How to Tune a Guitar

A guitar in standard tuning has six strings tuned, from the thickest to the thinnest, to E2, A2, D3, G3, B3 and E4. Each string is a fourth above the one before it (five semitones), except between G and B, which is a major third (four semitones). That one odd interval is the reason most tuning tricks have a single exception.

The notes and their frequencies

• 6th string, low E: E2, 82.41 Hz
• 5th string: A2, 110.00 Hz
• 4th string: D3, 146.83 Hz
• 3rd string: G3, 196.00 Hz
• 2nd string: B3, 246.94 Hz
• 1st string, high E: E4, 329.63 Hz

These assume the usual reference of A4 = 440 Hz. Some players tune to 432 Hz or 442 Hz; the tuner has a reference-pitch setting for that.

Method 1: with a tuner

This is the quickest way and the most accurate. Open the guitar tuner, allow the microphone, and pluck one string at a time, letting it ring. The tuner shows which note it hears and how many cents (hundredths of a semitone) it is above or below that note. Turn the tuning peg until the reading sits at zero. Work from the low E upward, then go around all six strings a second time, because tightening one string slightly changes the tension on the neck and nudges the others.

Method 2: by ear, with the fifth-fret method

If you can get one reliable note (from a tuning fork, a piano, or the tuner for just the low E), you can tune the rest against it:

1. Tune the low E string to your reference.
2. Fret the low E at the 5th fret. That note is A. Tune the open A string until it sounds the same.
3. Fret the A string at the 5th fret to get D, and tune the open D string to match.
4. Fret the D string at the 5th fret to get G, and tune the open G string to match.
5. Fret the G string at the 4th fret, not the 5th, to get B, and tune the open B string to match. This is the major-third exception.
6. Fret the B string at the 5th fret to get E, and tune the high E string to match.

When two notes are close but not equal you hear a slow wobble, called beating. The closer you get, the slower the wobble, and when it stops completely the two strings are in unison. Learning to listen for the beats is the skill that makes by-ear tuning work. Errors add up as you go down the list, which is why a final check with a tuner is worth it.

Method 3: with harmonics

A harmonic is played by touching a string lightly directly above a fret wire (not pressing it down) and plucking. The 5th-fret harmonic sounds two octaves above the open string and the 7th-fret harmonic sounds an octave and a fifth above it. Because the strings are a fourth apart, these line up:

• The 5th-fret harmonic of the low E string matches the 7th-fret harmonic of the A string (both are E).
• The 5th-fret harmonic of the A string matches the 7th-fret harmonic of the D string (both are A).
• The 5th-fret harmonic of the D string matches the 7th-fret harmonic of the G string (both are D).

Harmonics ring clearly and last a long time, so the beating between two of them is easy to hear. The pattern stops at the G and B strings because of that major third, so tune the B and high E strings with the fretted method above.

Common mistakes

• Tuning down to the note. If you overshoot, drop below the note and bring it up again. A string that was tightened to its pitch holds better than one that was loosened to it.
• Tuning once. New strings stretch for the first days and keep going flat. Tune, pull gently on each string along its length, and tune again.
• Plucking too hard. A hard attack briefly makes the pitch go sharp. Pluck at a normal playing strength and read the note once it settles.
• Ignoring temperature. Wooden guitars react to heat and humidity. A guitar brought in from the cold will drift for a while as it warms up.
• Trusting only open strings. If a chord sounds wrong although every open string is in tune, the problem may be intonation, covered in our guide to guitar intonation.

Other tunings

The tuner knows these tunings as well as standard:

See alternate guitar tunings for what each one is used for. Ready to tune? Open the guitar tuner.

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