strings are tuned with the help of the already tuned strings. However, strings to be compared are grasped in such a way that the same tones result - for many inexperienced players, comparing them is easier than tuning the intervals.
With the exception of the G and H strings, all strings are in perfect fourths . As a result, the lower (tuned) string in the 5th fret is grabbed and plucked. This tone is compared to the string above and this is tuned until it is the same. However, there is a major third between the G and H strings , so that when tuning the H string, the G string must be fingered in the 4th fret.
The method is relatively quick, but it is also comparatively imprecise, since the fret purity is included in the accuracy and the string tension may also be changed when fingering.
Voices with harmonics (stimulate harmonics)
A common method is also tuning with flageolet tones , i.e. with harmonics that arise when a string is only lightly touched when plucking with another finger at points of the nodes of the harmonics.
If, for example, a string is also lightly touched exactly in the middle when it is plucked, it vibrates at twice the frequency. A third of the string length results in three times the frequency and so on. The points can be found using the frets.
Different strings - if they are touched at the correct harmonet points - have roughly the same harmonious notes. This allows the strings to be tuned to one another. Sample tone pairs are listed below:
- The flageolet tone of the 5th fret of the E string corresponds roughly to that of the 7th fret of the A string.
- The flageolet tone of the 5th fret of the A string roughly corresponds to that of the 7th fret of the D string.
- The flageolet tone of the 5th fret of the D string corresponds roughly to that of the 7th fret of the G string.
- The flageolet tone of the 7th fret of the low E string corresponds roughly to the B string when it is not played.
- The flageolet tone of the 5th fret of the B string corresponds roughly to that of the 7th fret of the high E string.
It should be noted that when tuning according to the flageolet method, the harmonics are tuned that do not exactly reproduce the tempered tuning that is valid for the guitar . The difference between the pure and tempered frequencies is called the Pythagorean comma . If you play the flageolet tone in the 5th fret on the low E string, you get an exact double octave, but when you hit the flageolet tone in the 7th fret of the A string you get a Pythagorean (and thus one opposite the tempered system slightly too high) octave fifth. This leads to the fact that the A string tuned in this way is easily tuned too low. This error is then worsened over the next pair of strings (A - D and over the next strings) because the difference to the tempered tuning increases systematically when the incorrect A is adopted. Due to this fact, tuning according to flageolet tones - as convenient as it is - can only be recommended as a quick and pleasant, but not as a really clean method of tuning.
Tools
If a guitar has at least one tuned string, theoretically all the other strings can be tuned in sequence without any tools. If, however, not a single string is in tune, at least one reference tone is required - except for absolute hearing - in order to tune to the correct frequencies. However, you can also set the relative vibration ratio of the strings without a reference tone (and thus disregard the actually specified pitch) and play the guitar. It is then just tuned completely too low or too high.
Furthermore, an aid may be necessary if the guitar has a tremolo in which the strings are not clamped to the saddle (Bigsby, Fender), since all string tensions change immediately with every change of a string tension via the spring-loaded system.
If another instrument is available, the pitches can be picked up from there, for example by striking the notes on a piano . Otherwise, the following aids can be used:
- Pitch pipe
- Exactly the six tones of the standard guitar tuning can be played on a pitch pipe for guitar, namely E – A – DG – H – E, usually at the level of the standard pitch. However, pitch pipes are imprecise, the tones are temperature and blowing pressure dependent. Therefore, they are only suitable for tuning to a limited extent.
- tuning fork
- Tuning forks are usually engraved with the tone or frequency they specify. Usually this is an A as the standard concert pitch or 440 for its frequency in Hertz. When the tuning fork is made to vibrate (e.g. by tapping it lightly on the edge of a table), the concert pitch A is always heard. After this pitch, the A string is tuned (2 octaves lower without beating to 110 Hz = A2) and all of them based on this other strings. By placing the tuning fork on the guitar's sound box, the A string can be tuned better.
- Tuner
- A tuner is either a small electronic device that is clamped to the headstock of the guitar and picks up the sound directly via structure-borne sound or a box with a built-in microphone for acoustic instruments and an additional jack socket for tuning an electric guitar. The advantage of the headstock tuners is the fact that they can also be used when there is disturbing ambient noise. This also applies to the electric guitar tuner when using the jack socket. The pitch currently being played is shown optically on a small screen. The A string should display "A5" (110 Hz, 5 for "fifth string") as the target tone, and a fan-shaped graduated scale indicates whether the tone is too low or too high. This way the instrument can be tuned quickly. There are chromatic tuners that recognize all 12 semitones and some that only "hear" the six guitar tones. The latter is an advantage for beginners, because otherwise you might accidentally tune to a semitone. Some tuners can be switched to different modes: "guitar", "bass" or "chromatic". The concert pitch frequency can also be adjusted with better tuners, because it varies depending on the context (modern orchestras, for example, tune higher, at least to A = 442 Hz).
- computer
- Free programs are available for computers that take on the function of a tuner - a microphone must be available.
- Smartphone
- Various tuner apps are available for smartphones.
literature
- P. Päffgen: The guitar - history, playing technique, repertoire . Schott Music, Mainz 2002. ISBN 978-3-7957-2355-2 .
- J. Powrozniak: Guitar Lexicon. Composers, guitarists, technology, history . Nikol Verlagsgesellschaft, Hamburg 1997. ISBN 978-3-930656-45-5 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://timberens.com/essays/tuning.htm
- ↑ https://www.renesenn.de/stimmen.html
- ↑ https://fedora.kug.ac.at/fedora/get/o:11038/bdef:Content/get Robert Winkler: mistakes in tuning the guitar , master's thesis at the Institute for Electronic Music and Acoustics at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, page 39
- ↑ https://van.atavist.com/kammerton-440-432