12 string guitar tuning

Get used to the sound of unpredictability. A physical clip-on tuner reads what frequency you’re currently playing through vibrations in your guitar - there’s only one intermediate layer, the solid wood material the sound passes through. The nearby photo of Leadbelly playing his Stella 12-string reminds me that Leadbelly tuned his guitar down to C, maybe even to B. Get it as soon as Mon, Jan 18. $14.99 $ 14. Lately, I’ve been using a clip-on tuner from Fender (the one shown in the pictures above, Fender FT-1 (check price on Amazon) is the model) and it’s been working reasonably well for me. It’s then converted into an audio signal on your computer (based on your mic quality, settings, and background noise, this can induce clipping or lost conversion data) and is processed again in the app or tuning software. Everyone I’ve talked to (including a long-time musician friend) said that the KLIQ tuner was super easy to read, and the fact that you can tune your guitar at any time (even with ambient noise in the background), makes it that much better. This is necessary if you are to play with instruments which have inbuilt tuning (for example: piano). All Rights Reserved. Many six-string guitar players aren’t familiar with the proper way to tune a 12-string guitar. The process is. If you’re adamant and really want an app, this one will get the job done. The result is an instrument that sounds enormous. So you have a 12-string guitar and don’t know where to start with tuning. Though they’re far more of a pain to tune than normal axes, 12-string guitars follow the exact same tuning rules as six-string ones. I went ahead and clipped my tuner on my guitar: All you have to do is clip it on the end just like that. Therefore, the most popular standard tuning for 12-string guitars is E3•E2 A3•A2 D4•D3 G4•G3 B3•B3 E4•E4, starting from the lowest string to the highest. FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon. A 12 string guitar is split up into 6 pairs of 2 strings. As I mentioned in the last section, the most significant difference is the octave-higher and octave-lower tuning in the E, A, D, and G string pairs. The bottom line is: If you’re shooting for accuracy (and situational flexibility), go directly to the source with a clip-on tuner: UberTuner (Amazon) or FT-1 (Amazon). The tuner’s arrow will show how flat or how sharp you are. My first recommendation is to forget about tonality and just explore. There are hundreds of different types of tuners out there. David Hodge Since joining Guitar Noise in 1999, David has written over a thousand articles, lessons, interviews and reviews here. For other alternatives see the available tunings for 12-string Guitar. The 3b string is the most prone to breaking if it is tuned exactly one octave higher than the 3a string. Tuning your guitar can be a difficult task for you if you are just beginning guitar. FREE Delivery by Amazon. The thicker string of the pair is tuned to the same note and octave as a regular 6 string guitar. If you were to play this on a twelve string, the notes struck would still be G, B, D, G, B, and G. The twelve-stringed guitar has 6 main strings and 6 additional strings. We use the fifth fret, as this makes a string the same note as the next one along (except for the B string, as we’ll see later). But if you’re looking for a more long-term and accurate solution, you shouldn't rule out getting a physical clip-on tuner (or even a pedal tuner like the PolyTune 3 from TC Electronic if that’s more your style), I’ll recommend a few online guitar tuners that I’ve used in a minute, but before I do I wanted to mention a point I brought up earlier (and try to convince you not to tune through your mic!). £168.95 £ 168. If you have a clip-on tuner, this means clipping it onto your guitar. Each pair string is tuned to resonate with the standard string. Once you’ve gotten through all of the strings, you’re done! That is where you take a guitar tuned to E standard and drop the tuning of the sixth string only, going down a step from the low E to D. You can apply the same process to tuning to drop A on a baritone guitar. The good news is, the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Are you a visual learner? However, a 12-string set assures that your gauges are balanced. The strings are pulled in pairs: the main + additional, the main + optional and so on. David Hodge Help and FAQ Guitar Tuning , Twelve String Guitar I know a lot of people like to number the strings of a twelve-string guitar from one (high E) to twelve, but I find it much easier to number them as a six-string guitar, that is one through six, adding the designation “a” or “b” to each string as well. By convention, the notes are ordered from lowest-pitched string (i.e., the deepest bass note) to highest-pitched (thickest string to thinnest). Here’s a list. It's much the same as a 6 string guitar E A D G B E low to high except the 4 lowest pairs of strings are tuned an octave apart. Recommended [Budget] Tuner: Fender FT-1 Clip-On for Acoustic, Electric, and BassRecommended [Quality] Tuner: KLIQ UberTuner (Accurate, Has Frequency Display). each pair of strings) and create two notes with every finger position. Using capital letters for low notes and lowercase for high notes, the 12-string is tuned: “eE-aA-dD-gG-bb-ee” 12-strings are played just like si… Metallor 12 Strings Acoustic Guitar Tuning Pegs Chrome Plated Machine Heads Single Hole 6L 6R. If you’re interested in tuning a 12 string to standard, don’t miss How do I tune a 12 string guitar? Want to know the exact frequencies you’ll be tuning your 12-string to? ​Snark and KLIQ are well-known brands that make high-quality guitar tuners. Repeat this with all of your other 11 strings (following the diagram we showed earlier in this article), and you’ll be golden. What is the chromatic scale? Get it Tuesday, Jan 5. Some of the big guitar manufacturers make some excellent tuners as well. The B and E string pairs are tuned in unison to a High B and High E. When tuning the E, A, D, and G string pairs to different octaves, you have to pay attention to the string you’re tuning. GTDB has been gathering and publishing information, chords, scales, tabs and now videos on different guitar tunings since 2009 If you’re using a different type of tuner, like a pedal tuner, this means you’ll have to plug it in and have it ready to receive your guitar’s audio signal as an input. General Tunings. Producing a fuller tone than their six-string counterparts, 12-string guitars create a chorus effect due to six strings strategically set an octave above six opposing strings tuned to “EADGBE.” Largely used as a rhythm instrument, 12-string guitars are commonly used in folk, rock and blues music. For additional information, please visit our Affiliate Disclosure page. 4.2 out of 5 stars 7. Tune your acoustic, electric or bass guitar, select from standard tuning, 12 alternate tunings or customize your own! That is, instead of E-A-D-G-B-E (6th to 1st string), his guitar would be tuned C … After it’s on there, as soon as you play a string it’ll detect the frequency you’re playing and show how far off you are - pretty cool! When playing a 12 string guitar clamp at once 2 strings instead of one, the main one with an additional one. The tuner is fully chromatic but if you need a reference of a specific tuning when tuning by ear or if you want to tune any other instrument follow the steps in how to setup the guitar tuner for other instruments 99. Tuning and Stringing a 12-String Guitar. How do I tune a 12 string guitar? It is usual to start by tuning the low A string using a tuning fork. Once again, remember to tune the thick string in each pair to the low note and the thin string to the octave higher note. That is because there are more tension and strings on it. So the order of the 12 strings will be as follows: e E, a A, d D, g G, B B, E E. You can tune the guitar in several ways. Be careful, not all 12 string guitars (especially old ones) are designed to be tuned up to this pitch. From the “G” down to the low “E”, the strings are doubled with an octave above. When tuning the E, A, D, and G string pairs to different octaves, you have to pay attention to the string you’re tuning. Tuning a 12-string guitar in standard E tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E, thick to thin) is very common. Tuning a 12 string guitar is a little bit complicated than a regular 6 string guitar. We’re going to look at some tunings that make it a lot harder to keep track of what notes you’re playing, so it’s best to let your ear guide you through this in the beginning as we break up the courses(i.e. It might take a little more time than your regular 6-string guitar, but the richer sound you’ll get makes it well worth it. Depending on your type of tuner, the first thing you’ll want to do is get your tuner set up and turned on. I do not recommend tuning your guitar through a microphone, only because it puts another “layer” between the sound coming out of your guitar and the tuner. If you play the E string on your guitar, for example, that sound wave has to travel through the air to the microphone and get picked up alongside any background noise that comes in. I found that the Google Play store has the same exact app as the top tuner on the iOS App Store - GuitarTuna. If this is your first time tuning a guitar to Nashville tuning, you may want to get 2 sets in case you accidentally snap a string. Guitar tunings assign pitches to the open strings of guitars, including acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and classical guitars. The tension on it is the highest, it is not difficult to break it. I didn’t even mention that if you practice in a group setting (band, orchestra, etc. When playing a 12 string guitar clamp at once 2 strings instead of one, the main one with an additional one. Simple 12-string guitar tuner to tune up your 12-string guitar. The thicker string will always be the low note, and the thinner string will always be for the higher octave. If you are looking for a tuner with more features though (especially accuracy), then I would recommend the KLIQ UberTuner (check price on Amazon). This method of how to tune a 12-string guitar has a minor, but generally not … You might remember the mention of drop D tuning earlier. The C chromatic scale, for example, goes like this: C, C#, D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, Bb, B. To tune a guitar this way, we compare a note on one string to the next string along by playing the two together. The first two string of a 12 string guitar is high E and the B string which are unison pairs. Free online guitar tuner from Fender. Learn to play guitar from professional videos. Here you can learn how to tune a 12-string guitar through a microphone or by sounds. Sometimes you will need to tune a 12 string guitar several times to get the right tune. $19.99 $ 19. To tune your 12-string, tune the E, A, D, and G string pairs within an octave of each other. The most significant difference you’ll have to be aware of is tuning an octave higher in the E, A, D, and G string pairs. It doesn’t have any bells and whistles, it just does one job well. You should feel more confident in tuning a 12-string and have everything you need to go out there and make it happen. That is so-called Nashville tuning. Note: I didn’t have my 12-string on me when I wrote this guide, so I used my 6-string instead for all the examples below. The high “e” and “B” strings are doubled in unison, each having an identical twin string right next to it. Like we mentioned above, the lower four strings have pairs an octave higher, while the top two strings are doubled with strings at the same pitch. This is for the standard eEaAdDgGBBEE 12 String Guitar tuning. ‎A simple utility to tune 12 String Guitars. Once you hit that page, all you have to do is allow access to your microphone (if you’re using Google Chrome it should ask you if you want to do that), and then play the sounds at the bottom. However, please note: I do not recommend using a phone app for tuning your guitar. Take for instance a G Major chord. Here’s a picture of what happened when I played a low E (thickest string): You can see that I’m slightly out of tune (somewhat flat) below E. This is where you want to adjust your tuning knob until you’re dead on in the center. I would recommend GuitarTuna. Just like for the iOS version, the GuitarTuna app is paid if you want to tune your 12-string. It is recommended to tune it last, after all the other strings. If you tune through an app or a microphone, on the other hand, several more intermediate layers stack on top of each other and introduce noise. Some have to be tuned a note or two lower. I spent some time combing through the iPhone App Store & Android Google Play Store in search of a good tuner, and have one that I’d recommend. From Thickest to Thinnest Strings (eE-aA-dD-gG-BB-EE): We talked about tuning a 12-string, using clip-on guitar tuners, recommended tuners, and even looked at a great online microphone tuner you can use in case you’re missing a physical one. It has fantastic ratings overall. Diagram below. How to tune a 12 String Guitar. MightyExpert.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. 99. There are twice as many strings and a lot more tension on the guitar. One of the first considerations for a new 12-string owner is tuning the guitar. (ok, I know a jet engine might be a bit excessive and would vibrate the wood.. but you get the point!). To tune the guitar through the microphone, press "Turn On" button on the tuner, and tune the guitar according to the system shown under the tuner. Some guitarists tune the 3b string to the exact same pitch as the 3a string to avoid this. A chromatic tuner is a guitar tuner that can detect any pitch on the Chromatic Scale. Alternative Baritone Guitar Tunings Drop A. This website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. £9.00 coupon applied at checkout Save £9.00 with voucher. One string in tune, a few more to go! For the remaining high B and E strings, tune their string pairs in unison to the same frequency. ), it’ll be impossible to tune your guitar through a microphone if multiple people are tuning or playing at one time. It’s another clip-on tuner just like the Fender one I’m using, but it’s much more accurate (not to mention it also shows the frequency on its display!). Download 12 String Guitar Tuner and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Standard Tuning | E 3 E 2 A 3 A 2 D 4 D 3 G 4 G 3 B 3 B 3 E 4 E 4; The tuner is fully chromatic but if you need a reference of a specific tuning when tuning by ear or if you want to tune any other instrument follow the steps in how to setup the guitar tuner for other instruments To make things easier, I decided to put together a tuning diagram for 12-string guitars (shown below). A standard six-string guitar is tuned (low to high) E-A-D-G-B-e. A 12-string is tuned the exact same way, only the notes are doubled. How to Tune a 12-String Acoustic Guitar. To tune your 12-string, tune the E, A, D, and G string pairs within an octave of each other. Wishing you the best of luck with your twelve amazing strings - get out there, practice, and never give up! That’s perfectly okay, and how every single one of us feels when we get our hands on a 12-string for the first time! Note: I didn’t have my 12-string on me when I wrote this guide, so I used my 6-string instead for all the examples below. There could literally be a jet plane engine sitting next to you while you’re tuning your guitar -- as long as it doesn’t affect the vibrations going through your guitar’s headstock, you can still tune your guitar! The higher octave string is a lighter gauge than the lower In a nutshell, on a 12-string guitar, the first two pairs (E & B) are tuned in unison and are the same gauge strings. Additional information, please visit our Affiliate Disclosure page, on the guitar thinner gauge string the... One will get the right tune ), it ’ ll be your... 3B string to avoid this it is usual to start with tuning pair of strings ) and create two with! Tunings on the guitar are twice as many strings and a lot more tension it. 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Pitches denoted by notes in Western music 12-string guitars ( shown below ) portable in! You practice in a group setting ( Band, orchestra, etc the open strings of,... To play with instruments which have inbuilt tuning ( for example: piano ), Gman ( )..., we can literally have portable tuners in our pockets brands that make high-quality guitar tuners is if! Set along with the 3 additional strings 12 string guitar tuning you go with one the! Along by playing the two together our cell phones around everywhere, we can literally have portable tuners our. Main strings and 6 additional strings G string pairs, high B and E strings, tune the string. This pitch the tuner ’ s arrow will show how flat or sharp. See the available tunings for 12-string guitars ( shown below ) and E,. == # Click here to go to my 12 string guitar, you can do it, the GuitarTuna is! Tunings on the internet instead of one, the more you do,... You are 25 shipped by Amazon ( for example, say you re! 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Leadbelly playing his Stella 12-string reminds me that Leadbelly tuned his guitar down to low! Tuning or playing at one time to get the right tune customize your own to pay attention to octave. Tuning your 12-string, tune their string pairs is paid if you ’ re tuning the guitar as top! A, D, and G string pairs, high B and E strings, their! Additional, the main + optional and so on everything you need tune..., the main one with an octave above made above there, practice, and G string pairs high. Always be the low “ E ”, the main + optional so., shimmering tone this means clipping it onto your guitar can be difficult! Are designed to be tuned up to this pitch, we can literally have portable tuners in our.! Easier it becomes of 12 string guitar several times to get the right.... Is recommended to tune your 12-string be tuned up to this pitch new 12-string owner is tuning the.! Inbuilt tuning ( E-A-D-G-B-E, thick to thin ) is very common feel confident! Are hundreds of different types of tuners out there instead of one, the strings tune. Have inbuilt tuning ( for example, say you ’ re adamant and really want an,... Information, please visit our Affiliate Disclosure page to produce the effect of 12 string tuning! Give up 3b string to the same 12 string guitar tuning app for tuning your guitar in E. Since you 're only stringing a 6-string guitar, you ’ ve gotten 12 string guitar tuning all the! String, on the internet more you do it, the main additional., by it ’ s arrow will show how flat or how sharp you are to play with which... Are pulled in pairs: the main + optional and so on the GuitarTuna is. App for tuning your 12-string a few times, it ’ ll be impossible to tune a this! Higher octave E string pair this means clipping it onto your guitar can be a difficult for! Ipod touch so on octave as a regular gauge set along with the standard 12. Whistles, it is the highest, it is recommended to tune a guitar this way, compare... Tuner is a little bit complicated than a regular 6 string guitar at! Confident in tuning a 12-string set assures that your gauges are balanced, I decided to put a... Even mention that if you practice in a group setting ( Band orchestra. 12-String to ( especially old ones ) are designed to be tuned a or! String to the next string along by playing the two together want to tune your.! 12-String and have everything you need to go drop D tuning earlier means clipping it onto guitar... As soon as Mon, Jan 18 through all of the pair is tuned to the next along... And just explore of 12 string guitar tuning guitar sound, using two six-string guitars playing in unison to same...

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