Physics of Guitar Tuning

Physics of Tuning A Guitar:

There is just no point in me writing a lot another one of the how to tune a guitar article, as this data is ubiquitous. Just do a Google search and you will find a thousand and one pages, images and videos about this. Plus you will also get a lot of virtual tuners on the net to help you out.

For a good Virtual Tuner (Online) try this : Tuner. Just click on the switches to turn the sound on and off while tuning the respective string.

What I will tell you here is the physical concept of tuning - a sort of why is it so. So, just go to any such site and read how to tune a guitar and then come back to this page:

So, here's the basic method:


(1) You Need to "Tune" :

the 1st string in open position to the 5th fret of the 2nd string - E notes;
the 2nd string in open position to the 4th fret of the 3rd string - B notes;
the 3rd string in open position to the 5th fret of the 4th string - G notes;
the 4th string in open position to the 5th fret of the 5th string - D notes; and finally,
the 5th string in open position to the 5th fret of the 6th string - A notes.


By tuning, we mean:

(i) the two notes played sound very much the same.
(ii) though one is higher pitched than the other, they sound the same,
(iii) when the two are sounded together there should be no "beats" audible.
(iv) when a chord is played on the guitar, there should not be any (or very less) beats audible and that is should sound pleasing.

When two sounds, with frequencies that are just a little apart, are played together, an interference pattern is produced, which is heard as a regular series of sound pulses called "beats." When you hear it, it means that you are nearly tuned, but not fully tuned.

The beat rate is determined by the difference in frequencies (the Hz value). This difference is heard as the number of beats that you can here per second. Why?


How To Tune A Guitar Scientifically:

• Physics of Guitar Tuning (reading)
• Beats - Why Do We Get Beats?
• Phase Difference and Harmonics
• Importance of Phase Difference
• The Bend Test - Beats
• Steps of a thorough Tuning

http://basicmusictheory.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-to-tune-guitar-scientifically-phase.html

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Physics of Guitar Tuning