Tune the guitar before the first grip

First you tune the guitar. Then you sit comfortably, take the pick and move on to the first grip.

Tune all six strings in order

We count strings from the thinnest. The first is the thinnest e, and the sixth is the thickest E. Start tuning from the thickest and go in order: E2, A2, D3, G3, B3, E4. The number next to the letter marks the pitch. Polish songbooks often call the second string H, but the Tuner shows it as B3.

1. Turn on the Tuner, let it use the microphone and play only the sixth string. Check that it shows E2. If it recognises a different note, pick E2 by hand on the string diagram and play again.
2. When you see “Too low. Tighten slowly.”, tighten the string a little. When you see “Too high. Loosen slowly.”, loosen it a little. After each turn of the peg, play again.
3. When the Tuner shows E2 and the centre, go on to A2, D3, G3, B3 and E4. Check the label every time. If auto recognition picks the wrong string, choose the right one on the diagram.

If a small turn of the peg does not change the reading, stop. Check with your hand which peg tightens the string you are playing, and only then keep turning. You do not need a trained ear for this. The Tuner shows the decision.

Sit so the hands have room

Choose a chair with no armrests and keep both feet on the floor. Rest the waist of the body on the right thigh. Hold the neck level or slightly up, so the left wrist does not have to bend hard.

Do not hunch over the strings to watch every finger. If the wrist, neck or back hurts, stop and reset how you hold the guitar. Tender fingertips after the first tries are a different thing from that kind of pain.

Hold the pick without clenching the hand

Lay the pick on the side of a bent index finger and hold it with the thumb. Only a small tip should stick out past the thumb. If the pick twists when you strike, tuck it a little deeper instead of squeezing the whole hand.

I played with my fingers for a year, and when I took up a pick the right hand was starting almost from scratch. That is why it is worth getting used to the pick from day one. It does not have to move with certainty yet.