How to Tune a Guitar

Learning how to tune a guitar can be a simple process. Having the guitar in tune creates a positive experience. An out of tune guitar can sometimes make you think you might be doing something wrong.

Below are some methods for tuning. Using a tuner is an option, but batteries die, & your ear should be able to get you in tune. Since there are many tuning methods, try all of them, & decide which one works best for you & your guitar.

Depending on the guitar & your environment, one method might work better than another. For whatever method you choose, it will be necessary to make a couple of passes through the strings (do the process more than once).

When you turn pegs, the tension of one string affects the tension of another. Plus, the neck will 'warp' a bit with each change (this is called relief).

For our purposes on this page, we are going to learn to tune in standard tuning [EADGBE - low to high].

For a normal guitar, there are roughly 150,000 different tunings possible. Standard Tuning is the most popular & has been around for over 200 years.

5-0 (4-0) Comparative Method

Above Method in Guitar Tab

Harmonics Method

Getting your guitar in tune is a skill you should acquire.

How to tune a guitar using the octave method