Tap a string to hear its note, then match it by ear. Or let the tuner listen through your microphone.
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The sound from your microphone is analysed on your own device and never leaves it.
How to tune a guitar
- Pick the tuning above. Standard guitar tuning, low to high, is E A D G B E.
- Start with the thickest string. Pluck it once, firmly, and let it ring.
- Watch the note name and the needle. Left of centre means the string is flat, right means sharp.
- Turn the tuning peg slowly. If the string is sharp, bring it a little below the note and tune back up to it; a peg that ends on a tightening turn holds its pitch better.
- Go through the other strings the same way, then check them all once more. Tightening one string pulls the neck a little and can nudge the others.
Reading the display
The tuner names the nearest note and shows how far off you are in cents: a hundredth of a half step. Within about five cents either side, the string sounds in tune to most ears, and the needle turns green. A guitar that measures in tune string by string but still sounds wrong on chords higher up the neck has an intonation problem, not a tuning one; the guitar setup guide explains it.
Tuning by ear
Tap a string button above and match your string to the note you hear. Listen for the slow wobble when two notes are close but not equal: it slows down as you get nearer and stops when they match.
Once the low E is right, the guitar can tune itself. The note at the fifth fret of each string is the next open string up (fifth fret of low E gives A, of A gives D, of D gives G), with one exception: on the G string it is the fourth fret that gives B. Then the fifth fret of B gives high E.
Tips
- Tune in a quiet room, with the microphone close to the instrument.
- New strings stretch for the first few days and keep going flat. Tune often until they settle.
- Pluck with the flesh of the thumb rather than a hard pick attack; the first moment of a hard pluck reads sharp.
- For bass, let the string ring a moment before reading: the low notes take longer for any tuner to settle on.
Questions
Why does my guitar keep going out of tune?
New strings that are still stretching, big changes in temperature or humidity, and strings that slip around the tuning posts are the usual causes. A nut slot that pinches a string can make it stick and then jump in pitch.
What is A440?
The pitch standard: the A above middle C vibrates 440 times per second. This tuner, like almost every tuner and fixed-pitch instrument, is set to it.
Does the tuner record anything?
No. The microphone sound is analysed in your browser and is never sent anywhere.
