The archive gathers together the posts about tuning chords.
Do you want to know how to tune chords better?
The term does not come from the word cord (i.e., string). Rather, it comes from the Middle English word cord, which means accord. In other words, the notes in a harmony are in accord, meaning they work well together.
Likewise, the term harmony, a synonym of chord, also carries the idea of notes that work well together. Therefore, harmony remains a branch of music theory that deals with how notes combine to create consonant and dissonant groupings.
The notes in a harmony can be played one after the other. However, most often harmony deals with notes that happen at the same time.
When a chord gets played as a block, it remains sensitive to mistuning. Therein lies the problem with harmony, it can be tricky to tune.
Equal temperament remains the standard tuning for instruments like the piano, organ, guitar, and xylophone. It makes compromises in the harmonies in order to keep the total number of notes to a workable amount.
Equal temperament could be thought of as a well temperament that spreads the tuning errors evenly across the whole tuning system. It has the advantage that none of the chords sound really bad. Also, all of the scales remain usable.
However, the equal tempered major thirds are just spitting distance from being out of tune.
A new tuning system, called Supplemented Equal Temperament, creates an enhanced version of equal temperament that has better sounding chords.
Many of the following posts talk about how to tune harmonies using Supplemented Equal Temperament, while other posts deal with singing harmonies in tune.
© 2021 Geoffrey Keith
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Do you want to tune the ukulele with a free online tuner? If you’d like to get your ukulele into the standard ukulele tuning in equal temperament, don’t worry, I have what you need. However, did you know that the Hawaiians tune their instruments so that their ukes sound a lot better? Click to tune up the most common versions of the tuning. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Do you want to tune your guitar online? If you want to tune your guitar to normal standard tuning in equal temperament, I’ve got you covered. However, did you know that professional guitarists have other ways of tuning standard guitar tuning to make their guitars sound better? Read “Guitar Tuner Online: Standard Guitar Tuning” to learn eight versions of standard tuning. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
“What is the point of different alternate guitar tunings?” Alternate tunings change both how the instrument sounds and how it feels as you play it. They say that cloths make the man. Likewise, how the guitar gets tuned can make the guitarist. Read more to find out some of the advantages of alternate tunings. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Have you ever tuned your guitar, using the frets or an electronic tuner, only to find that it still sounds off when you start strumming? Many guitarists have noticed this problem. However, you can learn how to make your guitar sound better! Read more to find out, “Why does my guitar sound off tune?” Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
How many of you want to know how to tune with guitar harmonics? Tuning using the 5th and 7th fret harmonics is the most common way to fine-tune standard tuning on the guitar. It yields better sounding chords than tuning using frets. However, it doesn’t restrict what you can use for open chord forms. Read more to learn how it works. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Do you want to understand advanced heterophony concepts? How does timbre affect heterophony in the ma’luf ensembles? Many cultures organize their music by using heterophony which forms the music in essentially different ways than harmony-based music. Keep reading to understand the relationship between heterophony and timbre. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Do you have a hard time recreating on the synth the xylophone sounds from your favorite world music? Do you want to know how to tune the African balafon? The tuning and tone color of an instrument are closely tied together. Keep reading to get info and tips for synthesizing an African balafon style xylophone sound. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Have you ever wondered how Eastern European vocalists sing polyphony in parallel 2nds? Do you want to know how world music works? Understanding world music involves stepping outside your own perspective and seeing from the world musician’s point of view instead. Click to answer the question, “How do you sing Eastern European vocal harmony in 2nds by ear?” Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
“I have a hard time hitting my notes. Can I use the piano to learn singing?” That depends. For some things, the piano will be a real asset for learning to sing. However, for others, the piano creates more problems than it solves. Click to answer the question, “Can I learn singing on the piano?” Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
“Why does my guitar sound out of tune even after I’ve tuned it? Is it possible to tune a guitar perfectly?” Yes, it is possible to tune a guitar perfectly, and it’ll give your sound a boost! Click to find out how it works. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.