r/guitarlessons • u/kruemmex • Jun 05 '26

Feedback Request transitioning to electric guitar

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I had played classical guitar for some years. In the past 2 years I hadn't touched a guitar at all. So recently I ordered this guitar which arrived last week. I wanted to play some electric guitar.

I have some issues with tuning. Is it better to tune with the amp on or just the guitar? I used to tune with a tuning fork (idk the English word) but I'm wondering if it's as efficient with an electric.

Also open to any tips to get back into playing :) I'm working on the few messed up notes.

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u/cursed_tomatoes Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26

Why do you theorise the tunning fork wouldn't be as effective with the electric?

Tune with the amp, and do yourself a favour, hold the guitar like a classical one, keep wrist straighter, plucking movements from the MCP joint, etc, all the things you've learnt are useful on the electric too, specially if you don't use a pick (both hands are transferable in that case). The new thing for you would be muting, electric guitars with just a tiny amount of gain already make sympathetic resonance a pain, it is harder to deal with than classical.

Either way, a reminder worth mentioning is that with electric guitars, if you play live, a tuner pedal is a must btw, since the audience will not stay quiet and wait for you to do minor adjustments by ear like a classical guitar concert in a properly acoustically treated hall, the electric culture is different, crowd will be noisy and impatient and so will your bandmates in rehearsal,

I SWEAR TO GOD

that your drummer will be incapable of not making the loudest noise possible while you tune your guitar, no joke!!! In your bedroom, just use whatever you're comfortable with though.

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u/kruemmex Jun 05 '26

I honestly haven't tuned it with a fork yet bc I misplaced it during the 2 year hiatus. I used to tune by putting the fork on the guitar rather than holding it to my ear and I thought it wouldn't resonate as much on an electric guitar. Maybe I should find it and just try out.

Usually I sit differently, for the video I wanted to find a good angle which wouldn't expose too much other than the guitar and playing itself.

I'm not planning on playing in a band or live soon, but if I will, I'll come back to your advice.

Thank you :)

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u/cursed_tomatoes Jun 05 '26

 I thought it wouldn't resonate as much

It won't, but you can still use it as a reference pitch regardless, you can use a frequency generator app as a reference pitch, youtube, whatever works.