How ToTune Your Guitar.....Manually

Getting the hang of your first chords? Learning how to play that funky music?
Not so fast. Better learn the basics first and make sure that the guitar is in tune.

This is a short tutorial for beginners.
Now, others would suggest a tuning fork (which works if you are not tone deaf) or maybe you have bought an acoustic with the built-in tuner (comes with the high price though). Either way, there will be times when the only available guitar is the classic one and you better know how to do this the old way.


Note: For guitar convention, the topmost base string is the #6th string while the last string or the thinnest is the first.
You'll see this on some guitar tabs you'll play as you level up your skills later on.


On your own. Here we go.

6th string, 5th fret

6th String, 5th Fret
This is the most critical part as the lowness or the highness of the guitar tune will depend on this step. After tuning the 6th string to your desired pitch, this influences the rest of the strings. An open 6th string is normally an "E" note by convention. Adjust this to the standard "E" tuning.
The trick here is to memorize a song or a tune in your head that you play using mostly the 6th string. For me, I use the intro from "Come As You Are" by Nirvana. This is one of my favorite songs so I have the pitch and tone in my head-and-ear already. 
Now, after getting the "E" right, hit the note of the 6th string on the 5th fret. You are actually playing the base note "A" or "la" in classic note octave.
Pluck it alternately with the 5th string (open). They must sound the same. If not, adjust the 5th string to get it to sound the same as the 6th string. Play a song in power chords using only the two strings. Sounds good? You got the 6th and 5th string in tune.

5th string, 5th fret

5th String, 5th Fret
Hit the 5th string on 5th fret. You are now playing the base note "D" or "re" on octave. Pluck this alternately with the 4th string (open). The 5th string and the 4th string must sound the same. If not, adjust the 4th string until the strings sound exactly the same. You now have the three base strings in tune.

4th String, 5th Fret
Play the 4th string on 5th fret. This note is "G" or "so" on octave. Pluck this alternately with the 3rd string (open). The 4th string and the 3rd string must sound exactly the same. Again, make adjustments to the 3rd string if this is not the case. You now have 6th, 5th, 4th, and 3rd strings in tune. Two more to go.

4th string, 5th fret

3rd string, 4th fret

3rd String, 4th Fret

Play the 3rd string on 4th fret. This note is "B" or "so" on octave. Pluck this alternately with the 2nd string (open). The 3rd string and the 2nd string must sound exactly the same. Adjust the 2nd string as needed. You now have 5 strings in tune.

2nd String, 5th Fret
Last string to go. Play the 2nd string on 5th fret. This note is "E" once more at higher octave. Pluck this alternately with the 1st string (open). The 2nd string and the 1st string must sound exactly the same, otherwise, adjust the 1st string. You now have all 6 strings in tune.

2nd string, 5th fret

Play your memorized song (by head and by ear) to test your tuning. If the rhythm sounds good, you got it!
As simple as that.

Now keep playing, rock on, and play that funky music! Of course, I prefer punk.


This is Red. Thanks for coming in my room. The Red Room.

My Own Bag

It's spreading like virus in Metropolis Manila and nearby areas. So what exactly is the fuzz all about? It’s a campaign both by the government and private sectors to help reverse or at least minimize the effect brought about by solid wastes particularly plastics that choke the landfills and river systems.

A truce for the non-use of plastic bags with the battle cry of urging the people to bring their own bag when they buy stuff from groceries, convenient stores, supermarkets, boutiques, and almost all sari-sari stores that you can find.Now, instead of plastic bag, you’ll get a brown paper bag to pack the items you bought. That is, if you were not able to bring your own bag. So, imagine the hassle if you buy half a dozen beer at 711 and you are already half-drunk. Chances are, the brown bag tears apart before you reach the house and the chicks waiting will be pissed-off big time! You know what I mean.

Now, yours truly was not spared from all this as well and the notes that you will read below are my first hand experience on coming to terms with the M.O.B. craze. Red Hendrix without his own bag at the Supermarket.

Don’t get me wrong guys, I love papers and paper products, but, I like plastics as well having grown up playing with Lego blocks, plastic toy guns, plastic action figures. I mean, hell, my Dad use to lovingly hit me with plastic hangers whenever I have tantrums haha!

Anyway, here’s the scene from the cash registers of a local Supermarket last Sunday. Long queue on all payment registers…20 to 25 minutes including the packing time. Remember, I don’t have a bag and they need to improvise using recycled carton boxes to pack my items. This usually takes 5 to 10 minutes tops back when they use them plastic bags.

Was I pissed-off? Blood-thirsty? Fishing for a fist-fight? Not really. Cool-headed as I was, I begun to observe. Observe not only the gorgeous ladies waiting on the line, but, the commotion over M.O.B. Not long enough, an old timer beside me breaks his silence. “What kind of a policy is this!? They don’t allow plastic bags and then they sell you polyester counterparts and they get extra income! It’s a money-making crap!”.

ECO Bag on sale at a minimum price

 

Blood pressure shooting up and all.

Oh Yeah! I sensed resistance to change even if the change is for the better. It’s a natural thing though. Getting people out of their comfort zone is not always easy.

Here’s where I played my part being well exposed to Environmental Management programs at work and being a natural chatter-box. Red to the Old Dude, “Yeah, sure they will profit from the polyester bag. It may even be their biggest seller now and it’s everywhere”. The guy looks at me and probably said at the back of his head “Who the hell is this smock and who asked for his opinion?”. But, before he could finish that sentence, I told him, “It’s just a one-time buy, won’t cost much, and unlike plastics bags, won’t end up in landfills and rivers and helps the environment get a breather.”I was expecting an outburst, but, to my surprise, he totally agreed! Exact words to Red, “Dude, you’re right. People should definitely support this policy. I mean, it’s not a breeze now but we need to change some ways if we want a cleaner place.”.

I swear I could hear the theme song from Captain Planet and the Planeteers cartoon show after he said that.

After Effects? So who makes and who breaks on all this? Obviously, Environmental Management efforts gets a boost! We may not see the bigger picture here, but the cost of managing our waste is very high. Government budget for this has never been enough. On the flipside, if you are making dough out of selling cartons and we know that giant supermarkets generate tons of cartons every month and this means money for Scrappers. If Supermarkets now continue to use recycled cartons to pack groceries, this will affect the scrap business in some way.Let’s not forget the plastic bag manufacturers. This is definitely a sales killer for them. Personally, I would eventually lose my stock of plastic grocery bags that I re-use as garbage bag in my room. I would have to buy garbage bags for this….plastic again? Damn!

Really depends on which side of the fence you’re on.

Red’s Take on M.O.B.

My take on this is on the Fat Bottom line! Papers cost more, Plastics cost less, Papers biodegrades and trees grow, Plastics takes thousands of years to decompose, etcetera, etcetera…So for me, 100% support on M.O.B.Man, other countries have been doin it for decades (see 80s films of sexy ladies doing shopping and they usually gets mugged or raped while holding brown paper bags). Next time I go for groceries, I will bring My Own Bag!Besides, I promised the pretty cashier that I will not give her a hard time packing my items the next time I shop by having My Own Bag! Did I just repeat that?

No to Plastics Bags! Just bring your Own Bags!

Lastly, I paid almost 5000 pesos at the cashier for my grocery items. What the hell happened!!!? Oh well, life.

This is Red, Thanks for coming inside my Room…The Red Room.

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