How should I tune a guitar?
JACK BARKER, PETERBOROUGH
AAh, guitar tuning. You just twiddle the things at the end of the long thing, right? Admittedly GaGu is no stringed instrument expert, but Guru has managed to distract Great Uncle Guru from playing folkster Ralph McTell’s greatest hit for long enough to get a half decent answer to your question. Here goes...
Apparently, most electronic tuners have been made all but redundant by tuning apps for smartphones. Grab gStrings Tuner (free with IAP) on Android, or GuitarTuna (free, with a pro version available) on iOS, and your cover of McTell’s Streets of London will sound spot on in no time.
That said, electric players are still well-served by a digital tuner like the Korg Pitchblack Custom (£55), which sits in the effects chain along with the rest of your pedals. That way you can twang your strings to your heart’s content and get them all in tune while muting the sound going to your amplifier.
Great Uncle Guru suggests that electric players should, in fact, leave the muting on at all times, but then he’s yet to forgive Bob Dylan for the events of 1965. Ouch!