guitar tuning?

Question

say you tune a guitar to the standard (EADGBE) like perfectly...is it normal for like a day or two later theyre a little just the slightest bit off after youve been playing or does tht mean youre plucking too hard or something? im sorry if this is as dumb question but im still new :)

Thanks so much!

wow a lot of good answers fast! i have been laying it on my bed and against stuff hmm i guess it all comes down to my carelessness sometimes lol :) and it snowed today...thanks everyone!


by the way my guitar is still new and is pretty nice haha if tht helps at all

Again thank you!

Answer 1

That's totally normal. No matter what guitar or strings you use... over time, the guitar will need to be tuned. Any temperature changes or changes in humidity will affect the guitar and cause changes in tuning. Regular use also causes things to loose tuning. This is usually most notable when you have recently put new strings on your guitar, as it takes time for the strings to stretch out and get acustom to the tension used to keep things in tune.

I've heard of some people boiling their strings before putting them on the guitar. The theory here is that it helps the metal expand and stretch faster so that you don't experience as much loss in keeping them in tune when you first put them on. I'm not sure how well this actually works since I've never tried it myself, but it's a practice that some musicians swear by.

As a general rule, it's always good to check and tune your guitar every time you play it. Also, if you've been playing/practicing for an extended amount of time... 30 mins to 1 hour... it would probably be a good idea to check your tuning then too. This should help aclimate things and keep your guitar tuned for longer periods of time. You'll also notice that you will need much smaller adjustments made when things do begin to go out of tune.

Other things that could affect tuning and intonation are to always use the same gauge/thickness of strings each time you change them. Switching to a thicker or thinner gauge will affect the tension of the neck and cause intonation issues which can cause your guitar to sound out of tune when played at certain frets. Make sure to keep the guitar clean and the fret board/neck well oiled.

Answer 2

What you are describing may be a setup problem. The action and intonation of your guitar have a lot to do with it staying in tune. If you have not had the action and intonation setup I would highly suggest it. You will be much happier with how your axe plays and holds tune. If you are considering new tuners, get the kind that lock. Schaler and Grover both make excellent tuners. Good luck and Play on!

Answer 3

tuning will always be a little off, unless you get a prs or just locking tuning pegs. then you don't have to worry about it for a day or two at the longest. i have grover tuners on my schecter, and they're one of the best and i still have to tune every time i play because it's always a little off. the thing is, if it hot or cold, it will bend the neck and therefore throw off the tuning, and just normal playing will throw it out. if you have a whammy bar and not locking tuners, i would suggest tuning every time you use it, because it will be thrown way out of tune. also, get a korg tuner. whatever the silver, 20 dollar one is. it's a great little tuner and it's not ridiculously sensitive so you can tune in less than 30 seconds.

Answer 4

You always have to re-tune ur guitar. Every time you're going to play just take 2 mins and fix it up. There are many things that slightly change the sound (weather, how hard you play, how good ur strings are). If you think it's something else then go to the music store and tell a clerk ur prob and I'm sure they can help.

Answer 5

lol I just started taking lessons in like August so yea it's not a stuped question.

it doesn't neccasairily mean you're plucking too hard: you'd have to be like pulling them three inches away from the bass of it and letting it slap to make it get out of tune. But sometimes if you lay it on your bed or something the tuning knobs can get moved a little bit. But no biggie- just make sure you know how to tune it and you should be fine.

Answer 6

Not a dumb question, at all! You have recieved many good answers, prior to mine, but I'd like to add that if you have a quality made instrument and use quality strings, your guitar will need tuned less often.

Answer 7

Playing very hard does put more stress on the tuning pegs, but if you have quality pegs, they should not come out of tune so quickly. This does happen on cheaper guitars. A set of quality tuning pegs can be purchased for less than $40. Recommend having a professional put them on.

Answer 8

No. Your guitar will change tuning from changes in the weather, from the strings being new...or old...or any one of a zillion things.

You always have to re-tune. If you have new strings, it'll go in and out of pitch until they settle in.

If you're playing nylon strings, you may have to re-tune every other song.

Not a stupid question...just one of the thrills of guitar.

Answer 9

if they are new strings they will change until they break in...
The more you play the more they will need adjusting...

Also if you lean your guitar into a corner after your done playing you might unintentionally rest it on a tuner key.

Changes in temperature or humidity can affect the tune also...especially on acoustic guitars.

Your not plucking too hard unless you break a string...

Answer 10

Has nothing to do with plucking. Every so often your strings are going to et looser on the guitar. So everytime you play, just to be sure, tune your guitar.