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How to Tune a Guitar Online

Stephen Rampur
Did you know that if you didn't have a chromatic tuner, you could still tune your guitar? Online guitar tuning is the technique we are talking about here. Read this write-up to find out more about the same.
If you are a beginner and are still not used to tuning your guitar by the ear, then the facility of tuning your guitar online is just the right thing for you. Many websites dedicated to guitar basics and techniques also give information on how to tune it, and support their information with different kinds of online guitar tuners.
Worrying about which guitar tuner would be the best is not a concern as all of them create the same sound. For example, the sound 'E' will be exactly the same on all guitar tuning websites.
Depending on the way in which they help a user tune their guitar, there are two types of tuners. The first one actually takes in the string's sound frequency as an input, and displays the result on the screen. It tells you whether you need to tune the strings to a higher or lower pitch.
To send sound frequencies as input to the tuner, the guitar needs to be first connected to the computer through a special cable. The tuner acts as a virtual graphical guitar tuner, which allows a user to virtually tune the guitar. Since very few authentic websites with this facility are present on the Internet, not many users are aware of it.
The other type of tuner is that which is found on most of the guitar tuning websites. Here, the guitar doesn't have to be connected to the computer for tuning. Just switch on the speakers connected to the computer, click on any one of the displayed strings on the monitor.
Listen to the sound being played from the speakers, and then tune the same string on your guitar according to the sound. This method certainly enhances the listening skills of the guitarist.
Online guitar tuners have other functions as well, such as a metronome which provides an accurate tempo. A strum feature, which includes a continuous sound loop of all tuned strings, is another facility. The user just has to press a button on the screen and the loop starts.
He doesn't even need to click on every string individually, to check the tuning. These tuners also allow users to choose a type of sound, like a sound from either a guitar or a piano. They even have shortcut keys to perform functions.
If the user has to play the 1st 'E' string on the monitor, he simply needs to press the '1' button on the keyboard. Other facilities include drop tuning, and a delay or sustain switch which prolongs the sound produced. Such features allow the user to use the online tuner more efficiently.
To be able to use an online tuner, having a musical ear is the basic, underlying condition. This is important as it helps you determine the difference between a high-pitched note and a low-pitched one.
If you don't have this basic musical sense, you may end up with either detuned or broken strings. Using it is not recommended if you are preparing for a gig, as you would also need to be in tune with your fellow musicians.
Buying a suitable guitar might be easy, but tuning it according to one's needs is the important part. This free online guitar tuning facility has certainly proven to be very useful for beginners in guitar playing. So go ahead and get that guitar tuned, and play some great music for all to hear.