About out-of-tune guitar

An out-of-tune guitar is a misfortune not only for the musician, but for everyone around him. And if the listeners experience violence against their aesthetic sensations and hearing, then when playing a detuned guitar, a person threatens not to hit the note, get used to the wrong sound, and acquire the skill of playing incorrectly. The guitar should be tuned regularly, ideally before each playing session.

But after a while it turns out that the sound is not the same, the guitar is out of tune. This phenomenon has its reasons.

Why is this happening

Strings are the main element of plucked musical instruments. These are steel or nylon threads that, when vibrated, create air vibrations. The latter are amplified by a resonator body or electric pickups, and sound is obtained. A properly stretched string vibrates at a certain frequency. If the tension of the string and its length change, then along with this the frequency is lost , and the string sounds differently (below).

When a guitar is out of tune, it means that its strings are weakened, it is impossible to extract a note in the right fret , the chord takes on the character of a chaotic combination of sounds.

Stretching the strings and breaking the tuning is a natural process. Even the most correct guitar and expensive quality strings will require tuning in a few months, even if they are not touched. Another thing is that many factors exacerbate the process of disruption.

The owner of the tool should pay close attention to them.

Reasons for detuning a guitar

• Natural process . The strings are made of a fairly elastic material. According to the laws of physics, being stretched, it always tends to return to its original form. However, under load, the parameters change little by little. The strings stretch like an old spring, so they have to be tightened by turning the peg mechanism . Nylon strings stretch more and longer than metal strings.
• Wood deformation . The neck and body of the guitar are made of wood, which is subject to changing states. It can dry out, stick out, or vice versa, become more dense. The change in the structure of the wood is not visible to the eye, but it affects both the length of the strings and the acoustic properties of the instrument.
• environmental conditions . Humidity and temperature are some of the biggest factors that will cause your guitar to go out of tune. Both parameters have a strong effect on all elements of the tool. So when you play in the cold, you will notice that the guitar has changed its tuning. As for humidity, in high concentration it is dangerous for the guitar.
• The peg mechanism is out of order . In old and low-quality new guitars, there is a phenomenon of idling – when you turn the flag, and the peg itself does not start to move immediately. This is due to the development of the peg mechanism . You also need to carefully tighten the fasteners – the screws screwed into the tree may begin to wrap around the axis.
• Bridge needs adjustment . If an acoustic guitarfixed tailpiece , then an electric guitar has springs and adjusting bolts. A common cause of an out-of-tune guitar is a bridge with a tremolo system , which is attached to the body with elastic elements. If it is not serviced in a timely manner, the guitar gets out of tune faster and faster each time.

How to fix the problem

You can deal with a quick loss of formation in different ways, but some tips are universal:

1. Change strings as they wear out . Even expensive strings deteriorate irreversibly with use.
2. Watch your guitar . Store and move it in a case or case, avoid exposure to temperature extremes and high levels of humidity.
3. Clean the guitar in a timely manner, lubricate the mechanical moving parts, tighten the fasteners.
4. Follow the neck . Sometimes the cause of a quick loss of tuning is an incorrectly twisted anchor or a led pad.

Conclusion

Careful attention to the instrument, you can prevent most of the causes of rapid loss of tuning. But if the strings are still weakened – learn to tune the guitar quickly and by ear – this will come in handy in the future.