Guitar Tuning Tones

Many guitar players finding themselves looking for guitar tuning tones to help get their guitar in tune. If you are one of them, don't worry: there are numerous tones out there to help get your guitar into pitch-perfect shape!

Guitar tuning tones are any noise-making device that helps you tune your guitar. Guitarists, both beginning and advanced, use a myriad of tuning devices to help them get their guitars as close to in tune as possible.

Most devices and programs that make guitar tuning sounds work in the same way: the device or program makes a sound and the guitar player uses the tuning pegs to get the appropriate string to sound as close to the tone they hear as possible. Devices and programs that can be used to help a guitarist tune by tone include:

• Virtual tuners
• Plug-in tuners
• Tuning fork
• Pitch pipes
• A piano or keyboard

With the advent of the Internet and technology, virtual tuners are becoming more and more popular. A virtual tuner includes anything from a handy tuning widget like the one at Guitar2ner.com to a download program for your computer. With the popularity of the iPhone, they can also include phone-based applications. Some are computer based while others do not require the Internet.

To use a virtual tuner, a guitarist selects a string to begin on and plays the tone on his computer. Listening to the note, the guitarist plays the corresponding string on his guitar. The goal is to manipulate or "tune" the guitar until the two noises sound identical. However, a problem with some virtual tuners is that since the noise has been recorded and is being transmitted through computer speakers, the sound becomes a little too distorted for some people to tune by.

A plug-in tuner is a hand-held tuning device. It is primarily used with electric (or electric acoustic) guitars since they can use an amp cable to plug in to them. Similar to a virtual tuner, the guitarist will play a note on his guitar. However, unlike a virtual tuner, the tuner itself will state if the note is sharp or flat. This will tell a guitarist which way to tune the string: he will either loosen the string if it is too sharp or tighten it if it is too flat. A common complaint with plug-in tuners is that they require knowing what note a string "should" be. However, this complaint can be alleviated by learning a few guitar chords or notes.

A U-shaped piece of metal, the tuning fork is one of the earliest tuning aids. The largest complaints by users of tuning forks is that, especially when trying to tune a guitar, the piece is cumbersome to use. One uses a tuning fork by hitting it and hearing a note. The guitarist would then tune to the tone he hears.

A pitch pipe gives the tone for all six strings. However, these devices are not as accurate in their pitch as their name may suggest. To use one , a guitarist sets the dial to the right note and blows into it. Using this tone, the guitarist will tune to the sound he hears.

For the guitarist with a piano or keyboard easily handy, tuning can be easy. Simply hit the appropriate note on the keyboard and tune the guitar to the tone coming from the piano. A common concern is that it can be difficult to play both the guitar and piano key at the same time. If you hold the sustain pedal on the piano when striking the key, the note will hold long enough for you to tune your string to it.

The best tip that anyone can give involving guitar tuning is to find the method that works best for you and your guitar. Once you have found out what method that is, keep working with it to master your craft.

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