How To Tune Your Guitar By Ear

1. The very first thing you need to know is that learning to tune your guitar takes time.

Some things on guitar can be learned in minutes, some in days, and others in weeks, but tuning will sometimes take even longer, because you have to train your ears. If results come slowly or don't seem to be making any progress, don't be discouraged, just keep working at it.

2. It will help you to know that the ear is a very skilled instrument for taking in sound. Your ear hears four things in each sound: Pitch, Duration, Volume and Tone Quality.

Pitch is how high or low the sound is. Duration is how long it lasts. Volume is how loud it is. Tone quality is the "character" of the sound. If we were to play the same pitch, at the same volume, for the same length of time on piano, clarinet, flute, violin, guitar, doorbell, or car horn, your ear could tell one instrument (or car horn) from another because of the tone quality. That's because each instrument has a different "character" or "personality" of sound. You can prove you have this ability to tell one sound from another by listening to sounds without looking where they come from.

The point I want to emphasize is that you already hear very well. Learning to tune your guitar is learning a new way of using your hearing.

3.The next thing to know is that when you are tuning your guitar you want to listen only to the pitch of the strings. The quality of the pitch will differ between two strings, and this may at first confuse your ear. You'll mistake the difference in quality as a difference in pitch. For example when playing the first string open and the second string at the fifth fret, you may notice that the first string may sound 'crisper', while the second string will sound a little "darker" in quality. The darker quality of the string at first can be misunderstood to sound lower in pitch. (You may use different words to explain how the strings sound to you, but the idea is that the tone quality of each string will sound different). If you understand that the ear hears a combination of pitch, volume, duration and quality all at the same time, it will help you to filter out the quality from the pitch and overcome the basic problem of tuning.

4. The steps involved in tuning your guitar: The first step is to tune one string to a note from another source. You could use another guitar (one that has already been tuned), a piano, or somebody that know how to tune could guide you along.

A better source is a tuning fork. (It's better because you don't need anybody else around or any other instrument. If, for example you learn to tune to a piano, you're going to have a problem if ever you need to tune and there's no piano handy).

A tuning fork is a U shaped piece of metal with a stem on it. The fork is designed to vibrate at a particular pitch. You can get one that gives you the pitch of the first string on the guitar. (Look for one that has the letter E and the number 329.6 stamped on the stem).

To use the tuning fork you hold it by the stem, tap the U shaped fork against something solid, and place the stem (not the tip of the fork) on either the body, or the bridge of your guitar. (For electric guitars can place it on the pickup). You should hear the note which the vibrating fork produced. The note is the correct "source".

You now adjust the first string to match the pitch of the tuning fork. You do this by finding the correct tuning gear for this string and then turning the gear slowly in one direction or the other. After about half a turn you should hear the string change pitch either up or down. This will tell you which way you have to turn the gear to tighten the string (to raise the pitch) and which way to loosen the string (to lower the pitch).

Now compare the sound of the string with the sound of the tuning fork. If the string is lower than the tuning fork, tighten the string to raise the pitch. If the string is higher than the tuning fork, loosen the string to lower the pitch.

Go slowly. Do not turn the gear rapidly. Turn about a quarter of a turn and then compare the string to the tuning fork again. (You'll have to strike them both again). You'll probably have to repeat this process several times. When the string sounds close to the fork make smaller turns.

When you think the first string is in tune, use the following steps (one to five) to tune the rest of the strings. (Remember, you can only tune as well as your ears hear now. With practice, you can become a better tuner). The following steps repeat the process of matching one pitch with another. The difference is that instead of using a tuning fork you will listen to the string you have just tuned, and try to match the next string to this one.

1. Place the finger behind the fifth fret of the 6th string. This will give you the tone of the 5th sting. (A)

2. Place the finger behind the 5th fret of the 5th string to get the pitch of the 4th string. (D)

3. Place the finger behind the 5th fret of the 4th string to get the pitch of the 3rd string. (G)

4. Place the finger behind the FOURTH FRET of the 3rd string to get the pitch of the 2nd string. (B)

5. Place the finger behind the 5th fret of the 2nd string to get the pitch of the 1st string. (E)

Mike Hayes is a guitar teacher, author, performing musician and session guitarist with over 30 years of professional experience. Mike's methods are legendary and have earned the praise of top authorities in guitar instruction. He reveals his guitar secrets at http://www.GuitarCoaching.com.Rental Property Investment
Crestor Law Suit
21st Career Century Development In
Tea Tree Oil And Lavender
Club Estate Investment Pennsylvania Real
2008 Honda Crv
Holidays
Bridgestone Motorcycle Tire
Cartoon Dog Name
Sanyo Mp3
Software Stock Ticker
Napa Valley
Acne Home Cure
Toy Fishing Pole
Cheap Glass Beads
Insulin Types
Simply Corsica
Utility Room
1 District Elementary Phoenix School
Contractor General License State Washington
Naperville Limousine
13th Birthday Party
Customer Relationship Crm
Sea
0 60 Pontiac Grand Prix Gtp
07 Challenge Ea Madden Sports
Mesothelioma Information Law
Real8
Html Myspace Codes
1 Dispenser Hot Hot Water
For Project Management
Girl With Ice Cream Cone
Gonzaga Basketball Schedule
Mabe Pearl Earrings
Columbus Indiana Obituary
Cd Wallet 3 Ring Binder
Used Flats Boats
Europe Kanye Mtv Video West
Missouri Case
1 Apartment Cat Search
Lamp
Low Rider Magazine Rim
0 Balance Transfer For Life
Airline Cheap Discount Military Ticket
Marin Subaru
Real Time Earth Quake
Dieters Green Tea
Baseball Cap Tactical
Name Of Kosher Food
007 Xbox Cheat Code X
1 2 Carat Diamond Earring Stud
Cheap Flight To Japan From Uk
Pet Sitting Minneapolis
1000 Calorie A Day Vegetarian Diet
02 Magazine
Hike Trek Water
007 Agent Under Fire Xbox
1 Day Detox Diet
Cruise Disney Package Vacation
Download Free Nextel Ringtone Software
Engraved Business Card Holder
Gym Equipment Manufacturer
Blitz The League
Enkei J10
Dating Online Sim
Aaa Amsterdam Guide Guide Spiral Spiral
Hotel And Motel In Pigeon Forge
1812 Age Fighting Naval Sail Story War
Carb Diet Free No Plan
Apparel Basketball Carolina North
Basketball College Las Tournament Vegas
Dog Pedigree
3652 Grandle Chaise Lounge
Construction
Based Business Free Internet
Chocolate Coconut Recipe Pie
Chicago Hotel House Illinois Palmer
Michigan High School Football
Investment Strategy Hedge Funds
11000 Ed Magic Sing
2006 Aa Aa Bed Breakfast France Guide In Lifestyle S
Radio
Cursor Free Glitter Myspace
Career
1 Apple Gb Ipod Mp3 Nano Player
Vw Car Part
Bowflex Reviews
Great White Shark Facts
Wholesale Jewelry Box
Fortune 100
Barbie Dress Game Online Play Up
Latest Body Building Supplement
Fun Myspace Put Stuff
Karaoke System Or Package
Machine Snacks Vending
0 0 Apr Balance Card Credit Transfer
Machine Mini Vending
05 Air Bag Mustang
Block Wall
Motorcycle Accidents Nc
Rule Of American Football Nfl
Celebrity
Peak Fitness Center
Department Health Indiana Mental
Real13
Apartment Finder Fireplace
Letterman Jacket
A New Pair Of Glasses
Earring Gold Hoop Name
Houston Beauty Day Spa
Southern Gospel Karaoke

Higher Ground Negotiations: Don't Compromise Your Position with a Compromise

I still remember sitting in the car with our French representative on the way to our customer's factory north of Paris some five years ago. At that time I was Director International Sales for a German technology company. The conversation went this way.

"Alain, what do you think? How much of a discount will Monsieur Ribault expect? You know, we offered the instrument including all accessories, installation and commissioning for 350,000 USD."

"The last time, we sold the same machine for 280,000 USD was four years ago. Also, I know, you added some features to the machine that improved its performance. However, knowing M. Ribault, it will be tough to achieve a higher price than last time."

"The price for the previous machine was already at the bottom. Our cost increased, not decreased, with higher wages, higher material cost and improved design. So we need a higher price this time."

"Well, we can try to get him on 300,000 USD. Would that still be acceptable?" I inquired.

"Actually not, but o.k. At the same time we need this order now, so if he can decide immediately, we are willing to compromise to 300k."

I knew that M. Ribault was a tough negotiator but I also knew that his company, a multi-national automotive corporation, was very satisfied with the machine they bought four years earlier.

When we met M. Ribault, he opened the conversation by saying that his top management's requirement was to reduce the cost for any supplier by 3.5% per year on the average. This policy was introduced the year before.

M. Ribault was not a man of many words and he frankly stated: "We need your price to go down by 7% at least, i.e. the maximum we can pay for this machine is 260,000 USD. If you can't follow our policy and efforts to reduce our cost, I'm afraid that we will need to look for alternative suppliers."

Wow, there I sat, expecting to get a better price and now I had an important customer seriously saying that if we didn't lower our price to 260,000 USD, we would be out of the game.

At first, I tried to explain why in this case it was impossible for us to lower the price and that we actually needed 7% more, not less. I realized quickly that this attempt would lead nowhere.

So what to do? Negotiate and pressure him so long until we reached a somewhat still tolerable compromise? Perhaps to reach at least the same price as last time? Give up? Give in? It seemed like one of us had to lose and that one would most likely be us, no matter if we compromised or not.

When I thought more about it, I realized that M. Ribault's company would also lose. I knew that our instrument was by far the best the solution they could get for this application, so if we gave up, they would lose by choosing another supplier. If we gave in, they would lose because with such a bad margin on our side, service would be reduced to an absolutely necessary minimum in order to recover at least some of the lost margin.

Was it a lose-lose situation that couldn't be overcome?

Suddenly, I realized that any common ground would not be attractive enough. We had to do something outside the box to turn this negotiation into a win-win situation for both parties.

Traditional negotiation practice teaches you to optimize your position when trying to establish a common ground. Common ground negotiations are straight forward and usually the fastest way to achieve an agreement. In most cases, they require compromises from one or both parties. Common ground negotiations are the appropriate procedure if the compromises are still attractive for both parties. Unfortunately this is often not the case.

So what do we normally do?

We either compromise our desired position through a sub-optimal compromise or we pressure the other party into an undesirable compromise, or both. In the worst-case scenario, we exit and let the negotiation fail.

Some might think, well, no problem if the other party compromises their position as long as we get what we want. A win-lose situation is a win for us and therefore is o.k.

I wholeheartedly disagree with this concept.

I strongly believe that if one party loses, both parties lose. Any win-lose situation eventually ends up as a lose-lose situation and is therefore not desirable.

So what else to do?

The answer is "Higher Ground Negotiation" which means to leave the common ground and to look for a higher ground that is attractive to both negotiation parties. To do this successfully, we need to have a few pre-conditions in place:

1. True trust between both parties

I elaborated on the issue of trust and it's three key elements in our July edition of this E-Zine. Kindly refer to this section.

2. The willingness of both parties to create win-win situations

Of course, many hardcore negotiators still believe that a win-lose outcome is desirable. You may attempt to change your negotiation partners' beliefs on this by coaching them through the potential consequences of win-lose situations. However, if this turns out not to be fruitful, you will need to decide on whether or not you want to continue doing business with people who want you to lose every time you deal with them.

3. A thorough understanding of what is important to the other party

If you have built some trust with your negotiation partners, they will help you understand what is truly important to them...and that may go way beyond the price of your product or service. You need to gain a thorough understanding of the other party to find a higher ground that is attractive to both them and you.

Once you have these three pre-conditions in place, you can start exploring an attractive higher ground. You will have to think outside the box and be creative. A solution might not be evident right away, so you might need to do some meaningful brainstorming.

In the case of our French customer, we discovered that there was an upcoming need for certain other products this company would typically source from our competitors. For a long time, my colleagues had tried to sell these kinds of products, but without success. I knew that we had rather big margins on them and could compensate for the loss of margin caused by selling the other instrument at 260,000 USD.

So everybody won. M. Ribault got his cost reduction, we got the order not only for this instrument but also for the other products and therefore could still get a good overall margin...and my colleagues were happy to finally get a chance to have their equipment employed at this important company.

Conclusion: "Winning" in negotiations means creating win-win situations. If one party loses, ultimately both parties lose. If the traditional approach of finding a common ground doesn't lead to any attractive outcome for either party, you may need to look for a higher ground. Higher Ground Negotiations require trust, the desire for win-win situations on both sides, and a thorough understanding of what is important to the other party. With creative out-of-the-box thinking, an attractive higher ground can be found which results in true win-win situations making it unnecessary for you to compromise your position with a compromise.

Copyright 2006 Progress-U Ltd.

Charlie Lang's mission is to change the image of sales through the completely buyer-oriented Stop Selling! approach. He is a passionate and professional executive Coach, Trainer, Public Speaker and Author of over 100 articles related to leadership, coaching, change management and innovative sales. For more info visit http://www.progressu.com . To receive his monthly articles on sales or leadership, visit https://secure.thriva.com/Reg/Form.aspx?IDTD=1259&IDRPH=2039Michigan Shopping Mall
50 Healthiest In Live Place Retire State United
Boot Cowboy Custom Lady
1 B Bomber Vitamin
Newspaper Obituary Star Toronto
After Life Loss Surgery Weight
Real Estate Online
Rock Tumbling Grit
Basketball Coloring Picture
Wrist Wallet Bands
Bills Book Store
America Award Latin Mtv Music
Littlest Pet Shop Home Page
Dvd Rip To Divx
100 Top Psychics In America
If Jesus Last Life Minute Postcollege Preparation Senior Were
1 Discount Vitamin
1947 Ford Pickup Truck
Customer Relationship Providers
Secret Garden By Nancy Friday
Vending Machine Business For Sale
Mount Washington Ca Real Estate
Contractor Electric Minneapolis
Club North Soccer Toronto
Early Earth Hit Japan Quake
7 Allows Anxiety Anxiety Based Brain Depression Depression Heal Healing Program Revolutionary See That Type
0800 Horoscopes
Dog Breed Search
Chaise Lounge England
Little League Soccer
06 Costume Halloween Hot
10 12 Garden Shed X
Dress Up Real People
Ipod Satellite Radio
Dance
Finance International Phd
Mobile Home Loan San Diego
Cal 34 Sail Boat
Gatwick Heathrow Shuttle
Wholesale Sheer Fabric
Thank You Note Etiquette
Free Play Radio
2002 Global Warming
High School Baseball Bat
Real28
Celebrity
Brazilian Restaurant In Houston
Plug In Hanging Lamp
Real Time Satellite Pic
Bee Bumble Soccer Sock
1 Fr
Tool Tabs
Apartment For Rent In Orange County Ny
2 Carb Diabetes Diet Low Managing Type
Motorola Cellular Phones
06 Costume Party
How Long Is A Hockey Game
Business
Wear Woman Workout
Dwarf Figurine Seven Snow White
Cowboy Costumes
1 1 1 2bstations 417 Radio Top
Jersey Mexico Soccer
Gift Perfume Set Woman
Sea Doo Manual
Bank Of America Military Online Banking
04 Gsxr
Real15
T Bag Luggage
Mp3 Beethoven Fur Elise
12 Part Spa
Shalimar Wedding Chapel Las Vegas
Pepper Spray Self Protection
Retail Store For New Balance Tennis Shoes
Hockey
Hacienda Hotel And Spa
Hair Man Permanent Removal
Normal Body Temp
Super Nintendo Parts
Divorce Lawyer Orlando
Mortgage Reno Nevada
Antivibration Gloves
Flight Status Tracker
Red Book Magazine Online
Refinance Interest Rates
Sba Loan Default
Digital Retouching
Best Party City
Location Stops Truck
Gina Lee Nolin
Earring
Cartoon Naruto Network
Flight Hong Kong Oasis
Vicodin Rapid Detox
Vietnamese Karaoke Download
Mtv Music Award Ticket
Boy Girl High School
Basketball Duke Womens
Tension Superficial
10 Acne Top Treatment
Real19
Holiday Check
Attorney Divorce Law Ohio
Chicago In Max Office
Dog Mascot Costume
0 Campaign Email Marketing Softwaresbox
Bed Disney Princess Set Toddler
Port Augusta
Healthy Dessert For Kid
Modern Small House Plan
110 Vac