How to Tune a Guitar: The Complete Beginner's Guide

Tuning is the first skill every guitarist needs. An out-of-tune guitar makes even perfect playing sound wrong — and a well-tuned one makes beginner chords sound surprisingly good. This guide covers everything: string names, using a tuner, tuning by ear, and keeping your guitar in tune longer.

The six strings and their notes

In standard tuning, from the thickest (lowest) string to the thinnest (highest):

String	Note	Frequency	Memory aid
6th (thickest)	E2	82.41 Hz	Eddie
5th	A2	110.00 Hz	Ate
4th	D3	146.83 Hz	Dynamite
3rd	G3	196.00 Hz	Good
2nd	B3	246.94 Hz	Bye
1st (thinnest)	E4	329.63 Hz	Eddie

Step-by-step: tuning with the online tuner

1. Open the guitar tuner and click Start tuning, allowing microphone access.
2. Pluck the 6th string (low E) on its own, near the soundhole, and let it ring.
3. Watch the display: it shows the nearest note and a cents meter. If the needle is left of zero, you're flat — turn the tuning peg to tighten the string. If it's right of zero, you're sharp — loosen it.
4. Make small adjustments. A quarter turn of a tuning peg is a lot.
5. When the display turns green, the string is in tune. Move to the next string.
6. After all six, go back and check the 6th string again — tuning one string changes neck tension and can pull the others slightly off.

Tip: always tune up to the note. If a string is sharp, drop it below the target and come back up. Tuning up loads the peg mechanism against the string tension and holds much better.

Tuning by ear (the 5th-fret method)

No tuner around? You can tune the guitar relative to itself:

1. Assume the low E string is roughly correct (or match it to a reference tone).
2. Fret the 6th string at the 5th fret — that's an A. Tune the open 5th string to match it.
3. 5th string, 5th fret = D → tune the open 4th string.
4. 4th string, 5th fret = G → tune the open 3rd string.
5. 3rd string, 4th fret = B → tune the open 2nd string (this is the one exception).
6. 2nd string, 5th fret = E → tune the open 1st string.

Listen for the "wobble" (beating) between the two notes — it slows down as the pitches converge and disappears when they match.

Why does my guitar keep going out of tune?

• New strings stretch for the first few days. Stretch them gently by hand after installing and retune several times.
• Temperature and humidity swings move the wood. A guitar left in a car will not stay in tune.
• Slipping pegs or old strings — strings older than a few months lose tuning stability and tone.
• Aggressive playing and big bends pull strings flat over a session. A quick check between songs takes seconds.

How often should I tune?

Every single time you pick up the guitar. Professionals tune constantly — between songs, sometimes between sections. It takes 30 seconds and trains your ear at the same time. Bookmark the free guitar tuner so it's always one click away.