How To Help Your Child Tune Their Guitar

 

What you will need to tune your guitar

• Guitar tuner app or physical tuner 
• Your guitar  

 

 

Our Top 3 recommendations for guitar tuner apps 

• Guitartuna 
• Fender Tune App 
• ProGuitar Tuner 

 

What Are Machine Heads?? 

Also called tuning keys, you will need to turn the machine heads located at the head of the guitar to tune the guitar. 

Your guitar should be stringed so that if you are turning the machine head away from the guitar, (counter clockwise), that would be tightening it and tuning it higher. If you are turning the machine head towards you, (clockwise), that would be lowering the pitch.  

 

To find out, turn the machine head before you start, so that you know what direction you should be turning to tune up or down.

 

Our Recommendation

If this is your first time tuning a guitar, we recommend starting with GuitarTuna app, as you will see the circle at the top of the app fill in green and “ding” when you are in-tune.

How To Use Your Guitar Tuner 

First, turn on your app and allow microphone access or turn on your physical tuner. Some tuners have options of selecting electric or acoustic guitar, bass or ukulele. In this example, we will be tuning an electric/acoustic guitar. On the GuitarTuna app select “Guitar” bottom right. 

 

We will start off with the bottom string, the high E-string, and work our way up to the lowest sounding string, (low E-string). With a guitar, your first string is the highest one, (bottom), and the 6th string is the lowest one, (top one). You will pluck the string while looking at the tuner to find out if you are in-tune, sharp or flat. 

 

If you are flat you need to tune up, (tighten the guitar string). If you are sharp, you need to tune down, (loosen the string). 

 

After working your way up with all the strings, making sure they are all in-tune, go back to ensure and fine tune each string, as some may have loosened. You may have to do this a few times before all strings are perfectly in-tune.

If you are flat you need to tune up, (tighten the guitar string). If you are sharp, you need to tune down, (loosen the string). 

 

ProTip!

• Be patient.
• Take your time. 
• Keep it positive.

 

Have your little one help, by asking “should I tune it up or down”? 

Then have your little one tune their guitar on their own with you guiding and aiding if necessary.

Here are some practice tips you can try with your little one.