An hour-long video on how to tune your guitar? Why, that's ten minutes for each string! Believe it or not, some guitarists spend much more time than that in the course of a performance, twisting and tweaking, trying to hit those oh-so-sweet spots of relative tuning. Happy Traum gently guides viewers through nearly every method of tuning known to humankind, from comparing the pitch of the strings to a keyboard to using harmonics and electronic tuners. With some help from co-host John Sebastian (yes, the same folkie who played Woodstock…the first one), the program explains some of the more vexing idiosyncrasies of tuning the 6-string, such as how pulling a string up to pitch can sometimes slightly pull the other ones out of tune. While taking some of the mystery out of using harmonics to tune, the video also wisely points folk towards chromatic tuners (which cover the broad range of notes), rather than the plentiful (and less-expensive) six note-only versions. Aimed at beginners, this production goes a long way towards ensuring a correctly tuned instrument. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (C. Block)
How to Tune Your Guitar
(2000) 60 min. $19.95. Homespun Video (800/33-TAPES; <a href="http://www.homespuntapes.com/">www.homespuntapes.com</a>). PPR. Color cover. ISBN: 0-634-02603-8. 03/26/2001
How to Tune Your Guitar
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