Lesson 2: Tuning and string names

Week 2 of 27

Goal: You tune your guitar with the tuner and know the names of all six strings.

Review

Last week: sitting, strumming and Em. Warm up with your piece once: four times Em, four times open.

Step by step

  1. From thickest to thinnest the strings are: E A D G B e. Memory trick: Every Ant Digs Great Big Earthworms.
  2. Open the tuner and pluck the low E string. The display tells you: too low, too high or just right.
  3. Too low? Turn the tuning peg slowly so the string gets tighter, and keep plucking while you turn. Too high? Loosen a bit first, then tune up to the note.
  4. Tune all six strings one after the other this way. Then check them all once more – often one has moved a little. More in Tuning the guitar.
  5. Hear the difference: play Em before and after tuning. In tune, the chord sounds much clearer.
  6. Care: after practising, wipe the strings with a dry cloth and put the guitar in its bag or on a stand – not next to the heater and not in bright sun.

Time to make music: your piece

Strum Em four times, then pluck only the low E string four times – back and forth, round and round. In the rhythm tool “Only down”, slow tempo.

To the tuner

Practise rhythm Pattern: Only down

Homework for next time

Five days, about ten minutes each:

  • Tune first every day – string by string with the tuner.
  • Days 1–2: say the string names out loud while plucking each one.
  • Days 3–4: your piece with the metronome, slowly.
  • Day 5: eyes closed – which string are you plucking? Say its name.
  • Fun: make up your own memory trick for E A D G B e.

Done when …

  • you can tune all six strings with the tuner
  • you know the string names from low to high

If you get stuck

  • The display jumps around? Pluck one string on its own, firmly, and keep the others quiet. A quiet room helps the microphone.
  • Worried the string will snap? Turn in small steps while you pluck. If the note gets much higher than expected, turn back.
For teachers: lesson plan
  1. ≈ 10 min Warm-up: the group says the string names together while the teacher plucks each string.
  2. ≈ 15 min Practice: tune in pairs – one turns the pegs, the other reads the tuner and says “higher” or “lower”.
  3. ≈ 20 min Together: play the piece round and round – first everyone Em, then everyone the low E string. It sounds so much better in tune!

Differentiation: those who are confident play the piece with down-up or help a partner; those who need more time strum only on beat one of each bar.

For the board: openstring.de/gitarre/en/lesson/2/

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