So you've just got you're shiny new guitar and one of the first things that seems to mystify the budding guitarist is tuning an acoustic guitar. This is something you'll become very accustomed to doing, simply because you'll find you're guitar going out of tune far too frequently. By following this procedure, you'll not only sound better, but you'll also gain the benefit of developing a musical ear.

There are a couple ways to ensure that your guitar is in pitch perfect. I'll outline my preferred method here and explain "why" I prefer this method.

To tune your acoustic guitar, we're going to use an inexpensive piece of hardware, which has been around for centuries. The old reliable tuning fork. What you'll need is an A-440Hz tuning fork. These typically sell for just a few dollars, but it's one of the best investments you can make (besides your guitar of course).

To tune the guitar, you'll need to be familiar with the standard 6-string tuning of the acoustic or electric guitar. Beginning at the top (thickest) string, they are E-A-D-G-B-E. Why a tuning fork for the A-string and not the low E-string. Well the answer is because the A-string has a tendency to stay in tune longer than the low E-string, so re-tuning (remember, you'll be doing this a lot), will take less effort, the closer the string is to actually being in tune.

Now that you know the strings, here's the procedure:

• Tap the tuning fork on a hard surface, then immediately place the tail of the tuning fork on the guitar body. You'll be greeted with a very audible perfect A note!

• Play the A-string and turn the respective tuning peg and match the tuning fork note. Repeat this step as many times as necessary to match the string with the tuning fork. Alternate between tapping the tuning fork and tuning the string. (TIP: tune up to match the note, this means the string should be tightening and its pitch going higher as you tune).

• Now that the A-string is in tune, it's time to tune the rest of the strings. Start by depressing the 5th fret of the low E-string. The note at this fret is an A. Play the open 5th string and tune the fretted low E-string to the open 5th (A) string.

• Now depress the 5th fret on the A-string, this note is a D. Tune the open 3rd string to the fretted A-string.

• Now depress the 5th fret of the D-string (3rd string), this note is a G and is the same note as the open 4th string. Tune the open 4th string (G string) to this note.

• This time, depress the 4th fret of the G string, this produces a B-note, which is equivalent to the open 5th string. Remember to "tune up" to the note.

• Finally, depress the 5th fret of the B-string; this note is another E-note. You'll tune the 6th string to this note.

That's it! Tuning an acoustic guitar will become second nature to you, after you've done this a few times, and you'll find your "musical ear" begins to develop rapidly. You'll notice, after a while, that you're making slight corrections to various string tunings instinctively, even without the assistants of the tuning fork!