I have been playing guitar for 3-4 months and I use online tuning websites to tune my guitar. But last week, I broke a string while tuning the guitar. Then I went to shop and got new one. When I was tuning again, I broke another string again.
And now I am scared to tune my guitar. I ask others to tune for me. Its kind of tuning phobia. How to make sure that I don't break the string while tuning?
I feel your pain. This used to happen to me all the time when I started on the guitar. My problem was, even though I was using an electronic tuner / piano / pitch pipe for reference, I couldn't tell that I was way above the correct pitch - exactly what Meaningful says.
What helped me, besides just getting a better ear so I knew if I was around the correct register, was to get a feel for the tension of the string. Since you have others tune it for you, it might help to have it properly tuned, then bend the string some to get a feel for the tension. Then loosen the string so it goes flat, bend it some more so you can feel the difference, then using your tuner of choice, try to bring it up slowly to the correct pitch.
At least for me, after a while I had a good idea of how the string should feel when bending. It took longer for me to notice if I was actually above or below the target note on the tuner - that's ear training and an awesome thing to practice - ear training takes time but well worth it.
It sounds like you are going over the intended pitch of the string, and end up aiming for an octave higher. This will break the string.
If you are sure the pitch is correct and the string still breaks, there might be something on your guitar that needs adjusting. Since it's an acoustic guitar this sounds less likely, since the saddles aren't of metal there. Where does the string break?
I think you should invest in an electronic tuner which tells you if you should put it lower or higher right on the screen. The same thing happened to me when I was a beginner on the guitar.
The phobia always comes back when I tune the strings, but now that my ears know the right tone it's easy as cake.
Just keep practicing and try to get an electronic tuner, you'll get it, and once you do, the strings wont break anymore. Basically you're tuning it wrong.
Meaningful's answer is correct. Trouble with a lot of tuning sites, and tuners for that matter, they will identify a note by name, rather than by actual pitch. This can mess up beginners. The old fashioned (and tried and tested) method of 5th fret against the next string is a good, slower (maybe), but safer way to do it. You need to know about it, anyway, for when the battery goes flat in your tuner, or someone 'borrows' it!That way, you will hear if the pitch is close or nearly an octave out, hopefully before the string goes snap. Of course, as In the earlier answer, there may be a problem with the guitar - or it may have been a faulty string, rare, but still possible. If it occurs again, a trip back to the shop might be on the agenda.
For less experienced player, it may be difficult to judge if the string sounds lower or higher than required.
The guitar book I used long time ago recommended first to adjust the tone clearly too low first and then gradually increase the tension. I followed these instructions and, indeed, it never happened for me to break a string.
When getting close to the right pitch leave the stings for a minute before tightening.
As tension increases, adjust tuning slower.
Don't pick while turning up on new strings.
Check tuning, mute, adjust, repeat.
Have you changed strings in those 3-4 months? If not, the simple answer is that your strings are dead. Average working life for guitar strings is maybe 2 months if you're not playing hard. The most common reason for strings to break is that they're old and fatigued.
Don't ever, ever, ever, change a single string in isolation and leave all the old crappy ones on there. All your other strings are not OK - they're just a few days behind that first one in breaking on you, and they all need changing right now. You can make an exception if it broke in the first couple of weeks - in that case either the string was dodgy or something else (e.g. the bridge) is dodgy on the guitar. Otherwise change them all.
Your strings could possibly be really old. It depends on how often you play and what strings you have, and some other factors. The probably old if they're not shiny, and they're not the right color, or they are a little rusty. It could've been that your strings were deteriorating, and it was just a matter of time before one broke.
