How to Tune Your Guitar Like a Pro (Even as a Beginner)

Ever play around with your guitar and strum a chord, only to grimace at the sound? If so, you’re not alone. Learning to tune a guitar can seem like an alien art when you first begin.

Do you absolutely need to retune every time? Does tuning an acoustic guitar differ from an electric? These are the same questions even experienced musicians posed when they first started out.

Fortunately, tuning is not intimidating and, indeed, with a little advice and practice, you will be tuning your guitar like a pro even when you’re a complete beginner.

Just think of having the confidence to quickly toss your guitar into tune prior to a jam, lesson, or performance like experienced guitarists do.

As a person who’s had well over a half-century around guitars, trust me when I tell you that every guitarist from weekend strummers to rock stars must learn to tune.

Read on to learn practical approaches to tuning acoustic and electric guitars, to clarify standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E), and to even introduce a toe into nifty alternate tunings such as Drop D and Open G.

We will even pass along sage suggestions concerning instruments to play, pit-falls to steer clear of, and pro shortcuts to make tuning a piece of cake.

By the end of it, not only will you learn how to get your guitar absolutely in tune, but why it’s important to do so for your sound and development as a player.

So pick up your guitar (electric or acoustic, it doesn’t matter, just a standard six-string will do), take a deep breath, and join me in the realm of tuning. Ready to rock? Let’s get you fine-tuned and playing!

Standard Tuning 101: EADGBE Explained

Before we dive into gadgets and methods, it’s worth knowing standard tuning. Standard tuning is the most common tuning of most guitars, acoustic and electric alike. Going from thickest to thinnest, the order of the strings is E – A – D – G – B – E.

Guitarists usually call out strings by number too: the 6th is low E, and the 1st is high E. If this is alphabet soup to you at first, don’t worry — most of us learned weird mnemonics to commit it to memory.

One of the most popular is “Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie”, in which each of the first letters of the words of the sentence corresponds to a string from 6th to 1st. Adopt whatever silly sentence makes the letters stick in your head.

Why EADGBE? Convenience. Standard tuning is an attempt to make major and minor chords and scales feel most natural. Intervals are mostly perfect fourths (five frets wide), with a major third (four frets) between the G and B strings.

You can get by without delving into music theory to tune, but it’s a pleasant fact that this tuning allows your fingers to access familiar shapes for chords with a minimum of stretch.

Acoustic vs. Electric: When determining whether tuning is of a different sort for an acoustic and an electric guitar, the general reply is no.

Both versions are played with the same standard tuning notes, and the pitch is altered by adjusting the tuning pegs the same way. The only difference is in whether and how you are able to hear the pitch.

An acoustic guitar is noisier when left alone, so newer students may use an electronic tuner or plug into an amp so that you can hear the strings better.

Guitars that are more audible in output will make ear tuning a little less challenging, but a guitar is a guitar when it comes to tuning — tightening and loosening strings to reach EADGBE is the same.

So whether you play a chugging electric or a campfire guitar-style acoustic, begin with standard E-A-D-G-B-E. That established, you will then be prepared to try out all of the tuning methods and devices and still end up where you want to be.

Using a Clip-On Tuner (Fast and Convenient)

lip-on tuners are the easiest method of placing your guitar in tune. They clamp around the guitar’s headstock and detect each string’s pitch through feeling the vibrations. That makes them work with acoustic and electric guitars and noisy rooms because they do not rely on a microphone.

How to play a clip-on tuner:

• Attach and turn on: Connect the tuner to the headstock of the guitar and turn it on. If it has mode options, choose Guitar mode for regular tuning (or Chromatic mode for non-standard tunings).
• Pluck and fine-tune: Pluck a string and observe the tuner. It will indicate the note and flat/sharp. If the pitch is flat (too low), wind the string tighter; if sharp (too high), unwind the string. Rotate the peg slowly and fine-tune upwards to the note (come from below pitch for greater stability).
• Fine-tune the balance: Run the complete six strings (E, A, D, G, B, E). When you’ve gone through the first pass, immediately re-check each string. When you fine-tune a string, the others could be slightly affected, so a re-check makes sure things are perfect.

Clip-on tuners are portable, cheap, and perfect for beginner guitarists. It’s a good idea to carry a spare battery so that your tuner is always at the ready. You’ll be in tune in a flash with a quality clip-on.

Using a Pedal Tuner (For Electric Guitars & Performers)

A pedal tuner is a foot-operated device that you plug your electro-acoustic or electric guitar into. When you press the tuner pedal, it will typically mute your signal and display the note of the string you are playing on a clear display. Pedal tuners are great for performance because they enable you to tune silently and are not influenced by ambient noise. Pedal tuners are extremely accurate and many of them come with features for alternate tunings or additional precision.

A pedal tuner is not a clip-on and will need a guitar cable and power (battery or adapter). You will usually employ one of these in your effects pedalboard. When jamming at home, a pedal tuner is discretionary, but when you play performance, it is a necessity of the stage to quickly and professionally change pitch between songs.

Other kinds of guitar tuners, such as a digital pedal tuner, a clip-on tuner, and a pitch pipe.

Using a Smartphone App or Online Tuner (Digital Solutions)

If you do not have a hardware tuner, a computer or smartphone will suffice. Programs to tune (iOS and Android) and internet tuners (web pages) will use the device’s built-in microphone to capture the audio of your guitar and aid in tuning. They are, without a doubt, a huge help when it comes to in-home practice.

Here are some tips for using apps or online tuners effectively:

• Choose a better app: Choose well-rated programs (like the free tuner program from Fender) or well-recommended tuners from the internet. A better program will end up more accurately and less frustrating.
• Tune in a quiet setting: Mic tuners can get confused by background noise. Attempt to tune in a silent room. Strum the string a couple of times instead of once so the app receives a solid, consistent signal.
• Use chromatic mode: To play to a different pitch, place the tuner in chromatic mode. Then it will take all notes (sharps/flats and all) instead of only expecting EADGBE notes.
• Double-check by ear: When the app tells you that you are in tune, make a brief check of your guitar – strum a chord or play a note. Your ears are the ultimate judge – if anything doesn’t feel right to you, fine-tune a little or play another string again. Apps are okay, but your ears are more important.

Whether with an app or an online tool, digital tuners are a handy backup. Just remember that your phone’s mic isn’t foolproof – when in doubt, combine it with the techniques above (or a clip-on tuner) to ensure accuracy.

Tuning by Ear: The Old-School Way

Playing by ear is a rewarding skill. It develops your musical ear and is a convenience when devices are not to hand. It is a matter of settling one reference pitch and tuning the other strings off of it.

The most frequent approach is to employ the 5th fret reference point on each string:

• Start by tuning your 5th string (A) to a reference tone (like a piano or tuning fork for A, or use the tuner app’s tone).
• Then 5th-fret method: play the low E string at the 5th fret (this produces an A note) and bend the open A string to make it identical.
• Next, fret the A string at 5th fret (D note) to tune the open D string. Fret the D at 5th (G note) to tune the open G string.
• For the B string, fret the G at the 4th fret (note B) to tune the open B.
• Finally, fret the B at 5th (E note) to tune the high E string.

When each pair of notes corresponds, your guitar will be in tune with itself. Keep in mind, if your first reference string was incorrect, everything will shift, so it’s a good idea to get one string (usually the A) in tune to an outside reference first.

Ear tuning is a skill that requires practice, but eventually you will become faster and more accurate. Even professional guitarists employ this ability to quickly touch-up tuning and to condition the ear – it’s exercise for the musical sensibilities!

Exploring Alternate Tunings (Drop D, Open G & More)

When you’re familiar with basic tuning, you may want to play around with other tunings for new tones. Two well-known ones are Drop D and Open G:

• Drop D (D A D G B E): Lower your low E string down to D. This simple change gives a beefier, deeper sound and makes power chords easier (just barre the lowest three strings). Drop D is common in rock and metal because it adds punch and lets you play certain riffs that wouldn’t be possible in standard.
• Open G (D G D G B D): Here you retune to a G major chord. You drop the low E to D, the A to G, and the high E to D. Strumming open gives a rich G chord. Open G is great for slide guitar and classic rock/blues; it was famously used by Keith Richards for that raunchy Stones sound.

There are numerous other alternate tunings (Open D, DADGAD, etc.) that are well-suited to various styles. When you’re a beginner, stick to standard tuning to start out, but it’s a blessing to learn of these other options so that when you feel like experimenting or when a song needs them, you do.

When to use alternate tunings: Use them when a song requires them or when you want a fresh creative slate. As a for instance, Drop D could be utilized to support a vocalist’s low vocal register or to create dense chugging riffs, while open tunings will make folk and blues songs sound with open chords. Keep this in mind though: whenever you retune, ensure that you double-check all strings, because altering the pitch of a lone string will send other strings out of alignment with altered neck tension.

Tips and Tricks for Better Tuning

Remember these tips to turn into a pro tuner:

• Always tune up to pitch: Below the correct note, relax off the string below the pitch and then fine back to it. This keeps the string under tension and makes it sustain the pitch longer.
• Tune often (and adapt to conditions): As a habit, check your tuning each time you play. Guitars can slide out of pitch due to temperature, humidity, or energetic playing, so regular tuning will maintain your tone consistent.
• New strings need love: Old strings tend to slip out of tune. When you put on new strings, stretch them gently after tuning up. Just tug each string a bit and retune – this helps settle them so they won’t go flat as quickly.
• Strum a final chord check: Strum a complete chord (like G or D) that includes several strings once you’ve adjusted. If it still doesn’t sound just right, a single string could need a hair-thin adjustment. Your ear will be of value here – sometimes an infinitesimal tweak enlivens chords.

Common Tuning Mistakes to Avoid

Everyone errs when learning. Here are a few of them to watch out for:

• Turning the wrong peg: It is possible to pull a single string and end up twisting another string’s tuner. Always ensure that you are turning the peg of the string you are indeed tuning, lest you send the incorrect string off wildly out of pitch (or even snap it).
• Over-tightening a string: New beginner players will sometimes turn a tuner too tight in an effort to get a pitch. If the tuner is not coming and you are still turning tighter, you will snap the string. When in doubt, turn the string loose and turn it up slowly. Always remember the high E and B strings are thin and will snap when over-tightened.
• Skipping the tune-up: Occasionally a guitar “sounds fine” and you may want to forego tuning. Don’t! Playing even slightly out of pitch will set back your progress and ear training. Make a point of tuning each session, even just a slight fine-tuning. Your playing will sound better and you will learn to better discern pitch.

The tuning is an acquired talent developed with practice. Paying attention to these potential problem areas will make you faster and more confident with each tuning.

Tune Up and Rock On!

Getting your guitar in tune may seem like a little thing, but it’s the key to fine sound. It gets more and more automatic the more you do it. We’ve gone from a little basic standard tuning to various tuning approaches and even alternate tunings, and now you’ve got the skills to put your guitar in optimal sound condition every time.

Keep in mind, even the professionals make sure to tighten up prior to (and in the middle of) each performance. Regularly tuning will acclimate your ear and prevent the annoyance of sharp notes. Take that one more moment to properly tune your axe. Your chords will sound sweeter, riffs will rock harder, and you will feel more confident knowing you are always pitch perfect.

With these tips and techniques, you’re ready to tune your guitar like a pro – no matter if you’ve been playing for two weeks or twenty years. Now go grab your guitar, tune up, and rock on with the confidence that comes from sounding great!