How To Tune A Guitar

If your guitar is out of tune, no matter how well you play you won't sound good.

Learn how to tune guitars!

First of all, some type of tuning reference is essential when tuning a guitar, such as:

• Keyboard (use the middle E, below middle C to tune your low E string)
• Pitch Pipe
• Tuning Fork
• Free Guitar Tuner (online)
• Electric or battery-powered guitar tuner

A low-cost electric or battery-powered guitar tuner is well worth the investment.

But to make sure your guitar sounds perfect, even when you've used a tuner, the following way to manually tune and listen to your guitar is always best:

Always tune from the bottom up - from the low E string to the high E string. You need to start with a perfectly pitched E note.

Always tune up to pitch from a flat note. If a string is sharp, drop it down below the correct pitch and tune it back up.

After manually tuning, you should play a low-position open chord and a high position open chord, such as an E minor chord and a D major chord, to make sure your tuning has been accurate and the chords sound sweet.

Tune relatively, matching the string sounds as follows:

Relative Guitar Tuning

E string (6th string) on the 5th Fret = Open A string (5th string)
A string (5th string) on the 5th Fret = Open D string (4th string)
D string (4th string) on the 5th Fret = Open G string (3rd string)
G string (3rd string) on the 4th Fret = Open B string (2nd string)
B string (2nd string) on the 5th Fret = Open E string (1st string)

Guitar Tuning Tips

• Always tune-up first, before playing. Bring your tuner with you to gigs and pack it in your guitar case, if possible.


• Weather and temperature changes will affect the tuning of your guitar. Be aware that you will need to tune-up often in extreme temperatures.


• New strings sometimes take a few days of playing before they stay completely tuned. They tend to stretch, so it's a good idea to try to pull and stretch those strings as you are putting them on your guitar.


• Tuning pegs today come with a screw set into the end of the button, so that the player can adjust the feel of the string for firm or easy action. Check your tuning pegs for your preferred amount of "play", and get used to fine-tuning your strings.


• When you place your finger on a fret, don't pull or push the string too hard -- this will affect the pitch and make the string sound sharp.


• Intonation -- - if your open strings sound tuned, but chords sound out of tune, the intonation might need to be setup. Good intonation is when each fretted note along the neck of the guitar is totally in tune. Even an expert player cannot make a poorly intonated guitar sound good. Intonation can be adjusted on most electric guitars with a Phillips (cross-head) screwdriver or an Allen key, and is usually best done by a professional (recommended) however, you can intonate your guitar yourself by following instructions available online here.

Click here for our useful chart of the Top 10 Free Online Guitar Lesson Sites

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