How to Tune a Guitar: With a Tuner, and by Ear
Standard guitar tuning is E A D G B E. Here's how to tune with an online tuner, how to tune by ear when you don't have one, and how to keep it in tune.
An out-of-tune guitar makes everything sound wrong, however well you play. The good news: tuning takes about a minute once you know how, and you can do it with a tuner or with nothing but your ears.
Standard tuning: E A D G B E
From the thickest string to the thinnest:
| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 6th (thickest) | E2 | 82.41 Hz |
| 5th | A2 | 110.00 Hz |
| 4th | D3 | 146.83 Hz |
| 3rd | G3 | 196.00 Hz |
| 2nd | B3 | 246.94 Hz |
| 1st (thinnest) | E4 | 329.63 Hz |
A memory trick for the order: Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie.
Tuning with an online tuner
- Open the guitar tuner and allow the microphone.
- Pluck the thickest string and let it ring.
- Read the note. If it says E but the needle sits left, the string is flat: tighten it. If it sits right, it's sharp: loosen it.
- Stop when the needle is green and centred (within about 5 cents).
- Repeat for each string, then check them all once more. Tuning one string slightly changes the tension on the neck, which can nudge the others.
Tip: always tune up to the note. If you overshoot, loosen below the note and come back up. The string holds its pitch better that way.
Tuning by ear: the fifth-fret method
No tuner? You can tune the strings to each other. This gets the guitar in tune with itself, which is all you need to play alone.
- Assume the thickest E string is right (or tune it to an E from the tone generator).
- Press the 6th string at the 5th fret. That's an A. Tune the open 5th string until it matches.
- 5th string, 5th fret = D. Tune the open 4th string to it.
- 4th string, 5th fret = G. Tune the open 3rd string to it.
- 3rd string, 4th fret = B. Tune the open 2nd string to it. This is the one exception.
- 2nd string, 5th fret = E. Tune the open 1st string to it.
When two notes are almost the same, you'll hear a slow "wah-wah" wobble called beating. Turn the peg until the wobble slows down and disappears.
Keeping it in tune
- New strings stretch for a day or two. Expect to retune often.
- Temperature and humidity move the pitch. Tune after the guitar has warmed up to the room.
- Check before every session. It takes 30 seconds and makes practice sound right.
Other tunings
Drop D lowers the 6th string to D2 (73.42 Hz) for heavier riffs. Open G, DADGAD and half-step-down tunings all work with the same tuner: just follow the target notes for each string. The note frequency chart lists every note's exact frequency if you need one.