How to use your standard 6-note tuner as a chromatic 12-note tuner

February 16th, 2008 Print Tip E-mail Tip

One of the great things about the guitar is the many tunings that are available besides the standard 'E' tuning (E, A, D, G, B, E - low to high). But what if you want to use an open tuning that gives you a D major chord when the top four strings are strummed unfretted. For example, instead of the top four strings being tuned (low to high) D, G, B, and E, what if you want the open notes D, F#, A and F# (low to high)? The D and A tunings are no problem as they're already found on your 6-note tuner - but the F# note is not.

In order to make the 3rd string (G) an F#, it has to be lowered one-half step. The high E-note, on the other hand, has to be sharpened a whole step to F#.

Here's how we do it:

For the G string, while fretting either the 1st fret or the 13th fret of the G string (normally a G# note), tune this fretted note to G with your electronic tuner. When you now play the open 'G' string it will sound the desired F# note.

For the high E string, while fretting the 10th fret of the high E string, tune this fretted note to E with your tuner. When you now play the open 'E' string it will sound the desired F# note.

This technique requires a bit more putzing around than tuning with open strings, but at least you can now get the chromatic tunings you want, and still use your tuner.

The basic formula to downtune a given string is tune as normal to that string's name, while fretting the string higher by the amount of frets you wish to downtune. If you want to downtune an E string to C# (= 3 frets difference), as you match on the tuner the note's normal pitch (E), fret 3 frets higher (press down either the 3rd fret or the octave 15th fret). The open E string will now sound a pitch of C#.

The formula to sharpen a given string is tune as normal to that string's name while fretting the string below the 12th fret by the same number of frets that the target note is above the 12th fret. If you want a G string to sound as Bb when played open, the note Bb is found 3 frets above the 12th fret G note. So, press down at the 9th fret of the G string and tune to G. The resultant open G string will now sound as the higher note of Bb.

Keep in mind that you can only tighten or slacken a given string so much.

GuitarNote!
You are now able to tune to Eb tuning if you wish, instead of the guitar's standard 'E' tuning. This tuning is spelled Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, Eb (low to high). It could also be spelled as D#, G#, C#, F#, A# and D# - same difference. Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan (among others) often tuned this way. The decreased tension on the strings makes them a bit more flexible and easier to bend. Another advantage of this 'dropped' tuning is that you can now play along with horns (which are perhaps in a flat key, such as Eb—normally while playing in flat keys with the guitar's standard tuning, you end up having to fret just about every note) and still use easy-to-finger guitar-friendly open strings and open chords. For example, in Eb tuning you might fret E, A and B7 chords, but the pitches they actually sound are Eb, Ab and Bb7 chords, and this makes the horns happy.