How to tune a guitar down a semitone

The main reason for the restructuring of the guitar is the performing style and musical material. Famous musicians and singers prefer to use a certain system and make it a characteristic feature of their work.

Tuning the guitar down a semitone

What will be required

To tune your guitar a tone lower, the easiest way is to purchase a chromatic tuner . The accuracy of determining each note is half a tone, so the musician has to follow the instructions of the device. The tuner displays semitones like this:

• # – a sharp sign, which raises the note by half a tone;
• b is a flat sign that lowers the note by half a step.

In addition to a portable tuner and in the form of a clothespin that is attached to the fingerboard , or a separate device, they use online programs. Both methods are convenient, but using the online tuner requires a high-quality microphone that accurately displays the sound.

If the musician has a good ear, he can tune the instrument using a tuning fork: the first string is tuned first, and the rest, except for the 3rd, which must be pressed at the 4th fret , are clamped at the 5th fret . Each pressed string should sound the same as the lower open one.

A difficult but possible way to properly tune a guitar down a semitone is to match the sound of the instrument to the song. It is enough to choose a musical composition in which the solo part of the guitar would be expressed, and achieve sounding in unison on your instrument.

Smartphone tuner apps

For Android:

• Guitar Tuna
• Ultimate Guitar Tuner
• Guitar tuning

For iOS:

• Guitar Tuna
• Pro Guitar Tuner

step by step plan

Tuning by tuner

The instruction is:

1. The instrument is placed close to a tuner or a microphone that transmits sound to the program. The optimal distance is 20-40 cm. It is recommended to bring the socket in which the resonators are concentrated. Eliminate extraneous noise.
2. At first , the tuner shows the current state of the note.
3. If the arrow on the tuner is on the left side, the string is lowered, on the right side, the string is up.
4. When the string is tuned correctly, the scale on the tuner e falls into the green compartment or lights up in green. If not, the scale moves away or the red indicator lights up. Some models make a sound.

With 1st and 2nd string

Listening is done like this:

1. Check the tuning of the instrument to make sure that the tuning is standard at the moment.
2. The 2nd string is clamped on the 4th fret – this is E-flat. Without releasing the fret , you need to tune the 1st string, achieving the same sound.
3. Then the order is as follows: the 4th and 5th string, clamped at the 5th fret , sound the same; The 4th is clamped on the 5th fret and the 3rd string is tuned in unison ; The 2nd string sounds in unison with the 3rd, clamped at the 4th fret .

other methods

You can lower the system by half a step using a capo – a special clamp that is placed on the strings of the 1st fret a. This is a convenient way that allows you not to re-tune the guitar. As soon as the clip is removed from the instrument, the guitar sounds again in standard tuning.

To quickly lower the guitar tuning, professional musicians use a special device – a guitar effect. The pedal lowers the sound not only by half a step, but also by an octave.

Possible errors and nuances

When retuning the guitar to low semitones, you need to take into account that the tension of the strings has decreased. If the strings are not thick enough, it is recommended to change them. The need arises when the tool has a long scale – from 26 inches. Thick strings give a richer sound. It is worth using a braided 3rd string to make it sound full.

Why tune a guitar down a semitone?

The restructuring of the instrument is associated with causing inconvenience to the untrained fingertips of a novice guitarist with highly stretched strings. The musician loosens the pitch to get used to the instrument. Setting the guitar a tone lower helps to achieve a comfortable key for playing songs and singing along with the guitar: it is comfortable not only for the voice, but also for the hands, since it eliminates the need to take the barre.

Answers to frequently asked questions from readers

Summing up

Various methods are used to tune the guitar a semitone below. One of the easiest is picking by ear – just press the desired strings on the frets to re-tune the instrument. A tuner and a capo are also used – with the help of devices it is easier to achieve the desired sound.