Being able to tune a guitar requires that you're able to hear the subtle differences in pitch between two different notes. You can even FEEL the difference by an oscillation – or vibration – that's present when two notes aren't at the same pitch. These little cues you learn the more you play and tune your guitar become very obvious over time, and tuning becomes something that you can do quickly and easily. Of course, there's a short stretch of time before these things become clear, but now that you know about them, you know what to look for. Here are some suggestions for tuning:

• Take your time and relax. If you're tense or rushed, you will get frustrated and tuning becomes more difficult.

• Always bring the string up to the pitch; never tune down to the pitch. If you tune down to the pitch, you have extra slack behind the nut, and when you play, this gives and you'll find yourself flat and out of tune.

• Except the idea that new strings need to stretch out before they become stable. With steel strings this takes roughly a day; with nylon strings it can take as long as a week.

The tuning method described here is the easiest and the most commonly used. Most of us who have played for a while use a combination of methods as well as other things we have learned along the way. You will do the same eventually.

Standard Open String Tuning

Over the years, a standard developed on how the six open guitar strings were going to be tuned relative to one another.

• 6th string (and the thickest) is tuned to E

• 5th string is tuned to A

• 4th string is tuned to D

• 3rd string is tuned to G

• 2nd string is tuned to B

• 1st string (and the thinnest) is tuned to E

Note that the two E strings are tuned two octaves apart.

Notes on the Fretboard

Horizontal frets are set into the fingerboard down its length and perpendicular to the strings. These frets are spaced so that they evenly divide the tones produced along the strings into half-steps. Some guitars have 19 frets, some 22, some even as many as 24 frets.

One thing that should stick out for you, though, is that no matter what type your guitar is, the 12th fret is the octave. That means that the name of the note on the 12th fret is the same as the name of the note of the open string. The 12th fret tells you when the note names repeat, and that way, you can easily learn the notes and where they are on the guitar. The sequence of the notes in alphabetical order is as follows:

A-[A#/Bb]-B-C-[C#/Db]-D-[D#/Eb]-E-F-[F#/Gb]-G-[G#/Ab]-A

One thing you will want to remember is that the notes with two names - A#/Bb, for example – are the same note. When a note has two names, the names are called enharmonic, meaning two notes that sound the same and differ from each other only in name.

This is the method everyone learns first. It's very simple and straightforward.

• Begin with the Lo E, or 6th, string (the thickest) at or near the correct pitch

• Play the 5th fret of the Lo E string. This note is A, and is the same pitch as the open A, or 5th, string. Match pitches.

• Play the 5th fret of the A string. This is D, and is the same pitch as the open D, or 4th, string. Match pitches.

• Play the 5th fret of the D string. This is G, and is the same pitch as the open G, or 3rd, string. Match pitches.

• Play the 4th fret of the G string. This is B, and is the same pitch as the open B, or 2nd, string. Match pitches.

• Play the 5th fret of the B string. This is E, and is the same pitch as the open Hi E, or 1st, string. Match pitches.

Good luck to you and your future guitar adventures!