Guitar Tuning Harmonics
Quick & Accurate Tuning, Anywhere

Just like the 5th fret method, harmonic tuning tunes the guitar to itself almost perfectly (and tuning can never be perfect on an instrument made of wood with frets!)

As the name suggests, harmonic tuning uses the natural harmonics of your guitar. You can tell a harmonic from its high pitched resonance. Take a listen...

>>> Click to hear

We're going to be using these harmonics to tune our guitars, but first, if you don't already know, here's how to get the harmonic...

So, let's try this at fret 5 on the G string - what we will get is in fact a G note harmonic...

Position your finger as though you're about to fret the string, but instead of positioning it over the fret space you need to position it actually over the fret wire.

Now, instead of pressing down to fret the string/note, hold your finger over the string barely touching it. the top part of your finger should just brush over the top of the string.

Remember to keep your finger in line with the fret wire! The yellow spot in the diagram is the spot you want here.

Now strike the string as usual with your strumming hand and as soon as you hit the string, pull your fretting finger away.

You should hear something like this ring out...

click the diagrams in this lesson to hear!

If you're hearing this >>> Click to hear

...then your finger is not quite touching the string enough.

If you're hearing this >>> Click to hear

...then your finger is not releasing quick enough after you've struck the string. Also, check it's positioned on the fret wire not the space between the fret wires.

Tip: try and hit the string with the very end of your plectrum to get the sharpest strike possible - this will enhance the harmonic's presence.

I know it's easy to say, but "practice makes perfect". Seriously, the more you train your finger to position accurately as outlined above, the quicker you'll be able to throw up a harmonic when you need it.

Let's look at how to use tuning harmonics to accurately tune our guitar...

Starting with the low E string, this will be our base. It's useful to know roughly what it should sound like (honestly, your ear will pick up on commonly used notes over time - you'll be able to hear an E, A, D note etc.)

So, at the 5th fret wire we're going to use the harmonic technique outlined above for the low E string. Once the harmonic is ringing out from the E string, play the A string harmonic at the 7th fret.

They should both be ringing out together, like this...

What you need to do is listen for this vibrating sound between the harmonics and tune up or down until the vibration becomes slower and slower...until it stops.

Listen really closely to this next clip and hear the wobble!

>>> Click to hear

Did you hear it? Turn the volume up and you'll hear me tuning the A string up until the harmonic vibration is straightened out.

If the A string is tuned too high, it will have a similar wobbling effect, but you'll need to tune down and then back up (this is because tuning up provides a more solid tension, keeping the string in tune longer)

Again, listen closely for the pitch and vibration effect...

>>> Click to hear

So, once you get the harmonics of 5th fret E string and 7th fret A string nice and constant, the two strings should be tuned to each other perfectly, or almost perfectly at least!

What about the other strings?

Well, follow the same procedure with the A and D strings (tuning the D string up or down), and then the D and G string (tuning the G string up or down)...

The green square indicates the string you need to tune up or down to straighten out the vibration effect...

A and D string tuning harmonics

The B string is an awkward one for most guitars. You may find you need to do a touch of fine-tuning on the B string, because it will sound slightly out of tune on some chords if you tune it harmonically to the G string below.

Try just tuning it slightly higher, so you will actually leave the harmonics between the G and B string vibrating slightly. Every guitar I have picked up has this little B string tuning quirk - you will get used to it.

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And finally, back to the same as before with the high E string...

Using tuning harmonics can be a very quick 'n' accurate way to tune up your guitar, but it's not known by many guitarists.

Learning to play harmonics also comes in handy with lead guitar, so it's a good technique to master anyway.

Thanks for your time and hopefully see you soon!