Why do so many people play guitar and very few know how to tune it?

Answer 1

Most play with it as opposed to play it.

Answer 2

Chuckles softly :) Guitargadfly is once again amused at the answers, but thinks this is a very good question.
Unfortunately, the answer is rather complex. The guitar is not easy to tune. And most people don't have a very well trained ear either. The root of the problem lies in the system we use to divide the octave into twelve half steps, which is called Equal Temperment. Without getting too technical, let me just explain that most of the standard methods for tuning fail because they don't take into account the compromises that are built into the Equal Temperment system. In ET (haha) there are only two pure intervals: Octaves and unisons. Everything else is a compromise. Therefore, you have to learn to tune with octaves and unisons.
Many guitarists MIX open strings with harmonics, which looks fancy, but is doomed to failure because it can't "TEMPER " the guitar according to the ET system. I'm getting too technical, so I'll stop there.
But let me just pick one example: The way most beginners tune with open strings. Even if it DID take ET into account, it would fail anyway, because it uses multiple reference points instead of one reference point.
If you'd like to hear a guitarist play beautifully in tune, look for a concert by Guitargadfly :D

Answer 3

i CAN SHOW U A C CHORD OR ECT ECT STRUM IT AND IT WILL SOUND LIKE CRAP. BUT WHEN I ACTUALLY PLAY IT SOUNDS GOOD B CAUSE I TUNE IN ALTERNATIVE TUNINGS OR OPEN TUNINGS. WHICH IS DIFFERENT FROM STANDARD TUNINNGS AND IT CONFUSES MOST GUITARISTS, THEY SAY THIS GUITAR IS NOT TUNED??? CRAP.....THEY NEEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY THE UNTUNED GUITAR. LOOK UP ON THE INTERNET ALTERNATIVE GUITAR TUNIINGS , U,LL C THAT IT IS TO BE DESIRED OF A GUITARIST FOR 1 WHOO DOES NOT PLAY INN THESE KIND OF TUNINGS KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT PLAYING A GUITAR!!!!

Answer 4

Radiohead telling people that Anyone can Play Guitar and punk bands proving it. As a guitar teacher I insist on my pupils learning how to tune their guitar.

Answer 5

In my case, I am such a beginner that I would rather rely on the piano or a battery-operated tuner to get my guitar tuned. I can do the relative tuning, however.

Answer 6

I don't know any guitarist who cannot tune a guitar, and I know quite a few. Including myself.

Answer 7

Hmm... I think guitar players know how to tune their instrument. However, I think guitar players don't know as much music theory as other instrument players.

Answer 8

they have ear to play but not for tuning

Answer 9

Ditto piano

Answer 10

The question your are really asking is; what's with all of the guitarist and so few musicians?