sigh i feel worthless. ive been getting excited about learning guitar but i just broke a string trying to tune it. i even strung the guitar by myself because everyone was too busy to help me so i taught myself through youtube. i was so proud when i finally strung it. but then i couldnt tune it so i bought a $20 tuner with the money i was saving up to spend for my girlfriend. then i came home today and was all excited so i could learn how to play and then play hey there delilah for my girlfriend. but then i overtuned a string and it broke....
so now i feel like a piece because i havent even begun yet and i already broke a string. when i was tuning it, i was playing the low e string but for some reason it said g, so i just tuned it until the electronic line lined up in the center. then i went to the next string below it and tried tuning it, but then the string broke because i think i went too far. so does anyone know if my tuner was messed up? anyone bin thru something like this? than
2007-12-07 09:53:46 · 7 answers · asked by Johnny F 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Performing Arts
If I had a dime for every string I've broken, I'd have a boatload of dimes. From what you are saying, you were either trying to tune to the next highest octave, you were trying to tune to some kind of open tuning that stretched your string too much, or you had the wrong string in the wrong place on the guitar.
Slow down. Take a deep breath. Open up a Dr. Pepper or something. Take a hit or two. Start over and tune to an A440, which is the way god meant for guitars to be tuned. Before you know it, instead of blowing 20 bucks on your girlfriend, you'll be singing and writing songs for her on your guitar.
Trust me. That works better.
2007-12-07 15:42:32 · answer #1 · answered by Toodeemo 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Don't be disappointed. It might not even be your fault, really. It's perfectly normal that if you're tuning your first guitar for the first time and specially if you don't have any musical background.
First of all, since the tuner seemed to be the cause, it might be possible that it's not just a "guitar tuner" but a chromatic tuner and it's also possible that this tuner has different tuning options; automatic or manual. With an automatic tuner, it detects the note as you try to find the right pitch. However, with a manual tuner, you actually have to change the note in the tuner to which you want to tune your string. Check your tuner out for that.
Also, it's very natural that while trying to tune with a tuner you might not pay as close attention to the string as to the tuner and what it is reading. You just have to get used to the sound or frequency each string makes.
On the other hand, it could also be that your guitar is not of great quality and the strings are too tight. This could happen is the guitar is of very low-quality as strings won't actually reach the actual note they're supposed to be and when they do, the guitar un-tunes pretty quick.
Just keep trying and don't get discouraged. I taught myself how to play guitar.
Hope this helps.
2007-12-07 10:05:21 · answer #2 · answered by Manuel R 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't worry. We've all done it. It's part of the learning curve!
No, your tuner is not messed up. It may be that your low E was overtuned, so when you tuned the next one it went way too high.If you have access to a piano or keyboard, find middle C then find the E below that then go down to the E an octave lower. That is where the low E string should be.
C is the white note to the left of a pair of black notes. E is the white note to the right of a pair of black notes. The strings are tuned to the notes E A D G B E lowest to highest.. Hope this helps
2007-12-07 10:07:47 · answer #3 · answered by SKCave 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Calm down it's okay to make mistakes. What you probably did was tune the string a whole octave too high. That means it would register on the tuner as the right note but really be eight notes higher. It's a common mistake for beginners, and people like me who never develop a great sense of pitch. Get a proffessional guitar teacher or a CD that lets you hear how each string is supposed to sound, that will help you get used to it.
2007-12-07 10:21:04 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the best way to tune it in my opinion is to set your tuner to low E. tune that string. and then play an A on the E string. tune your A string according to this. The play a D onthe A sting and tune...all the way up to the high E. Then make sure your low E and high E are in perfect octaves.
basically all that really matters when you are playing solo is that the strings are in tune relative to each other.
it sounds like user error to me...but don't worry about it. buying another string is no big deal.
2007-12-07 10:05:07 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rap the string around the post a couple time and the through the eye or hole. Sounds like you don't have an ear for pitch. get yourself a tuner. With your finger on the 5th string in the 5th fret the two strings should sound the same. The 5th string is B the 6th string is E. Pick the B string with your finger on it in the 5th fret and the 6th string open they should sound the same.. Top to bottom E,A, D, G, B, E. Use a Piano to tune by also helps. But a good Chromatic Tuner will put each string on perfect pitch.
2016-04-08 00:22:10 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
your tuner isn't broken
Have you ever listened to a piano scale C-C [do-ra-me-fa-so-la-te-do]
If not try it
its hard at first but your ears will eventually get used to hearing what each string is supposed to sound like.
This happened to me, but my instrument was a violin, which is way harder to tune. So don't be so down on your self.
2007-12-07 09:59:13 · answer #7 · answered by suekim49424 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋