Learn / How to Tune a Guitar (Standard Tuning)

How to Tune a Guitar (Standard Tuning)

Even perfect chord shapes sound wrong on a guitar that is out of tune, so tuning is the first thing to do every time you pick up the instrument. This guide covers standard tuning, how to use our free online tuner and how to tune by ear.

Standard tuning: E A D G B E

From the thickest string to the thinnest, the strings in standard tuning are E, A, D, G, B and E. A popular way to remember it is the phrase "Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie". The two E strings are two octaves apart.

  • 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

Tuning with the online tuner

  1. Open the online tuner and allow access to your microphone.
  2. Play one string at a time and let it ring.
  3. The tuner shows the closest note and whether you are flat (too low) or sharp (too high).
  4. Turn the tuning peg slowly. If the note is flat, tighten the string; if it is sharp, loosen it a little below the note and tighten back up to it.
  5. Repeat for all six strings, then check them all once more – tuning one string slightly changes the tension on the others.

Tuning by ear (relative tuning)

If you don't have a tuner, you can tune the strings to each other. First make sure the low E is close to the right pitch, then:

  1. Press the 5th fret of the low E string – that is an A. Tune the open A string to match it.
  2. Press the 5th fret of the A string and tune the open D string to match.
  3. Press the 5th fret of the D string and tune the open G string to match.
  4. Press the 4th fret of the G string (not the 5th!) and tune the open B string to match.
  5. Press the 5th fret of the B string and tune the open high E string to match.

Tips to stay in tune

  • Always tune up to the note: if you go past it, loosen below the note and come back up. This keeps the string from slipping later.
  • New strings stretch for a few days. Pull each one gently away from the fretboard and retune a few times after changing strings.
  • Big changes in temperature and humidity affect tuning. Let the guitar adjust to the room for a few minutes before tuning.
  • If you use a capo, check the tuning again after putting it on – a capo can pull strings slightly sharp.

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