Okay, so I am brand new to all this...and Im not a student of music, although I did play an instrument when i was very young. I am tuning my guitar with a tuner, and I am not sure I am doing this right. For example, when i am plucking low e, it says E3, yet when i get to the G for example its G4, should these all be the same? i.e, the string followed by a consistent number?
by the way, thanks for this forum, im learning tons!
It is consistent - what you need to think about is that there is another E at the 2nd fret on the 4th string (which I presume would show as E4), between the 6th string E and the 3rd string G; and there is a G which will presumably show as G3 on the 6th string. What you're being shown is which E or G you're getting. I presume your 1st string shows E5, or something like that.
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Scales are numbered to differentiate them. The lowest (starting on "C") is, theoretically C0, but that is far too low to be heard.
C1 has a frequency that can be heard, so that'll be followed by C#1, D1, D#1, E1, F1, F#1, G1, G#1, A1, A#1, B1 - then you get C2 and the sequence starts again, followed by C3, C#3, D3, D#3 - then E3, on the open 6th string. The 2nd fret of the 5th string is a "B" - B3, followed by C4, which is the 3rd fret of the 4th string. The end of that scale is the open 2nd string ("B4"), followed by C5 on the 1st fret of the 2nd string. The open first string is, then, E5.
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There are a few things that complicate what you're seeing.
As far as the numbers go, what Greybeard outlined is called scientific pitch notation, but it's not the only system used. And to make matters worse, not everything that looks like that notation system actually is - it was common for early digital keyboard makers (especially in Japan) to label the lowest C key as C1, regardless of the piano's range... so C1 on one piano may not be C1 on a larger or smaller piano.
When you hit a guitar string, you're getting a very complex sound - a mix of both the note you played (called the fundamental) and many related higher pitches (called overtones). In my experience, only very expensive tuners - those costing $250 or more - can accurately tell the difference between octaves. It's common for a tuner to give the right pitch, but the wrong octave.
If your tuner says E for an E string, you've got three possibilities: you're an octave too low, you're an octave too high, or you're on the right pitch. And physics is our friend here - to double a frequency (i.e. go up an octave), you have to increase the string tension by four times. That means if you're an octave too low, you've only got 1/4 of the string tension you should have... and your string will be flopping around pretty loosely. Going an octave too high means four times the tension - which is well beyond the breaking strength of a string (strings sound best at about 70-75% of their breaking tension). So if your tuner says E for an E string, and you didn't break the string, it's almost certainly the right E.
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Thanks...a bit confusing to say the least, but very helpful once i went thru it a few times. Hopefully I will figure it out...in any case I am having fun with it, and I must say it is having a positive effect on overcoming the nasty and ugly weather outside!!
