Yamaha has been making great acoustics since the early sixties and they continue to make modern masterpieces. Yamaha has created a recipe for perfection by using the best designs and materials. This combination helps to create one of the best sounding acoustic guitars in the world. There are many body styles to choose from and there is one for every style of guitar playing.

So now the question becomes, do you buy one new or used? If you choose to buy a used acoustic, do you go for a classic vintage model? Well either way your going to get a great guitar. If you buy one new then it is a virgin. No ones greasy hand have tainted it’s beautiful body. You will also get a warranty. I personally prefer them used. Used guitars have character and sounds that new ones just can’t deliver. Over time a guitar changes. The wood ages and the shine fades. When the wood ages it hardens and the color changes. It also changes the sound. If the guitar was treated well then it’s aging only helps to create a great sounding guitar. Another reason I prefer to buy them used is money. They are generally cheaper than a new model and being the guitar junkie that I am that means I will save some cash which can be used towards finding another great guitar.

Want more information? Click here – Yamaha Acoustic Guitars.

Being a self-taught guitar player, I spent many years practicing without even realizing this simple advice. Once I found out how to be aware of the tensions in the body and learned how to relax, my skills really improved. So I recommend you start every practice session by first making the choice of being relaxed.

Sit on your practice bench or chair and hold your instrument. Now close your eyes and breathe in deeply, hold the air 2 seconds and let go the air and the tensions. Feel your shoulders and arms relaxed, feel your fingers light as air. You can also try this: close your eyes and be aware of your body, starting on the head, and all the way down to your feet.

Okay after this, you should start playing your drills and exercises or songs. But it is very important that you spot any tension while playing. On a concert you can do whatever you like, but must work on relieving tension during practice time. This may be hard to do at first but it is something that will improve every aspect of guitar playing, and will make it even more enjoyable! Sometimes the excess of tension can wear us down quickly and shorten our practice sessions.

Stretches will also help your hand’s muscles relax, and will condition your hands so you avoid injury after practice. After a while, relaxation will be achieved immediately, you’ll become a master at controlling your muscles and you will enjoy the grace and ease of movement of a great guitar player.

In this article, you will learn how to tune your guitar using the standard tuning:

E-A-B-G-B-E

This is the most common tuning you will find on different music styles, but there are others (we’ll talk about them in another article), each type of tuning brings a its own share of “flavor” to your music and can also help reaching lower notes and get cool sounds. For example, tuning the fatter string (E) lower like in a Drop D tuning (D-A-B-G-B-E), will get you a much heavier sound.

Ok, let’s get down to business.

Fool-Proof Method Of Tuning Your Guitar

The fool-proof method for tuning your guitar is listening to a recording of each note you intend to tune and then adjusting the tuning pegs until you match the sound of each string.

I was surprised when I saw people who couldn’t easily “get” the sound even with the help of a recorder. But don’t worry if you can’t do it easily, this happens because you have not developed the ear for music, so sit relaxed, listen each note and notice if the sound is higher or lower. As you gain more practice you’ll be able to tune your guitar faster.  Here I recorded a standard tuned guitar so you can begin right away.

Tuning Your Guitar “Manually”

If you don’t have a recording available, then you’ll need to tune your guitar “by hand”, this is done by getting the sound from another string, it is also called “tuning with intervals”.

To start tuning your guitar this way, you’ll need a “reference note”, especially at first when you aren’t able to easily remember the sound of the E string. You can get a tuning fork that sounds an “E” on most guitar stores online and offline.  Using the fork, you’ll need to match the sound on the sixth string, so turn the pegs until you get the sound.

Next, you will hold the fifth fret of the sixth string: this will give you the note A, as it should sound on the fifth string. Repeat again on the A and D to tune the fourth and third strings. Now, to tune the second string you will need to hold the fourth fret of the third string as this is B. Finally hold the fifth fret of the second string to tune the first string, E.

If you got lost in this explanation, you can see this video that shows you how it is done.

Other Aids for Tuning Your Guitar

There are other aids that can help you tune your guitar. You don’t need them all, in fact most of the tuning I’ve made has been done using only the two methods above. But, try and use what feels best for you.

• Electronic Guitar Tuners. These gadgets can give you the sound of each string and even detect if the strings sound higher, lower or on pitch. You can find different sizes, but the small ones are easier to carry. This method will require to spend some extra money ($15-$200+).
• Songs. Yes! Songs are pretty useful when it comes to tuning your guitar with nothing to help you. Personally, I use “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica, since it starts with an intro using open strings on E-G-B-E. You see why it is extremely important that you develop good ear for music!
• Pitch Pipes. Like tuning forks, they give you a note as a reference; you can find pipes for each of the six strings.

Well that’s it for tuning your guitar.  At first this might seem complicated, but over time it will become very easy, and it’ll let you adjust your guitar by ear, letting you decide what sounds right and what needs adjustment.  Feel free to leave your questions below if you didn’t understand something.