How to tune a guitar: the notes, the frequencies and three methods

To tune a guitar to standard tuning, set the six strings, from the thickest to the thinnest, to E, A, D, G, B and E. Pluck one string at a time, compare it with a reference, and turn the tuning peg until the pitch matches. A tuner does the comparing for you; the guitar tuner listens through your microphone and shows how far each string is from its target. This guide gives the exact notes and frequencies, then three ways to get there.

The six notes of standard tuning

Standard tuning uses these notes, in scientific pitch notation, where the number is the octave and A4 is the A at 440 Hz that orchestras tune to:

• 6th string (thickest): 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 (thinnest): E4, 329.63 Hz

A common memory aid is "Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie". The two E strings are two octaves apart. Each frequency comes from equal temperament, where every semitone multiplies the frequency by the twelfth root of two; the note frequency calculator will give you any other note, or a different reference pitch if a band tunes to something other than A440.

Tuning with a tuner

A tuner measures the pitch you play, finds the nearest note and shows the error in cents, hundredths of a semitone. Within about 5 cents of the target is in tune for most listeners. The tuner on this site detects pitch by autocorrelation: it compares the sound wave with delayed copies of itself to find the repeating period, which works well for plucked strings between about 60 and 500 Hz. The audio is analysed in your browser and never uploaded.

• Pluck one string firmly and let it ring; the first instant of the pluck is slightly sharp.
• If the reading is flat, tighten the string; if sharp, loosen it.
• Tune up to the note. If you overshoot, drop below and come back up, so the string settles against the tension rather than slipping later.
• Go across all six strings, then check them again. Changing one string slightly alters the tension on the neck, especially on guitars with a floating bridge.

If the tuner reads the right note in the wrong octave, you are probably on the wrong string or the string is far off; tune roughly by ear first.

Tuning by ear

With no tuner, you can tune the guitar to itself using the fifth-fret method. Start with the low E string as close to correct as you can, ideally from a reference note such as a piano or a tone generator playing 82.41 Hz. Then:

• Fret the low E at the 5th fret; that note is A. Tune the open A string to match.
• Fret the A string at the 5th fret (D) and tune the open D string to it.
• Fret the D string at the 5th fret (G) and tune the open G string.
• Fret the G string at the 4th fret (B) and tune the open B string. This is the one exception, because G to B is a major third, not a fourth.
• Fret the B string at the 5th fret (E) and tune the high E.

Listen for beating: when two nearly matching notes sound together, you hear a slow wobble that gets slower as they converge and disappears when they match. Errors accumulate from string to string, so finish by comparing the two E strings. If your ear needs practice hearing small pitch differences, Ear training for beginners: how to learn intervals by ear is a good next step.

Other common tunings

Many songs use alternatives. Drop D lowers only the 6th string a whole tone to D2, giving D A D G B E and easy power chords with one finger. Half step down (E flat tuning) lowers every string a semitone, popular with rock bands and singers who want a slightly lower key. Open G (D G D G B D) makes a G major chord on the open strings, and DADGAD gives a ringing, modal sound used in folk music. The tuner shows the nearest note whatever tuning you choose, so you can tune to any of these. If you would rather keep standard tuning and move a song instead, How to transpose chords to another key shows how.

Why a guitar goes out of tune

New strings stretch for the first few days, so they need retuning often; gently pulling each string away from the fretboard after fitting speeds this up. Temperature and humidity changes make the wood and metal move, which is why a guitar taken from a cold car to a warm room drifts. Worn tuning machines, a nut that pinches the string, or a string not wound neatly on the post also cause slipping. If open strings are in tune but chords higher up the neck sound off, the problem is probably intonation or string height rather than tuning, and that is a job for a setup.