Out of tune? Here are a few secrets to make you sound like a star

I come from a musical family, and must say that the ability to sit down and 'jam' with friends is a blessing of immeasurable joy. For those of you who think you might like to play an instrument for personal satisfaction, with friends or if you aspire to become a rock star, I have a few secrets that will help.

The first obstacle to learning is the inability to tune one's instrument. On those rare moments when you are inspired to practise, you pick up your guitar and, of course, it sounds terrible. You think the fault is in your playing and put the instrument away, disappointed and disillusioned. The real problem is that the instrument was out of tune.

You turn the tuning peg up or down until the tone of your string matches the tone of computer. When they do match, the string will vibrate in harmony with the computer-generated sound. Since I play by ear, this is perfect. SkalMac generates sounds for tuning guitar, piano, bass, organ, flute, banjo and violin.

co.uk/downloads.htm) is also worth a look because it generates tones for steel and nylon string guitars, pianos, clavinets, pipe organs, wood and electric bases, and even lead style and antique guitars. It does not generate the exact sound of the string, but a more generic, electronic tone. Nonetheless, your strings will resonate with these tones just as well.