Tuning the Classical Guitar - How to Tune by Ear or with a Tuner

How to tune a classical guitar by ear or with an electronic tuner.

Times and Topics
0:00 Intro
0:52 Tune your open string to mine
1:58 Importance of tuning by ear
2:37 Different Stages for Beginners to Advanced
3:54 Electronic Tuners or Apps
5:04 String to String Tuning
8:12 Tuning to a Piano or Tuning Fork
9:14 Tuning to One Reference String
12:21 Tuning with Harmonics
15:32 Checking Chords and Key References
17:18 How I Tune MY Guitar
19:26 Conclusion and Final Advice

Practice Tuning Every Day – Learning to tune accurately is a skill that must be developed and practiced daily. I highly recommend you tune by ear every time you play the guitar but beginners can also have an electronic tuner around for accuracy after they try tuning by ear. It’s important to develop skills but I don’t my students playing way out of tune all week.

Tips: Always listen to the sound when tuning, never turn the tuning peg without the sound ringing if possible. You want to hear the sound go into tune. I recommend always tuning up into the correct pitch. If you have trouble zeroing in on the tuning, start from a much lower pitch and tune up into the correct one. I find this is much easier than doing micro adjustments up and down.

Stages/Levels – Because beginner guitarists don’t know the guitar fretboard very well they usually learn to tune in different ways at different stages of their development.

Stage 1 – Tune by ear using a piano or tuning fork, the string-to-string method, but also have an electric tuner or app around for help and as a time saver.

Stage 2 – Tune as above and check the tuning with chords and some of the key you’re playing in.

Stage 3 – Tune referencing all notes to one string, checking with chords and the key of the piece you’re about to play. Also know how to use harmonics to tune.

Stage 4 – Use a combination of ways for efficiency and precision.

★ Special thanks to long time supporters: Kamel Abouda, David Chapman, Mark Cohen, Daniel O’Connor, Ford Doherty, Richard Finley, Neil Fox, Don Francis, Marc Garnick, Richard Groomer, Anthony McQuillan, Madeleine Mead, Claire Mangano, David Muls, Art Peterson, Steven Purtee. Steve Daniels, Larry Earles, John McGlaughlin, Yves Pasquier, George Rowan, Bob Zickler.

Thanks for watching!

#guitar #classicalguitar #classicalguitarlesson

[FrumPilot]

Ear tuning really develops the ear. Unfortunately many if not most guitars have intonation issues. And you learn to compensate depending on the key that you are playing. I have been surprised that even professional players are not always playing 100% in tune.

[Fernwald]

If you use a piano to tune your guitar BE AWARE that the piano notes sound an octave above the equivalent guitar's notes. So, if you try to tune the guitar's "E" (6th string) to the piano's middle "E" ("E" below middle "C") you may break the string or even damage your guitar because you will be tuning the "E" string an octave above where it should be. In technical lingo, the guitar is a "16 foot" instrument and the piano is an "8 foot instrument". 8 foot instruments sound at the same pitch as written. Play a written middle "A" on the piano and it will sound at middle "A" or 440 Hz. A guitar, being a 16 foot instrument, sounds an octave lower than written. A written middle "A" when played on the guitar sounds an octave below middle "A". That is, it sounds at 220 Hz.

[johnlay]

The way I do my tuning is to tune it with Electronic Tuner (ET) first and then fine tune it by ears using harmonic in 5th, 6th, and 7th positions and chords. Choose the chords which are very sensitive in the tunes you practice regularly. At last re check it with the ET, as you might have stuffed it up during the second process.

[smblott]

I don't think you mentioned.... I find that coming into tune from below is more reliable/stable that coming from above (where the string can catch marginally, and then loosen later).

[LavekGaming]

Hello! Thank you for the wonderful content. I also really appreciate the fact that you put the tabs up. I have a vintage 1950s Vicente Tatay Tomas and the action is so high, the intonation get's problematic going down the scale. The harmonic method really helps to keep it in check! Cheers!

[robertmichaelgoodwin]

As usual, an eye opening, or ear opening, lesson. I have always had difficulty tuning my guitars. Electronic tuners have been my salvation -- especially when there is any ambient noise or other players are tuning or warming up. The one thing that you basically assume in the lesson is that we players can recognize when the 2 notes are at or near the same pitch. Early on, I had a tough time with this -- especially in the case of octaves. You briefly touched on the slow "beats" getting faster and faster until the beats disappear. A friend showed me that when I was starting out and it was immensely helpful at that time.

[renecuevas]

Sometimes i use my own video on you tube for Spanish guitar ...on a Brazilian Guitar i got that sounds great But thanks i always watch this channel for Classical Guitar Advice one of the best you can find

[renecuevas]

Hi long time follower n listener. Love how you take your time to explain about Specially the C 5 and Cordoba C 10. Love when you said the word It sounds PLASTICLY. Wich is true in some guitars w No bone Nut and No bone take your time amd its like i m learning from a private European Tutor. I always got the feeling you are in Europe idk Why gave me the impression of

[renecuevas]

Watching you from Guatemala w a Alhambra C 3

[richardburchfield]

Thanks, I've wanted to try the harmonic system. Now I can!

[ReneeRidgeway]

Thank you, this was excellent for tuning the cg.🙏😊🎼🎵

[fuffy]

OK, so...since different methods can give you slightly different results, how do you decide which tuning to use in any given situation?

[montn]

A question not directly related to this, wonderfully informative and eyeopening, video I have is: "How bad are temperature and humidity changes for a guitar ?"
For example could I leave my guitar in my room if its like 20°C during daytime and around 5°C during nighttime ? Or sudden humidity changes like opening a window and having it drop by 20%. Can I take a guitar on a camping trip ? Or should I get a cheap one for outdoor occasions ?
And once again thanks alot for this awesome video. Until now i just new about the 5th/4th fret method.
You are an extraordinary teacher !

[StillPointStudio]

Nice lesson! Good things to think about. I like the harmonics

[davidgermansanchezdiaz]

muchas gracias, la afinare asi, para ver como me queda, dsludos dedde Mexico

[СергейКириенков-щл]

Hello! I havegood classical guitar from Spanish master. It is normal if my g string starting out of tune from 5th from and how higher thouse stronger(all other string are good)

[NeptuneIVC]

I find it takes a long time for my strings to "settle in" after I change them - at least compared to my steel string guitar. Is there a way to keep classical guitar strings in tune after I change my strings?

[themasculinismmovement]

I had to look up this video even though I've been tuning my own guitars for almost 30 years, then I get a classical guitar and the tuners are turned the other way and I'm like wtf?

[rogermurphy]

Hi Werner, perhaps you can clarify something for me. When using the 440 hz A4 tuning fork as the initial reference, why not start with pitch positions which are A4? Ie. 1st str 5th fret, 2nd str 10th fret, etc. Why/ - how is it, that the A4 440 Hz is used to tune the open A string which should be tuned to A2 at 110Hz ...?

[Larry]

Great video! I think this is the first vid on tuning that I’ve ever run across. Way overdue. Super great for beginners. I seem to follow your final method pretty closely. Big thank you!