If you get nothing else from this video, listen to, study, recite, rehearse, memorize #5. I preach this to every guitar player I play with and I'm surprised how many of them don't know it or understand what is going on. So many gems here that really will make you a better sounding guitar player the moment you implement them. Nothing worse than hearing a guitar player that can shred but is out of tune.
Being a machinist the same principle was used in in using a milling machine, you always have to get the backlash out before you can get an accurate feed. And tuning low up to pitch is it. Happy you mentioned that.
One thing that took me a long time to learn was that, on a guitar with a whammy bar, just change one string at a time instead of taking all of them off.
This channel is like having a personal guitar mentor on call 24/7. I'm an old geezer, and I learn new things from you all the time. Some of your best content is the non-guitar advice: "People will hire you if you make them sound better." You are a very generous human being Justin, and your efforts are greatly appreciated!
Nut slot depth is sooooo important. Getting the strings as low to the first fret as possible without any buzz. I also fine tune by ear. I get the strings as in tune as possible with a tuner. Then fine tune each string to the d string twelfth fret harmonic. Fretting each string at its d position and tuning that note to the d harmonic. It’s worked really well for me for years.
Well said. I’m barely out of the beginner category, but the best thing I ever did was fit a bone but cut to half the height of factory specs (it’s an Epi Les Paul). Suddenly the strings weren’t playing sharp when fretted (despite being perfectly in tune when open).
Very helpful, thanks Justin! I just ordered an ST-300 Turbo Tuner directly from Sonic Research direct for $139.00, free shipping. I got the regular size, since the mini would be harder for me to see (getting old). Supposedly these are made in the USA, unlike most (all?) others. I already have a Peterson strobe tuner in headstock mount, which I use for adjusting intonation while doing setups. I like to tune by ear, then check it with the strobe tuner to see if my pitch was accurate. Usually when I tune by ear it's a little flat on every string, because my ears like to tune to 432Hz. I can set my tuner to 432, but most music is tuned to 440Hz., thanks to the Nazis (ha ha, seriously?). I find this to be one of the most helpful guitar channels - cheers!
Thank you.... I remember Joe Walsh being asked what was the hardest thing to do on a guitar. He said: "To Tune It"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had a Big Dog show me once to get that D string perfect. Than to harmonically tune the A,E and G to it via frequency harmonics by ie: Chiming the 5th fret of the A to the 7th fret of the D and get the warble out of the A. Same for the E and G. Then make the B fit with a A and D chord and E fit with a G chord. All we can do is be tedious with an Imperfect System and remember what Joe said!!
Excellent advise. If I may, I'd like to add just 2 extra points. 1) For pickers that aren't as skilled as pros, it helps to have specific guitars for specific tunings. The neck tension changes for each tuning and could affect set-up drastically. 2) If you struggle with being in perfect pitch, especially with bends, aim to be slightly sharp. Sharps tend to be less harsh to the ear. Most casual listeners won't catch a note that it slightly sharp. Almost everyone will catch a note that is slightly flat. 😊😊😊
Ive worked for years in recording studios and as an assistant I had to restring many guitars. I had the good fortune of being shown everything you discussed first hand, early on. It has helped me no end as a producer engineer. Loved the video and you got a new sub. Thanks nashville bro!
I played an early 70s Gibson SG when I gigged in clubs for 15 years or so (full time). My 62 strat just didn't work. I used 10s on the SG and Sound City strings were the ONLY strings I found that could hold up to two weeks of full-time playing without breaking (it was usually the E string). We generally tuned to our keyboard player's Hammond B3. I had an old Peterson Strobe Tuner on stage with me all the time to fine tune my axe. That axe would pretty much stay perfectly in tune through 4 sets of hard playing.
Thanks Justin!! There are things I learned here for sure. Many things I’d heard before but you perfectly explained the “why” which is super important. The “why” keeps you from getting complacent and forgetting. 😎
Thank you Justin for taking the time to record and share this info with us; I learned something today, so even an old man in his 60's can still learn if it is explained as clearly as you have presented it here. Thanks again!!
I've been playing for over 50 years and I've always struggled with tuning my guitars, even though I never sing out of tune. This video was super helpful. Thanks!
This video by Justin can easily serve as the standard for tuning your guitar and keeping it in tune. He touches on every important aspect of proper tuning. He covers things in this all Inclusive video that I had to learn over years and from multiple sources. I even learned a few new techniques like the value of fine tuning. Thanks Justin for another really helpful video.
I had the pleasure of jamming with Justin in high school and have watched from a distance as he’s gone on to do such cool things. It’s so gratifying, as an aging, veteran-ish, former guitar instructor of many years, to hear his very credible experience and methods align with much of my own and come back to help me too. What a blessing this resource is for all of us, and especially those striving for that next step of excellence in our guitar journey. Justin is quite an amazing dude. Love you, brother! I’d go back in time to any of our jams in a heartbeat! Carry on.
The way you put strings on makes the hugest difference in how well they stay in tune. Keeping tension on the tuner post as it's wound is critical, as well as limiting the amount of wraps on the post, 3 or 4 for wound strings, a couple more on the plain strings. The more wraps, the looser the tension on the post, the longer it's gonna take until they stay on pitch. Dan Erlwine at Stewmac has about the best video available on stringing up. I first ran into the method in his Guitar Players repair guide a couple of decades ago. It'll change your life!
I agree - ever since understanding the winds on the post I am careful about the tension and minimal number of winds. Dan has done a lot for all guitar players.
Back in the day I started tuning my floating bridge guitars inside out, so D - G - A - B - E - E This kept the bridge more stable and let me tune faster. It became a habit and I still tune all my guitars this way, even Tele's, etc.
Great subject and explanation. One thing I'll add is if playing at an outside venue check your tuning more frequently especially if its out in the sun and no shade on stage. I remember playing a summer outdoor church gig, the band took the break between opening and closing but during the sermon the guitars sat in 95 plus temperature , unfortunately the worship leader just kept playing while the rest of us were in tune, we got on stage earlier and tuned while the pastor was giving the closing prayer. We stoped playing and instantly swiched to acapella trying to drown out his guitar. He was young and inexperienced but we all had a good laugh at the end . Later services we would place post it notes on his music stand saying CHECK TUNING!😂
Temperature changes suck. My arch nemesis in the studio is when the AC kicks on, especially if they’ve got me sitting near a vent. My guitars instantly go a tiny bit sharp.
@@78tag unfortunately I believe he only would check it when he got to church and place is guitar on his stand until it was time to play and then never check it again, that is unless we were playing outside. He once came up to me while I was tuning my 12 string Rickenbacker with the capo on and said "you tune with the capo on?" Acting very surprised. And I said absolutely the capo will pull the strings sharp and he said "that's a 12 string for ya, half the time tuning and the other half playing out of tune!" Now at the time I was using a different capo with a very strong spring, there are other capos now that are especially designed for 12 strings and use a different method of clamping that are also a lot more $. Also my Rickenbacker surprisingly holds tune extremely well considering external fluctuations and being a Rickenbacker fanboy, if you will, I took offense. So I asked him if he was already to go for the next set, and he said absolutely "I did all my setting up 4 hours ago when I got here before first service " now I knew that there were 3 songs we played with a capo and I also knew that he places his guitar right in front of an AC duct on the stage floor. He said kinda smugly I learned my lesson after playing outside and you guys put post-it notes on my stand, so now I keep my axe cool when I'm playing. You see first service is still cool on stage and they don't turn on the AC until about a half hour before 2nd service . We had about 15 minutes before 2nd service began and the AC was on, so I said let's go check your tuning as I disconnected my tuner. I said I bet your out of tune! He said OK and sure enough he was about a half step sharp. He got this deer in the headlights look and said I can't believe it! This is a brand new guitar I'll have to take it back! So I explained how temperature changes work and where he was placing his guitar was throwing out his tuning and that his Gibson Hummingbird was a great guitar and also showed him how to put on a capo so it would have the least affect on tuning changes by barring the fret just ahead of were you will place the capo. He learned a couple of things that day, including we as a band need to help each other for the greater good of the song and performance not the spotlight..
@@jameshocking1188 - Commendable....most people in the position he put you in would have lost their patience with this gentleman. You are probably responsible for that band even being able to perform - great job bud.
This is so important. This should be common knowledge. Now I have a nice video made by a Pro to save me from explaining how i Tune. Strobe Tuners are the Best! Thanks again Justin, wishing you my Best always!
CZcams must be reading my mind! I'm a stickler about tuning but just last night I noticed both you and Tom B go through a quick retune on all six strings... bam bam bam in like 10 seconds whereas I'll spend 5x that tweaking my tune. So I jumped back on this afternoon to review and YT served me this video without asking.
Again. You're knocking it out of the ballpark with your content! I've been playing for over 50 years, yet still I pick up helpful tips... please keep it up, it's really helpful. Thanks!!!
I've got a Strat with a floating bridge. When I change strings, I put a wedge under the back of the bridge so it's not floating. This cuts down tuning time by about a half to a third because tuning one string does not cause the others to go out of tune. A popsicle stick is about 2mm thick, and works well as the wedge. 😎
Thank you @Justin for all the wisdom! I’m like ”bah, I’ve been playing for so long, what could a tuning video POSSIBLY teach me?” Hahaha, 8 minutes later: ”Wait… Whaaat… tune on the neck pickup?! That makes SO much sense” Well, there you go, I DID learn something and that’s why I keep coming back to your videos. There’s always something in there 👍 Thanks once again // Wince
You got problems? Try playing in touring band eith 6 brass players, trumpets, sax trombone, tuba , clarinet and french horn, no 2 are in tune so I use a wah pedal and capo to help keep the Sax man happy cos he gives me daggers when I we duet. I just stick to Eflat or 432hz now cos it's easier to play too. Thsnks for vid, cant use guitar tuners anymore coz they all nod dissaprovingly, one guy slapped my boss tu12 out of my hand saying "No, no, you must tune by ear"!! That Strat sounds great, agree on heavier strings for a Fender, I am still seeing players putting 9s on them and they think thats "normal". In emergencies and there no spare 10 or 11 I use a 13 that never breaks and keep it in the case. Learning by experience is the only way, Your viddy is hsndy because you explain the practicalities and mechanical problems that can stunt a players progress enougb to make em give up.More power to you Man! I am from the days when a tuning fork was the only portable device to help us..won't forget that old geezer (at the time) slapping that tu12 out of my hands!
Thanks for the tips! One very important thing I do is always,always, wipe down strings and neck after playing especially after eating fried chicken. I sweat a lot too and a quick rub with a cloth extends the strings life ten fold for me. Peace
Nice! I’ve been doing it right 😊 one additional technique to fine tuning I use is to stretch a string that’s slightly sharp into tune rather than fiddle with tuner then stretch then tune again.
Thanks for this. My HSS Strat takes quite a hard rock beating! This really helps alot! Just subscribed because of this and your "almost got scammed video" Awesome to see how the pros do it! Cheers from Montreal Canada!
Great video, Justin! I do all the things you mentioned. I use Stringjoy strings, and use Turbo Tuner’s on all boards. I also use the Earvana Nut, and Big Ben’s Nut Sauce on all pivot points of the strings. I also have my guitar set up by a pro. All good! I use a 1981 Walnut The STRAT. Thanks!
One thing I've noticed is that the low string are more affected by neck tension. I always start with the high E and work down, since the EBG strings aren't as affected by the change in pull of the lower strings. You'll end up having to go over all the strings less often.
Amen that you must re-check tuning after any significant amount of change while getting it tuned the first time. I alternate Lo and Hi strings even to move the tension change further away. With new strings, you have to do this a few times.
Yeah. When intonating don't use the 12th fret octave harmonic, that is a quick check, but use a really, really good tuner on the 10th and 15th which should provide better intonation on most of the frets. Check up and down the fretboard. Do this after setting up for action. Raising or lowering a string slightly can fix intonation (notably Telecaster) When tuning start from the top string and work down. The pressure, pounds per square inch, on each string is about equal but the bass strings are thicker, so they pull the neck more. The trebles will go out of tune less than the basses as you do this so you probably only have to repeat the once. If you do it the other way you can be going backwards and forwards. It is a lot easier to pull a note sharp with finger pressure on the fret than pushing it flat. We tend to correct without thinking as we play. It can help (during intonation) if notes that are a little off are a few cents flat rather than sharp. Our ears like bass notes that are a couple of cents flat, indeed pianos are tuned this way, but treble notes have to be spot on. A musicians ears are always more accurate and far more critical than those of the audience. It's not perfect pitch, it is merely practise.
Someone on an earlier comment said just the opposite about your ear and wanting to hear a sharp note. I am definitely not and expert but that went against everything I have learned to date (including my ear). I agree with you. Tuning a piano is an intricate process and requires one hell of an experienced ear. It's all in the slight differences. Nothing is perfect and that is what your ears expect to hear - the interplay of the harmonics and minute differences measured in small increments (cents) that many people do not bother to research. Some people don't need to - they just hear it. Us mere mortals need some help.
@@78tag My professional background is as a physicist, specialising in the measurement of radiation, which includes sound. And this relates to human hearing and response to frequencies. Most physicists play a musical instrument, better or worse. If we intonate, typically by the octave/harmonic at the 12th, much of the rest of the neck will be out.If we pick a couple of frets either side, typically 10th and 15th and use a good tuner, e.g. Peterson, then we can get most of the fretboard in. If we raise one side of a Telecaster barrel saddle, typically the thinnest string, that string will pull sharp more. It does not take much but can be used to fix the problem of paired strings.
I think Jimi Hendrix used to just bend up and down to the right pitch as he was playing, I do as well, it's from years of figuring out tunes from the old vinyl albums and constantly tuning to the record because of the turntable speed differences , also never had a tuner back in the day , usually tuned to the A 440 tone I hear in my head as I can sing it without a reference ..enjoyed your video and am always learning something new.
I think the last point is a kind of secret but crucial one. I figured it out by myself quite early but it's definitely worth being mentioned since I often see people don't give damn
Cool video! As a PROFESSIONAL in a different industry than yours, I totally understand the cost effectiveness of having another Professional service my tools or machinery in order for me to NOT HAVE DOWN TIME (aka Not Making Money!), HOWEVER, as a drummer and guitar player I am of the mind that anyone who is mechanically apt enough to play a guitar (or any instrument for that matter) has the aptitude to service and maintain their instrument! I'm not saying REPAIR WORK, but change strings, neck relief, intonation, string height, swap out pick ups, clean or replace pots/ switches/ machine heads, solder, adjust a floating bridge, etc. I think it makes you a better musician! Like working on your car or motorcycle definitely makes you a better driver or rider. Just my 2 cents.
one trick I learnt a little while back is that if you have to tune by ear, tune every string to one string e.g. the high E rather than tune each each relative to the string before it. I've found this to be a more reliable way to tune by ear. The other thing that bugs me is that so few guitars come with the nut cut right are therefore significantly sharp in the first three frets even with intonation set and tuned correctly. Why don't all guitars come with a zero fret?
If you haven’t already… How about a video on “Studio Setup” I’m looking to design my Home Studio… Think I wanna go with the MacMini M2 Pro… Beyond that not sure what DAW to start off with… Garageband, Apple Logic Pro or Protools… From there what interface or mixer should I get as my go between from my instruments/mic into the MacMini???? I wanna get this right for best possible recording as I’ll be mixing and mastering myself most likely…. Sorry off topic I know… ✌🏻😎
Good stuff Justin, I adhere to everything you hit on and have for along time ,65 years old played since 14or so... best advice for all players get in TUNE or die ...just kiddin lol. Oh man that Strat sounds so sweet !
I use half round 10s on my tele. Got rid of fret buzz that was there on E and A even after a level. Can have action just below 4/64 on both Es. I've had them on almost a year for bedroom jamming and they still sound great...
Excellent video. I’ve been playing 3 years and the bulk of that time has been spent trying to understand the instrument. Starting to actually play and have fun now. This information is so helpful. Plus I learned why I hate my strat so much…
I have a lot of thoughts here, so... apologies in advance for the novel. There's a guitar here... it was a friend's Amazon special that I tried to fix up nicely. (Note: Never buy an Amazon special.) After all the cleaning and new strings and adjusting saddles, etc... I looked at the nut. It's ever so slightly non-parallel to the frets. It is physically impossible for that thing to ever play in tune. Something will always sound off. Proper set-up... yes... proper instrument, also yes. With the way I play, I often have the 6th string just a tiny bit low. Then when I clobber the thing, it comes up to pitch. 😀 Plus, I'm also aware of piano tuning issues. The lowest notes on a piano should be tuned just slightly flat. That's because those strings' thickness raises the pitch of the harmonics. If a piano's lowest notes are tuned exactly to the fundamental, they sound bad when you play them together with higher notes because the overtones won't line up. One way to mitigate this problem is to have a larger piano, where the low strings don't have to be as thick. This is why large concert grand pianos will always sound better than uprights. It's weird, but that's physics for you. I often wondered if that could also apply to guitars, but I think I'm just heavy handed. One last nugget: Tuning using the 5th/7th fret harmonics will get you really close, but because the harmonic series is not perfect, your high string will end up about two cents too high. At some point, we just have to accept the non-perfect nature of music. All the electronically perfected temperament is just... well... sterile.
Great advice explained perfectly! Been playing professionally over forty years and never had tuning issues. But you explained it better than I ever could. I never used the neck pickup to tune, unless that just happened to be where I had just been playing. But that makes perfect sense. Thanks!
So many great points. My son who plays has those gunky hands, and he destroys strings fast. I have dry ass old man hands that strings last almost forever. The nut cannot be underestimated. Got a refret on my 66 SG Special recently, and the nut height needs to be changed. The extra height of the new frets caused anything fretted to be sharp. If I use a capo and eliminate the nut, it is dead on in tune. Thanks for all the great tips.
Thanks! You retroactively prove my guitar teacher right. Way back then exactly these were the points he drilled into me (except there was no tuner, i had to do the harmonic and by ear stuff, that was when he used to open the window letting the street noise in. Was mad about him doing that. But i definiteley benefitted from that training when tuning on the stage of a crowded pub). That extreme "undertuning" in the first round was new for me, will use that in future.
Lots of great tips here. I too luckily have really dry hands. The bad thing about that is I sometimes don't notice when strings go dead. Special thanks for the strat tips!
As Floyd Rose player, for most of my life. < I endorse these comments. Plus, as someone that started on a Les Paul, g string , Baby! I've often tuned to a riff.
Fantastic video Justin. I try to tell everyone these very points that you bring up here to every player I know…it is surprising how many DON’T know these things. It took me many years to learn these things and I’m glad you made this video which I’ve shared in some of my online posts about tuning. I will say that I recommend Peterson Strobo HD series tuners over the Sonic Research Turbo Tuners. The accuracy of tuning is mostly dependent on the display and the Peterson virtual strobe and mechanical strobe tuners demonstrably have the best display. The Sonic Research LED display is not quite capable of the accuracy that the Peterson displays have…but Sonic Research makes great products which are second only to the Petersons…in my opinion. I am a Peterson artist, but regardless of that, I’d still say the same thing! Great video on all counts…thank you!
Justin I just started playing in a lot of open tunings! I watched you the last month. I love your teaching or pointers! I had to learn how to do my own guitar work bc I live so far up in the south WV Appalachian mtn that I to drive 4 hours to a good repair tech. Just wanted you to know how much I gave learnt. Nothing but love 4 your channel. KenKade
Makes me sad people say a guitar can not be in tune. I disagree. I play a 12 string mostly, and I just love when it's all grooving together. EDIT: I just broke a string on my 12 string tonight. Guitar detail coming up lol. Good to see I was taught how to tune early on as well.
Great video! I use a Sonic Research Turbo Tuner even on my board that only has a Kemper Stage because it's so fast and easy to read on a gig, and the smaller version is on my Acoustic/Electric board as well. I do use the Kemper strobe tuner when I'm setting up the intonation on a guitar, checking the open vs fretted vs harmonic at the 12th and 5th frets because I can see the exact cents, particularly when it's a guitar like a Tele where educated compromises have to be decided on to get as close as possible with various chords with open strings. ☮❤🎶
I love how you can play like 5 different sounding chords while staying at the same place, that's amazing. wich you would have wayyy more videos on chords than overdubs lol but that's ok. love your playing.
Excellent info thanks Justin! I knew 90% of this but the strat explanation (nice Senn btw) really helped me understand why mine made me nuts and have at times wanted to smash it (but wont now...).
Great and extremely useful video, Justin. I've been tuning from down up since my luthier told me to do so for the same reasons exposed. I thought it was a well kept ancient secret that he passed towards me haha.
I can tell you this - you had me captured in the first two and a half minutes - your drop D flat sample is right up my alley. It looks like I am in for an interesting 22 minute ride. Thanks in advance. EDIT: Can't say I learned anything new but you did reinforce what I already understood about tuning. 1 question - what do you think of the Peterson "sweetened" tunings? I am partial to the pedal steel adjustments. Thanks again, this post is something every twangbanger should view. New subscriber :)
I use the AC/DC mindset. If it ain't broke don't fix it. They don't change strings until they break. Every player should learn to setup their guitar. Back in the day most bands tuned by ear hence the reason when you play along with the song it's not standard or half step down. Don't let my playing fool you at one point I was a righty & now re-learning lefty.
Hey Justin ....it's Karma from India ...thanks a lot.. you are the best guitarist to me...God bless.. your videos have always been an eye opener. One small request.. can you post a video on how to set guitar levels in home studio??Stuff like gain staging 🙏😊
D'Addario 👍 (i always put my positions on as many unsplit PU on when tuning and then (grabs neck and pulls after retuning lol) buys Evertune™ equipped guitar blows mind 🤯
If you get nothing else from this video, listen to, study, recite, rehearse, memorize #5. I preach this to every guitar player I play with and I'm surprised how many of them don't know it or understand what is going on.
So many gems here that really will make you a better sounding guitar player the moment you implement them. Nothing worse than hearing a guitar player that can shred but is out of tune.
Whatever you want to do
ALWAYS tune from below pitch UP to pitch. ALWAYS!!!
This is THE BEST and most basic advice given here. It is not negotiable.
Being a machinist the same principle was used in in using a milling machine, you always have to get the backlash out before you can get an accurate feed. And tuning low up to pitch is it. Happy you mentioned that.
I always just buy my guitars in tune.
Factory tuning!!
@@user-oi3jz6fv8palways so sweet!
One thing that took me a long time to learn was that, on a guitar with a whammy bar, just change one string at a time instead of taking all of them off.
This channel is like having a personal guitar mentor on call 24/7. I'm an old geezer, and I learn new things from you all the time. Some of your best content is the non-guitar advice: "People will hire you if you make them sound better." You are a very generous human being Justin, and your efforts are greatly appreciated!
Nut slot depth is sooooo important. Getting the strings as low to the first fret as possible without any buzz. I also fine tune by ear. I get the strings as in tune as possible with a tuner. Then fine tune each string to the d string twelfth fret harmonic. Fretting each string at its d position and tuning that note to the d harmonic. It’s worked really well for me for years.
Mike Landau plays with a high action at the first fret. And high action everywhere. Many greats do.
Joe Glacer says this in a video.
@@vintagepipesnightmares do you mean Joe Glaser?
czcams.com/video/5J4iFv8bzZk/video.htmlsi=0Zy8bYtt98wtw9jl
Well said. I’m barely out of the beginner category, but the best thing I ever did was fit a bone but cut to half the height of factory specs (it’s an Epi Les Paul). Suddenly the strings weren’t playing sharp when fretted (despite being perfectly in tune when open).
Very helpful, thanks Justin! I just ordered an ST-300 Turbo Tuner directly from Sonic Research direct for $139.00, free shipping. I got the regular size, since the mini would be harder for me to see (getting old). Supposedly these are made in the USA, unlike most (all?) others. I already have a Peterson strobe tuner in headstock mount, which I use for adjusting intonation while doing setups. I like to tune by ear, then check it with the strobe tuner to see if my pitch was accurate. Usually when I tune by ear it's a little flat on every string, because my ears like to tune to 432Hz. I can set my tuner to 432, but most music is tuned to 440Hz., thanks to the Nazis (ha ha, seriously?). I find this to be one of the most helpful guitar channels - cheers!
Thank you.... I remember Joe Walsh being asked what was the hardest thing to do on a guitar. He said: "To Tune It"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had a Big Dog show me once to get that D string perfect. Than to harmonically tune the A,E and G to it via frequency harmonics
by ie: Chiming the 5th fret of the A to the 7th fret of the D and get the warble out of the A. Same for the E and G. Then make the
B fit with a A and D chord and E fit with a G chord. All we can do is be tedious with an Imperfect System and remember what Joe said!!
Great Tips Justin. My old Guitar Teacher taught me about tuning up instead of down. It helped a lot.
Excellent advise.
If I may, I'd like to add just 2 extra points.
1) For pickers that aren't as skilled as pros, it helps to have specific guitars for specific tunings. The neck tension changes for each tuning and could affect set-up drastically.
2) If you struggle with being in perfect pitch, especially with bends, aim to be slightly sharp. Sharps tend to be less harsh to the ear. Most casual listeners won't catch a note that it slightly sharp. Almost everyone will catch a note that is slightly flat.
😊😊😊
Ive worked for years in recording studios and as an assistant I had to restring many guitars. I had the good fortune of being shown everything you discussed first hand, early on. It has helped me no end as a producer engineer. Loved the video and you got a new sub. Thanks nashville bro!
Thanks a ton!
I encourage students to tune ALL the E's, A's D's G's and B's on EVERY string. Helps learn the fretboard and how good (or bad) the intonation is.
I played an early 70s Gibson SG when I gigged in clubs for 15 years or so (full time). My 62 strat just didn't work. I used 10s on the SG and Sound City strings were the ONLY strings I found that could hold up to two weeks of full-time playing without breaking (it was usually the E string). We generally tuned to our keyboard player's Hammond B3. I had an old Peterson Strobe Tuner on stage with me all the time to fine tune my axe. That axe would pretty much stay perfectly in tune through 4 sets of hard playing.
Thanks Justin!! There are things I learned here for sure. Many things I’d heard before but you perfectly explained the “why” which is super important. The “why” keeps you from getting complacent and forgetting. 😎
So much wisdom on your channel even for a very intermediate guitarist. Thanks so much!
That's some mighty tasteful playing, sir. Wonderful musicianship and guitar mastery!!
Thank you Justin for taking the time to record and share this info with us; I learned something today, so even an old man in his 60's can still learn if it is explained as clearly as you have presented it here. Thanks again!!
I've been playing for over 50 years and I've always struggled with tuning my guitars, even though I never sing out of tune. This video was super helpful. Thanks!
Best channel on CZcams. Its as real as it gets
Thanks a ton!
This video by Justin can easily serve as the standard for tuning your guitar and keeping it in tune. He touches on every important aspect of proper tuning. He covers things in this all Inclusive video that I had to learn over years and from multiple sources. I even learned a few new techniques like the value of fine tuning. Thanks Justin for another really helpful video.
I had the pleasure of jamming with Justin in high school and have watched from a distance as he’s gone on to do such cool things. It’s so gratifying, as an aging, veteran-ish, former guitar instructor of many years, to hear his very credible experience and methods align with much of my own and come back to help me too. What a blessing this resource is for all of us, and especially those striving for that next step of excellence in our guitar journey. Justin is quite an amazing dude. Love you, brother! I’d go back in time to any of our jams in a heartbeat! Carry on.
The way you put strings on makes the hugest difference in how well they stay in tune. Keeping tension on the tuner post as it's wound is critical, as well as limiting the amount of wraps on the post, 3 or 4 for wound strings, a couple more on the plain strings. The more wraps, the looser the tension on the post, the longer it's gonna take until they stay on pitch. Dan Erlwine at Stewmac has about the best video available on stringing up. I first ran into the method in his Guitar Players repair guide a couple of decades ago. It'll change your life!
I agree - ever since understanding the winds on the post I am careful about the tension and minimal number of winds. Dan has done a lot for all guitar players.
Back in the day I started tuning my floating bridge guitars inside out, so D - G - A - B - E - E This kept the bridge more stable and let me tune faster. It became a habit and I still tune all my guitars this way, even Tele's, etc.
#5 is the hidden gem!!! Great insights 👍
Great subject and explanation. One thing I'll add is if playing at an outside venue check your tuning more frequently especially if its out in the sun and no shade on stage. I remember playing a summer outdoor church gig, the band took the break between opening and closing but during the sermon the guitars sat in 95 plus temperature , unfortunately the worship leader just kept playing while the rest of us were in tune, we got on stage earlier and tuned while the pastor was giving the closing prayer. We stoped playing and instantly swiched to acapella trying to drown out his guitar. He was young and inexperienced but we all had a good laugh at the end . Later services we would place post it notes on his music stand saying CHECK TUNING!😂
Temperature changes suck. My arch nemesis in the studio is when the AC kicks on, especially if they’ve got me sitting near a vent. My guitars instantly go a tiny bit sharp.
Did he get the hint?
@@78tag unfortunately I believe he only would check it when he got to church and place is guitar on his stand until it was time to play and then never check it again, that is unless we were playing outside. He once came up to me while I was tuning my 12 string Rickenbacker with the capo on and said "you tune with the capo on?" Acting very surprised. And I said absolutely the capo will pull the strings sharp and he said "that's a 12 string for ya, half the time tuning and the other half playing out of tune!" Now at the time I was using a different capo with a very strong spring, there are other capos now that are especially designed for 12 strings and use a different method of clamping that are also a lot more $. Also my Rickenbacker surprisingly holds tune extremely well considering external fluctuations and being a Rickenbacker fanboy, if you will, I took offense. So I asked him if he was already to go for the next set, and he said absolutely "I did all my setting up 4 hours ago when I got here before first service " now I knew that there were 3 songs we played with a capo and I also knew that he places his guitar right in front of an AC duct on the stage floor. He said kinda smugly I learned my lesson after playing outside and you guys put post-it notes on my stand, so now I keep my axe cool when I'm playing. You see first service is still cool on stage and they don't turn on the AC until about a half hour before 2nd service . We had about 15 minutes before 2nd service began and the AC was on, so I said let's go check your tuning as I disconnected my tuner. I said I bet your out of tune! He said OK and sure enough he was about a half step sharp. He got this deer in the headlights look and said I can't believe it! This is a brand new guitar I'll have to take it back! So I explained how temperature changes work and where he was placing his guitar was throwing out his tuning and that his Gibson Hummingbird was a great guitar and also showed him how to put on a capo so it would have the least affect on tuning changes by barring the fret just ahead of were you will place the capo.
He learned a couple of things that day, including we as a band need to help each other for the greater good of the song and performance not the spotlight..
@@jameshocking1188 - Commendable....most people in the position he put you in would have lost their patience with this gentleman. You are probably responsible for that band even being able to perform - great job bud.
No, I've got the driest hands .
Thank you for the daily lessons and greetings from Germany 🇩🇪
This is so important. This should be common knowledge. Now I have a nice video made by a Pro to save me from explaining how i Tune.
Strobe Tuners are the Best! Thanks again Justin, wishing you my Best always!
Yup, have had a ST300 for a number of years now and I really like it!
CZcams must be reading my mind! I'm a stickler about tuning but just last night I noticed both you and Tom B go through a quick retune on all six strings... bam bam bam in like 10 seconds whereas I'll spend 5x that tweaking my tune. So I jumped back on this afternoon to review and YT served me this video without asking.
#5 is something I learned right out the gate. Thanks Justin for a spot on explanation!
Again. You're knocking it out of the ballpark with your content! I've been playing for over 50 years, yet still I pick up helpful tips... please keep it up, it's really helpful. Thanks!!!
Great to hear!
Great video Justin!!!
damned informative, especially turning with the neck pickup over the bridge pickup. And tuning "how you play".
I've got a Strat with a floating bridge. When I change strings, I put a wedge under the back of the bridge so it's not floating. This cuts down tuning time by about a half to a third because tuning one string does not cause the others to go out of tune. A popsicle stick is about 2mm thick, and works well as the wedge. 😎
Thank you @Justin for all the wisdom!
I’m like ”bah, I’ve been playing for so long, what could a tuning video POSSIBLY teach me?”
Hahaha, 8 minutes later: ”Wait… Whaaat… tune on the neck pickup?! That makes SO much sense”
Well, there you go, I DID learn something and that’s why I keep coming back to your videos. There’s always something in there 👍 Thanks once again // Wince
You got problems? Try playing in touring band eith 6 brass players, trumpets, sax trombone, tuba , clarinet and french horn, no 2 are in tune so I use a wah pedal and capo to help keep the Sax man happy cos he gives me daggers when I we duet. I just stick to Eflat or 432hz now cos it's easier to play too. Thsnks for vid, cant use guitar tuners anymore coz they all nod dissaprovingly, one guy slapped my boss tu12 out of my hand saying "No, no, you must tune by ear"!! That Strat sounds great, agree on heavier strings for a Fender, I am still seeing players putting 9s on them and they think thats "normal". In emergencies and there no spare 10 or 11 I use a 13 that never breaks and keep it in the case. Learning by experience is the only way, Your viddy is hsndy because you explain the practicalities and mechanical problems that can stunt a players progress enougb to make em give up.More power to you Man! I am from the days when a tuning fork was the only portable device to help us..won't forget that old geezer (at the time) slapping that tu12 out of my hands!
Thanks for the tips! One very important thing I do is always,always, wipe down strings and neck after playing especially after eating fried chicken. I sweat a lot too and a quick rub with a cloth extends the strings life ten fold for me. Peace
A musician's tuning will always expand to fill the time allotted. Cheers Justin!
This is true!!
I used 10 and 11 for years, tried 9 and im hooked
Nice! I’ve been doing it right 😊 one additional technique to fine tuning I use is to stretch a string that’s slightly sharp into tune rather than fiddle with tuner then stretch then tune again.
Yep. I’m constantly pulling on strings before fine tuning. Always tuning from flat of the target pitch
If a string is just a BIT sharp, before detuning and tuning up to the proper pitch, I’ll pull/snap them, or bend them pretty hard and then check pitch
Thanks for this. My HSS Strat takes quite a hard rock beating! This really helps alot! Just subscribed because of this and your "almost got scammed video" Awesome to see how the pros do it! Cheers from Montreal Canada!
Great video, Justin! I do all the things you mentioned. I use Stringjoy strings, and use Turbo Tuner’s on all boards. I also use the Earvana Nut, and Big Ben’s Nut Sauce on all pivot points of the strings. I also have my guitar set up by a pro. All good! I use a 1981 Walnut The STRAT. Thanks!
One thing I've noticed is that the low string are more affected by neck tension.
I always start with the high E and work down, since the EBG strings aren't as affected by the change in pull of the lower strings.
You'll end up having to go over all the strings less often.
Absolutely - just a touch goes a long way on the those fatties.
Roland GR55 tuner can show all 6 strings simultaneously. You hit all 6 to tune and it well illustrates the effect of how strings affect each other
Amen that you must re-check tuning after any significant amount of change while getting it tuned the first time. I alternate Lo and Hi strings even to move the tension change further away. With new strings, you have to do this a few times.
Well done video. I read the description; looking forward to the courses you'll be making. 👍
Yeah. When intonating don't use the 12th fret octave harmonic, that is a quick check, but use a really, really good tuner on the 10th and 15th which should provide better intonation on most of the frets. Check up and down the fretboard. Do this after setting up for action. Raising or lowering a string slightly can fix intonation (notably Telecaster)
When tuning start from the top string and work down. The pressure, pounds per square inch, on each string is about equal but the bass strings are thicker, so they pull the neck more. The trebles will go out of tune less than the basses as you do this so you probably only have to repeat the once. If you do it the other way you can be going backwards and forwards.
It is a lot easier to pull a note sharp with finger pressure on the fret than pushing it flat. We tend to correct without thinking as we play. It can help (during intonation) if notes that are a little off are a few cents flat rather than sharp. Our ears like bass notes that are a couple of cents flat, indeed pianos are tuned this way, but treble notes have to be spot on. A musicians ears are always more accurate and far more critical than those of the audience. It's not perfect pitch, it is merely practise.
Someone on an earlier comment said just the opposite about your ear and wanting to hear a sharp note. I am definitely not and expert but that went against everything I have learned to date (including my ear). I agree with you. Tuning a piano is an intricate process and requires one hell of an experienced ear. It's all in the slight differences. Nothing is perfect and that is what your ears expect to hear - the interplay of the harmonics and minute differences measured in small increments (cents) that many people do not bother to research. Some people don't need to - they just hear it. Us mere mortals need some help.
@@78tag My professional background is as a physicist, specialising in the measurement of radiation, which includes sound. And this relates to human hearing and response to frequencies. Most physicists play a musical instrument, better or worse. If we intonate, typically by the octave/harmonic at the 12th, much of the rest of the neck will be out.If we pick a couple of frets either side, typically 10th and 15th and use a good tuner, e.g. Peterson, then we can get most of the fretboard in. If we raise one side of a Telecaster barrel saddle, typically the thinnest string, that string will pull sharp more. It does not take much but can be used to fix the problem of paired strings.
I think Jimi Hendrix used to just bend up and down to the right pitch as he was playing, I do as well, it's from years of figuring out tunes from the old vinyl albums and constantly tuning to the record because of the turntable speed differences , also never had a tuner back in the day , usually tuned to the A 440 tone I hear in my head as I can sing it without a reference ..enjoyed your video and am always learning something new.
Simple and great - love your philosophy! 😎
Please make a video on the strobo-tuner, it would be super helpful! Thank you in advance.
Love the videos Justin. Killer insight.
Thank you, sir!
Let’s grab lunch sometime man
@RobertBakerGuitar let’s do it!
@@JustinOstrander I'll drop you a message on the gram man
Man what a glorious tone from that first guitar
Awesome video, Justin. As a session player myself, I find that tuning is a deeeeeeeeeeep rabbit hole and it isn't talked about enough. Thank you!
I think the last point is a kind of secret but crucial one. I figured it out by myself quite early but it's definitely worth being mentioned since I often see people don't give damn
Great advice, as ever. Thanks for posting.
Cool video!
As a PROFESSIONAL in a different industry than yours, I totally understand the cost effectiveness of having another Professional service my tools or machinery in order for me to NOT HAVE DOWN TIME (aka Not Making Money!), HOWEVER, as a drummer and guitar player I am of the mind that anyone who is mechanically apt enough to play a guitar (or any instrument for that matter) has the aptitude to service and maintain their instrument!
I'm not saying REPAIR WORK, but change strings, neck relief, intonation, string height, swap out pick ups, clean or replace pots/ switches/ machine heads, solder, adjust a floating bridge, etc.
I think it makes you a better musician!
Like working on your car or motorcycle definitely makes you a better driver or rider.
Just my 2 cents.
one trick I learnt a little while back is that if you have to tune by ear, tune every string to one string e.g. the high E rather than tune each each relative to the string before it. I've found this to be a more reliable way to tune by ear. The other thing that bugs me is that so few guitars come with the nut cut right are therefore significantly sharp in the first three frets even with intonation set and tuned correctly. Why don't all guitars come with a zero fret?
ZERO FRETS - YES! Life would be a lot simple if they were standard but I think it is mostly the bean counters that are the problem in that respect.
If you haven’t already… How about a video on “Studio Setup”
I’m looking to design my Home Studio…
Think I wanna go with the MacMini M2 Pro…
Beyond that not sure what DAW to start off with…
Garageband, Apple Logic Pro or Protools…
From there what interface or mixer should I get as my go between from my instruments/mic into the MacMini????
I wanna get this right for best possible recording as I’ll be mixing and mastering myself most likely….
Sorry off topic I know…
✌🏻😎
Good stuff Justin, I adhere to everything you hit on and have for along time ,65 years old played since 14or so... best advice for all players get in TUNE or die ...just kiddin lol. Oh man that Strat sounds so sweet !
Very informative and helpful. Thank you!
This was a big help to this guy. Thanks!
I use half round 10s on my tele. Got rid of fret buzz that was there on E and A even after a level. Can have action just below 4/64 on both Es. I've had them on almost a year for bedroom jamming and they still sound great...
Excellent video. I’ve been playing 3 years and the bulk of that time has been spent trying to understand the instrument. Starting to actually play and have fun now. This information is so helpful. Plus I learned why I hate my strat so much…
I have a lot of thoughts here, so... apologies in advance for the novel.
There's a guitar here... it was a friend's Amazon special that I tried to fix up nicely. (Note: Never buy an Amazon special.) After all the cleaning and new strings and adjusting saddles, etc... I looked at the nut. It's ever so slightly non-parallel to the frets. It is physically impossible for that thing to ever play in tune. Something will always sound off. Proper set-up... yes... proper instrument, also yes.
With the way I play, I often have the 6th string just a tiny bit low. Then when I clobber the thing, it comes up to pitch. 😀
Plus, I'm also aware of piano tuning issues. The lowest notes on a piano should be tuned just slightly flat. That's because those strings' thickness raises the pitch of the harmonics. If a piano's lowest notes are tuned exactly to the fundamental, they sound bad when you play them together with higher notes because the overtones won't line up. One way to mitigate this problem is to have a larger piano, where the low strings don't have to be as thick. This is why large concert grand pianos will always sound better than uprights. It's weird, but that's physics for you. I often wondered if that could also apply to guitars, but I think I'm just heavy handed.
One last nugget: Tuning using the 5th/7th fret harmonics will get you really close, but because the harmonic series is not perfect, your high string will end up about two cents too high.
At some point, we just have to accept the non-perfect nature of music. All the electronically perfected temperament is just... well... sterile.
I'm not sure he said that perfect tuning is sterile but I agree with you - along with "auto-tune" that is a huge disservice to real music.
Great advice explained perfectly! Been playing professionally over forty years and never had tuning issues. But you explained it better than I ever could. I never used the neck pickup to tune, unless that just happened to be where I had just been playing. But that makes perfect sense. Thanks!
So many great points. My son who plays has those gunky hands, and he destroys strings fast. I have dry ass old man hands that strings last almost forever. The nut cannot be underestimated. Got a refret on my 66 SG Special recently, and the nut height needs to be changed. The extra height of the new frets caused anything fretted to be sharp. If I use a capo and eliminate the nut, it is dead on in tune. Thanks for all the great tips.
Yeah the nut is KEY!
This is all gold!! #3 and #5 are sooooo important. But really they all are. Great video idea Justin because this is all so crucial!
You did a great job in discussing all aspects of tuning.
Thanks! You retroactively prove my guitar teacher right. Way back then exactly these were the points he drilled into me (except there was no tuner, i had to do the harmonic and by ear stuff, that was when he used to open the window letting the street noise in. Was mad about him doing that. But i definiteley benefitted from that training when tuning on the stage of a crowded pub). That extreme "undertuning" in the first round was new for me, will use that in future.
Lots of great tips here. I too luckily have really dry hands. The bad thing about that is I sometimes don't notice when strings go dead. Special thanks for the strat tips!
now I know how to 'toon' a guitar, thank you!
As Floyd Rose player, for most of my life. < I endorse these comments. Plus, as someone that started on a Les Paul, g string , Baby! I've often tuned to a riff.
czcams.com/video/NmeogiNhdHI/video.html
Fantastic video Justin. I try to tell everyone these very points that you bring up here to every player I know…it is surprising how many DON’T know these things. It took me many years to learn these things and I’m glad you made this video which I’ve shared in some of my online posts about tuning.
I will say that I recommend Peterson Strobo HD series tuners over the Sonic Research Turbo Tuners. The accuracy of tuning is mostly dependent on the display and the Peterson virtual strobe and mechanical strobe tuners demonstrably have the best display. The Sonic Research LED display is not quite capable of the accuracy that the Peterson displays have…but Sonic Research makes great products which are second only to the Petersons…in my opinion. I am a Peterson artist, but regardless of that, I’d still say the same thing! Great video on all counts…thank you!
Super useful Justin
Justin I just started playing in a lot of open tunings! I watched you the last month. I love your teaching or pointers! I had to learn how to do my own guitar work bc I live so far up in the south WV Appalachian mtn that I to drive 4 hours to a good repair tech. Just wanted you to know how much I gave learnt. Nothing but love 4 your channel. KenKade
Really great advice, Thanks!
Good stuff! The Strat floating bridge information was new to me and made a lot of sense - thanks.
Thanks Justin
Great, great video! Thank you
So much good info. Thank you!
Makes me sad people say a guitar can not be in tune. I disagree. I play a 12 string mostly, and I just love when it's all grooving together. EDIT: I just broke a string on my 12 string tonight. Guitar detail coming up lol. Good to see I was taught how to tune early on as well.
Thanks, Justin! Really well explained, what we tend to take for granted.
Informative and clearly explained as usual. Again I’ve learnt things I didn’t know. 👍🏻
COOL STUFF JUSTIN,,,,,
Great video! I use a Sonic Research Turbo Tuner even on my board that only has a Kemper Stage because it's so fast and easy to read on a gig, and the smaller version is on my Acoustic/Electric board as well. I do use the Kemper strobe tuner when I'm setting up the intonation on a guitar, checking the open vs fretted vs harmonic at the 12th and 5th frets because I can see the exact cents, particularly when it's a guitar like a Tele where educated compromises have to be decided on to get as close as possible with various chords with open strings. ☮❤🎶
Great tips man!
Interesting point about picking the way you play. I think I always pick more gently when tuning so I’ll stop doing that.
I love how you can play like 5 different sounding chords while staying at the same place, that's amazing. wich you would have wayyy more videos on chords than overdubs lol but that's ok. love your playing.
Excellent info thanks Justin! I knew 90% of this but the strat explanation (nice Senn btw) really helped me understand why mine made me nuts and have at times wanted to smash it (but wont now...).
Super cool. Thanks Justin.
Great and extremely useful video, Justin. I've been tuning from down up since my luthier told me to do so for the same reasons exposed. I thought it was a well kept ancient secret that he passed towards me haha.
I can tell you this - you had me captured in the first two and a half minutes - your drop D flat sample is right up my alley.
It looks like I am in for an interesting 22 minute ride. Thanks in advance.
EDIT: Can't say I learned anything new but you did reinforce what I already understood about tuning.
1 question - what do you think of the Peterson "sweetened" tunings? I am partial to the pedal steel adjustments.
Thanks again, this post is something every twangbanger should view. New subscriber :)
Thanks a ton!
Cool, nice info. I've always tuned in the order of 162534 and then readjust where necessary. Dunno why, habit I gues
Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. Thank you. Subscribed.
I use the AC/DC mindset. If it ain't broke don't fix it. They don't change strings until they break. Every player should learn to setup their guitar. Back in the day most bands tuned by ear hence the reason when you play along with the song it's not standard or half step down. Don't let my playing fool you at one point I was a righty & now re-learning lefty.
Nice lighting
Very interesting people just pick up and play and don't think about things like this thanks Colin uk 🇬🇧 👍
Hey Justin ....it's Karma from India ...thanks a lot.. you are the best guitarist to me...God bless.. your videos have always been an eye opener. One small request.. can you post a video on how to set guitar levels in home studio??Stuff like gain staging 🙏😊
D'Addario 👍 (i always put my positions on as many unsplit PU on when tuning and then (grabs neck and pulls after retuning lol) buys Evertune™ equipped guitar blows mind 🤯