Jazz Guitar Method - Chapter 02 - Tuning & Setup
Jazz Guitar Method - Chapter 02 - Tuning & Setup
Jazz Guitar Method - Chapter 02 - Tuning & Setup
I’ve lately felt that guitar music really should be written on a Grand Staff, like piano music. In standard
tuning, our lowest open string is tuned to the E which is normally notated on the first ledger line below the
Bass Clef staff. Our highest open string is tuned to the E that is normally notated on the 1st line of a Treble
Clef staff. Our high E at the 12th fret is tuned to the pitch that is normally notated on the 4th space of a Treble
Clef staff.
But virtually all guitar music is notated an octave higher than it actually sounds so that music that is writ-
ten for the guitar will fit nicely on a single Treble Clef staff. This is fine for reading guitar music but creates
some conceptual problems when *thinking* about music on the guitar.
But no-one’s really going to listen to me so we might as well get used to things the way they are. Just try
to be aware which note you are really playing when you are improvising or reading a guitar part and get com-
fortable reading non guitar music “up” an octave from where you would if it were an actual guitar part (like
the music you would see in a fake book).
Figure 1: This is where the guitar’s open string’s pitches really SOUND.
Open 2nd String E
& œ
œ
E
œ
Open 5th String D Open 3rd String B Open 1st string
? œ
œ œ
Open 6th String A Open 4th String G
Figure 2: This is where the guitar’s open strings’ pitches are WRITTEN in guitar music.
Guitar
œ
E Open 5th String D Open 3rd String B Open 1st string
& œ œ
œ œ
œ
Open 6th String A Open 4th String G Open 2nd String E
B. Using A Tuner
Tuning a guitar by ear is actually quite difficult. When I was starting out there were no electronic tuners to
help us. We learned a simple method of comparing fretted notes to open strings. This happens to be a very
good method, once your ears have developed enough to hear when two pitches are perfectly in tune with each
other, but developing those types of ears takes time.
Here’s the method. It assumes that your guitar is already properly set up and intonated:
1. Use a pitch pipe, a piano, or a tuning fork tuned to A = 440 vibrations per second to tune your A string by
ear. Your A string actually is tuned to A = 110 which is 2 octaves lower than A = 440 so this is tricky right
from the start.
2. Fretting your A string at the 5th fret produces the note D. Play this D and tune your 4th string so that it
sounds identical to the fretted note. Be extremely careful not to apply too much pressure to the fretted note or
to pull on the string from side to side or you will affect it’s pitch. This assumes that your guitar is set up prop-
erly and that fretting a note at the 5th fret will produce a D that is perfectly in tune. (Please see II. C. -
Intonation below) Once your D string is perfectly in tune proceed to step 3.
3. Fretting your D string at the 5th fret produces the note G. Play this G and tune your 3rd string so that it
5 © 1998 J. M. Goldstein
sounds identical to the fretted note.
4. Fretting your G string at the 4th fret produces the note B. Play this B and tune your 2rd string so that it
sounds identical to the fretted note.
5. Fretting your 2nd string at the 5th fret produces the note E. Play this E and tune your 1st string so that it
sounds identical to the fretted note.
6. Your low 6th string is also tuned to the note E but it is 2 octaves below the E on the 1st string. You could
just play both open E strings and tune the low one until it sounds identical to the high one but most people
find it easier to use the 6th string’s “harmonic” (Please see II. F. - Other Tuning Methods below) at the 12th
fret. This “harmonic” will produce a note that is 1 octave higher than the open 6th string.
Two notes of the same pitch or an octave apart that are out of tune will have an audible beating when they
are sounded simultaneously. Two notes of the same pitch or an octave apart that are in tune with each other
will have no beating effect. You must learn to listen very closely for this.
These days a beginner can use one of the extremely accurate and inexpensive electronic tuners that are on
the market. This is an important investment for a novice guitarist. If you are constantly practicing on a guitar
that is not in tune or is not set up properly to play in tune, all over the neck, then your hands will try to com-
pensate and you will be subconsciously tugging on the strings to make them sound in tune. This will pave the
way for many bad habits that are quite difficult to break once they take hold.
Owning a tuner and knowing how to use it can save you a lot of money too. A typical guitar shop around
here charges $35.00 for a set-up. This “set-up” is usually something extremely simple (setting the into- nation
and the string height) that you could do yourself for free if you owned a decent tuner and understood some
basic guitar mechanics. (See II. C. - Intonation below) Actually, the more you know about how your guitar
works the better off you will be anyways. It’s worth learning how to wire in your own pickups, how to change
your tuning pegs, adjust your truss rod, etc. Sometimes a musical problem you are having may not have a
musical origin. It might be your instrument!
There a few different tuner types on the market. I prefer the “chromatic” models because they are easier
and faster to use. These tuners “know” what note you are playing and simply tell you whether it is sharp or
flat. ... Simple. One thing to be careful of when you are using an electronic tuner is to make sure that only 1
string is vibrating at a time. By physically muting the other strings you will send a much clearer audio signal
to the tuner.
As far as a guitar’s tuning is concerned, it is either in tune or it isn’t. There is no middle ground. Learn to
become a fanatic about tuning now, and your musicality will develop much more quickly. I have yet to see a
guitar that stays perfectly in tune for longer than 5 minutes. They are extremely sensitive to temperature,
humidity and other factors. I always try to have a tuner in line when I’m playing a gig so that I can make
adjustments on the fly.
In the meantime, you should probably develop a rapport with a good guitar tech but plan on learning how
to do all this yourself. It’s not hard. Most guitar techs are happy to show you how to do this stuff too.
C. Intonation
In order for your guitar to play in tune across the entire fretboard the lengths of the strings in relation to
the string gauge, fret spacing and bridge placement sometimes needs adjusting. The 12th fret marks the
halfway point along each string. The vibrational frequency of the note produced at the 12th fret should be an
exact doubling of the vibrational frequency of the note produced by the open string.
Example: Your open A is tuned to A = 110 vps (Vibrations Per Second). The pitch produced at the 12th fret
of your 5th string should be exactly A = 220 vps. If it is not, then something needs to be adjusted. All electric
guitars have movable bridge saddles. By moving the 5th string’s saddle backwards or forwards we can change
the length of the string so that the open string and the fretted note at the 12th fret can be made to match. If the
12th fret pitch is sharper than the open string’s pitch, then the length of string between the 12th fret and the
bridge saddle needs to be increased. If the 12th fret pitch is flatter than the open string’s pitch, then the length
of string between the 12th fret and the bridge saddle needs to be decreased.
6 © 1998 J. M. Goldstein
D. Jazz Guitar Tone
There are a range of guitar tones that are readily recognized as the “jazz guitar sound”. It is darker and
fuller and less distorted than than the sounds usually associated with pop music. In my mind, the two most
important features of an electric guitar to get the “jazz guitar sound” are reasonably heavy strings and a hum-
bucking pickup in the neck position. It is rare for a jazz player to use any other pick up besides the neck pick
up. Single coil pickups have a thinner sound than what is usually desirable for a jazz tone.
I use a Seymour Duncan ‘59 in the neck position of all my jazz guitars. The lightest high E string that I use
for playing jazz is 0.011” gauge. I usually use a set of strings with an unwound 3rd string but most traditional
sounding jazz guitar players prefer a wound 3rd and heavier strings than me. This is, of course, highly subjec-
tive advice.
A good jazz sound can be gotten from a solid body electric. Ed Bickert uses a Fender Telecaster with a
humbucker in the neck position. His high E string is 0.012” gauge. He uses an unwound G string. However,
most jazz players prefer the sound of a good archtop acoustic-electric, strung with heavy strings.
Most jazz guitarists reduce the high end audio output from their pick-ups by turning their tone controls
down quite a bit. I believe that this is done mostly to reduce the sound the fingers make when sliding along the
wound strings. It also yields a fuller warmer sound that blends better with other acoustic instruments.
Some players use flat wound strings which are also designed to reduce the sound of finger slides.
A good whammy bar system, like a properly installed and properly setup Floyd Rose system, can actually
allow your guitar to stay in tune even better than a fixed bridge system, believe it or not! However, it is rare to
see a whammy bar system set up properly. My advice is, if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing, stay
away from these things. They can make you sound lousy even if you’re playing really well. They are not ideal
with heavy strings either.
There is a tuning method that many players use that is not really 100% accurate. This method involves
using harmonics at 2 different “nodes” along a string’s length. A “harmonic” is the pitch that results when you
lightly touch a string at spots where the string’s length is divided equally and start the string vibrating.
By lightly touching a string near the 12th fret you actually divide the string into 2 equal lengths and they
both vibrate separately. The pitch that is produced is 1 octave higher than the open string. The vibrational fre-
quency of the harmonic is exactly 2 times that of the open string.
By lightly touching a string near the 7th fret you actually divide the string into 3 equal lengths and they all
vibrate separately. The pitch that is produced is an octave plus a perfect 5th (a Perfect 12th) above the open
string. The vibrational frequency of this harmonic is exactly 3 times that of the open string.
The vibration frequency ratio of the open string to the 12th fret harmonic is 1:2. Perfect (see below)
Octaves have a vibration frequency ratio of 1:2. Perfect Unisons are 1:1, by the way. The vibration frequency
ratio of the open string to the 7th fret harmonic is 1:3. I.e. Perfect 12ths have a vibration frequency ratio of
1:3. Perfect 5ths are 2:3, by the way.
A harmonic can theoretically be created at any of the mathematical divisions of a string’s length. (1/2, 1/3,
1/4, 1/5 etc.) Each one of these mathematical divisions along the string is called a “node”. Harmonics are easi-
er to hear on the lower strings. The higher strings produce some harmonics that are too high and/or too quiet to
be perceived well by the human ear.
Examples:
The 5th string is tuned to A = 110. When you lightly touch this string near the 12th fret you cause it to be
7 © 1998 J. M. Goldstein
divided into 2 equal vibrating bodies so that the pitch A = 220 is produced. When you lightly touch this string
near the 7th fret you divide the string into 3 equal vibrating bodies and the pitch E = 330 is produced. When
you lightly touch this string near the 5th fret you divide the string into 4 equal vibrating bodies and the pitch A
= 440 is produced. Etc.
The same concept can be applied to any vibrating body and the resulting pattern of pitches produced is
known as the Harmonic Overtone Series. The theory goes like this: No matter what the length of a vibrating
body, it will vibrate in it’s full length and also in all of it’s mathematical divisions. Each one of these divisions
above the “fundamental” (the starting pitch) is known as a “harmonic”. The fundamental is called the 1st “par-
tial”. The 1st harmonic is called the 2nd “partial” etc.
The guitar tuning method I was referring to at the beginning of this sub chapter also involves the concept
of “Perfect” intervals. Most pairs of pitches, when sounded simultaneously, will produce an audible, regularly
repeating, beating sound. Not so with Perfect intervals. When two pitches are sounded that have their vibra-
tional frequencies in the simplest ratios: 1:1 (Perfect Unison), 2:1 (Perfect Octave), 3:2 (Perfect 5th) and 4:3
(Perfect 4th) this beating effect is neutralized. The Perfect intervals are Unisons, Octaves, 5ths, 4ths and their
compound intervals, double octaves, 11ths, 12ths etc.
The problem with this method of tuning is that, in most Western music, for the last few hundred years, we
have been using a tuning system where 5ths are not “Perfectly” in tune (see below)! So tuning the guitar with
any harmonics other than those that yield an octave above the open string will actually result in detuning the
guitar!
The pitches we use in contemporary Western music are actually slightly altered (aka “tempered”) from the
vibrational frequencies that occur naturally via the overtone series. What is known as the “12 Tone Equal
Temperament” scale (12 TET) has been in use since Bach’s time.
Consider this:
The overtone series of A = 110 results in the following pitches:
1st Partial A = 110
2nd Partial A = 220
3rd Partial E = 330
4th Partial A = 440
5th Partial C# = 550
6th Partial E = 660
8 © 1998 J. M. Goldstein
7th Partial G = 770
This G = 770 is 2 octaves plus a minor 7th above the fundamental A = 110. You would therefore expect
that the G which is a major 2nd below A = 110 would have a vibrational frequency of G = 96.25 by the fol-
lowing calculations:
G = 770 divided by 2 equals 385 (This is the G found 1 octave below G = 770)
G = 385 divided by 2 equals 192.5 (This is the G found 1 octave below G = 385)
G = 192.5 divided by 2 equals 96.25 (This is the G found 1 octave below G = 192.5. It should be a major 2nd
below A = 110)
As I write this, I realize that I have not explained this very well, I’m afraid. At this point it would be wise
for you to seek out a good book about musical acoustics in order to fill out your understanding of this topic.
The only point I need to make is this: In equal temperament 5ths are not “Perfect” (I.e. there is a slight beating
sound when 12 TET 5ths are sounded together) although we still use the term “Perfect” when labeling 12 TET
5ths.
In 12 TET the pitch a “Perfect” 12th above A = 110 is not E = 330 as you would expect. It is E = 329.628.
So, any method for tuning the guitar that tunes Perfect 5ths so that they have no beats will actually put the
guitar out of tune.
FYI: The formula that can be used to determine the vibrational frequency of a minor 2nd above any given
pitch in the 12 Tone Equal Temperament Tuning System is this:
(x) times 1.0594361 = (y) where (x) is the original pitch and (y) is a semi-tone above.
The following table shows the exact frequencies of the pitches in 12 TET and shows one spot on the fretboard
where these pitches are found on a well tuned and setup guitar:
9 © 1998 J. M. Goldstein
Fifth Open A 110.000
1 A#/B∫ 116.541
2 B 123.471
3 C 130.813
4 C#/D∫ 138.591
Fourth Open D 146.832
1 D#/E∫ 155.563
2 E 164.814
3 F 174.614
4 F#/G∫ 184.997
Third Open G 195.998
1 G#/A∫ 207.652
2 A 220.000
3 A#/B∫ 233.082
Second Open B 246.942
1 C 261.626 (Middle C)
2 C#/D∫ 277.183
3 D 293.665
4 D#/E∫ 311.127
First Open E 329.628
1 F 349.228
2 F#/G∫ 369.994
3 G 391.995
4 G#/A∫ 415.305
5 A 440.000
This system is consistent, in that the vibrational frequencies of all octaves are exact multiples of each
other. Example: E = 82.407 times 2 yields E = 164.814 a Perfect octave higher. Etc.
My own tuning method is as follows. It assumes that your guitar is properly intonated so that fretted notes
all across the fretboard are perfectly in tune:
Tune your A string using a pitch pipe, tuning fork, piano, electronic tuner, or whatever.
Fret your 4th string at the 7th fret (A) and adjust the tuning of the 4th string until there are no beats with the
open 5th string.
Fret your 3rd string at the 2nd fret (A) and adjust the tuning of the 3rd string until there are no beats with the
open 5th string.
Fret your 2nd string at the 10th fret (A) and adjust the tuning of the 2nd string until there are no beats with the
open 5th string.
Fret your 1st string at the 5th fret (A) and adjust the tuning of the 1st string until there are no beats with the
open 5th string.
Tune your low E string to the high E string so that there are no beats.
10 © 1998 J. M. Goldstein