Your local source for musical instruments, lessons, repairs, and rentals.
Open Monday-Friday: 11a-7p, Saturday: 11a-6p, Sunday: Closed - Phone: 360-825-1191
Open Monday-Friday: 11a-7p, Saturday: 11a-6p, Sunday: Closed - Phone: 360-825-1191
October 2024 Blog Post
![]() What better way to start this blog than with the basics! The basics of music help provide a strong foundation for a musical journey. Whether you are new to an instrument or been playing a while, understanding tuning for your string instrument is a key component in producing the sound you want. It also helps preserve the lifespan of the instrument. Let's dive in by answering some common questions! What is tuning and why do I need to do it? Tuning is adjusting the string's pitch to produce a specific tone. This is accomplished by managing the tension of the string. Sound is made up by vibrations. When your musical instrument is making sounds it pushes waves through the air, and the characteristics of these waves impacts the notes we hear and how we interpret those sounds. When you are tuning your instrument, you are altering the frequency that your instrument is vibrating. This then changes the pitch of the sound it makes, affecting the notes you hear. Tuning is vital because it helps your instrument play notes clearly and consistently, providing good sound quality to the song or melody of choice. Ideally, you should tune your string instrument before each time you play or preform. How do I tune? The most convenient way to tune an instrument now days is by using a trusted electronic tuner. Can you imagine if we had to tune all our instruments in store by ear?! No thank you! We rely on our electric tuners to help bring our customers quality sounding instruments. With that being said, using electronic tuners is great for beginners as they are getting used to know what each of the different notes are supposed to sound like. After a while, the ear gets in tune with what each string should sound like. Learning to ear tune is beneficial, because you might not always have an electronic tuner! Traveling, camping, power outages, lack of batteries can all affect your ability to tune with an electronic tuner. You don't want to be held back from playing by some outside circumstance! Learning to tune with your ear is a good resource to have and know if you are going to continue to play music. How do I keep my instrument in tune? Propper storage is necessary when trying to keep your instrument in tune. Make sure that your instrument is not subject to major changes in temperature or humidity. When temperature and humidity fluctuate, the wooden elements on the instrument can expand and contract. Find a spot in your house where the temperature does not alternate much and ideally keep it in a case. AKA NOT the garage! Another important thing to remember is that tuning pegs or other parts of your instrument can loosen or get damaged over time. Keep an eye out on these elements and seek help tightening or replacing parts. Keep in mind that your strings should be replaced regularly depending on how often you play. If you are finding it difficult to keep your instrument in tune, your current strings may have lost their elasticity. Also, playing style can affect your tune instruments. For example, this could be a person applying to much pressure to with their bow or fingers. What if my instrument won't stay in tune? If your instrument will not stay in tune, it may mean that you need to replace the strings and/or see a professional to check out the instrument as some wear and tear could be affecting the ability to keep in tune. Luckily, for those that live around Enumclaw, we provide tune up services and will help fix and/or adjust items on your instrument to keep your instrument in tune. Come in and chat with us and we are happy to help give you some tips or take a look at it ourselves. What notes do I tune my string instrument to? Bass E, A, D, and G Cello C, G, D, and A Guitar E, A, D, G, B, E Ukulele G, C, E and A
Viola C, G, D, and A Violin G, D, A, and E. To recap... All these elements can affect your tuning. 1) Instrument material (the wood of your string instrument) 2) Thickness of your strings 3) Size and shape of the instrument 4) Playing style 5) Temp and humidity Make sure you tune before playing and replace your strings on a regular basis. Get yourself an electric tuner and over time learn to tune by ear. Thanks! Your team @Enumclaw Music ***Our goal is to be a place where you can confidently reference when you have questions or need a refresher about something. Keep this page saved so you can refer to it the next time you are tuning your instrument or have questions!*** |