How to tune a guitar: standard tuning, string notes and tuning by ear
Standard guitar tuning is E A D G B E, from the thickest string to the thinnest: E2, A2, D3, G3, B3 and E4, at about 82.41, 110, 146.83, 196, 246.94 and 329.63 Hz with A4 = 440 Hz. To tune, compare each string with its note and turn the peg until they match.
An out-of-tune guitar makes every chord sound wrong, even when your fingers are in the right place. The good news is that tuning takes a minute once you know the notes. This guide gives the notes and frequencies of the six strings, walks through tuning with a tuner step by step, shows the classic 5th-fret method for tuning by ear, explains the common alternate tunings and the A = 440 Hz reference, and ends with a free microphone tuner you can use right away.
Key ideas
- Standard tuning from the 6th (thickest) string to the 1st (thinnest) is E A D G B E: E2 82.41 Hz, A2 110 Hz, D3 146.83 Hz, G3 196 Hz, B3 246.94 Hz, E4 329.63 Hz.
- Neighbouring strings are a perfect fourth apart, except G to B, which is a major third. That is why the B string is tuned from the 4th fret, not the 5th.
- On a tuner, a reading below the note (flat) means tighten the string; above it (sharp) means loosen. Approach the note from below.
- Alternate tunings change one or more strings: drop D lowers the 6th string to D, open G gives a G major chord on the open strings.
What are the guitar string notes in standard tuning?
In standard tuning the six strings are E A D G B E, from the thickest, lowest-sounding string to the thinnest. Guitarists number them the other way round: the highest-pitched string is the 1st and the lowest is the 6th, so the 6th string is low E and the 1st string is high E.
With the usual reference of A4 = 440 Hz, the strings sound at these pitches: 6th string E2, 82.41 Hz; 5th string A2, 110 Hz; 4th string D3, 146.83 Hz; 3rd string G3, 196 Hz; 2nd string B3, 246.94 Hz; 1st string E4, 329.63 Hz. The two E strings are two octaves apart, which is why the high E vibrates almost exactly four times as fast as the low one.
The pattern between the strings is regular with one exception. Each pair of neighbours is a perfect fourth apart, five frets, except the 3rd and 2nd strings, G and B, which are a major third apart, four frets.
How do you tune a guitar with a tuner, step by step?
With a tuner, you tune one string at a time until the reading sits on the note. First, find a quiet place and start with the 6th string. Pluck it firmly and let it ring. The tuner shows which note it hears and how far you are from it: if the string is flat, below the note, tighten it by turning the peg; if it is sharp, above the note, loosen it. Then move on to A, D, G, B and high E in the same way.
Most tuners measure the gap in cents: 100 cents make one semitone, so a reading of −20 means the string is a fifth of a semitone low. Turn the peg in small movements and pluck again after each one. Many players tune up to the note: if you overshoot, drop a little below it and come back up, which helps the string stay put.
When all six are done, go through them a second time. Changing the tension of one string changes the pull on the neck slightly, which can nudge the others, so the second pass is usually quicker but rarely wasted. New strings keep stretching for a while after they are fitted, and wood and metal react to changes in temperature and humidity, which is why a guitar needs checking every time you pick it up.
How do you tune a guitar by ear? The 5th-fret method
To tune by ear, you tune each string to the one below it, using the fact that the 5th fret of one string gives the note of the next open string. First, make sure the low E is right, from a tuner, a piano or a reference tone. Then press the 6th string at the 5th fret: that note is A, so tune the open 5th string to match it. Press the 5th string at the 5th fret to get D for the open 4th string, and the 4th string at the 5th fret to get G for the open 3rd string.
The B string is the exception. Because G to B is a major third, press the 3rd string at the 4th fret, not the 5th, to get the B for the open 2nd string. Then go back to the 5th fret: the 2nd string at the 5th fret gives E for the open 1st string. When two nearly matching notes ring together you hear a slow wobble in the sound; as the strings come closer it slows down, and when they match it disappears.
Tuning by ear only makes the strings agree with each other. If the first string was off, the whole guitar will be off by the same amount, which is fine when you play alone but not with other instruments. The shared reference is A4 = 440 Hz, the A above middle C, agreed at an international conference in London in 1939 and formalised as the standard ISO 16 in 1975. The open 5th string, A2 at 110 Hz, is exactly two octaves below it.
Alternate tunings and the free online guitar tuner
Alternate tunings retune one or more strings to get a lower sound or easier chords. Drop D (D A D G B E) lowers only the 6th string by a whole step, from E to D. D standard (D G C F A D) lowers every string by a whole step, and half step down (E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭) lowers every string by a semitone. Open G (D G D G B D) makes the open strings ring as a G major chord, and DADGAD, devised by Davey Graham in the late 1950s, leaves open strings that work as drones. Lower tunings are usually chosen to suit a singer’s range or to get a deeper, heavier sound.
The free guitar tuner at VITON13 SCHOOL works through your microphone, with nothing to install. Press Start tuner and allow the microphone once; the sound is analysed on the page and never leaves your device, and Stop turns the microphone off. Pluck one string and let it ring: the tuner picks the nearest string itself, or you can tap a string to tune only that one. The needle shows how many cents you are from the note: to the left the string is low, so tighten it; to the right it is high, so loosen it. Within 5 cents of the note the reading turns green.
The same page tunes bass, ukulele and violin, has a chromatic mode for any note, and offers Drop D, DADGAD, Open G and half step down besides standard tuning. If you prefer to tune by ear, the “Tune by ear” buttons play each string’s note for four seconds. The reference A4 can be set from 430 to 450 Hz if your group tunes higher or lower than 440 Hz.
In everyday language
Tuning a guitar is like adjusting six springs to the right tension. Too loose and the note sags below where it should be; too tight and it climbs above. The tuner is a ruler that shows how far each spring is from the mark, and the pegs are how you set it.
Try it yourself
Open the guitar tuner, press Start tuner and tune all six strings in standard tuning. Then check your work by ear: play the 6th string at the 5th fret together with the open 5th string and listen.
Expected result
Six green readings in a row, and on the ear check two notes that sound as one, with no slow wobble.
Check your answer: Which fret on the G string gives the note of the open B string, and why is it different from the other strings?
The 4th fret. G to B is a major third, four semitones, while every other pair of neighbouring strings is a perfect fourth, five semitones, which is why they use the 5th fret.
Questions
What order are the guitar strings from top to bottom?
Holding the guitar, the string nearest your face is the thickest, low E, then A, D, G, B and the thinnest, high E, nearest the floor. Guitarists call high E the 1st string and low E the 6th.
Why does my guitar keep going out of tune?
New strings stretch for a while after fitting, and changes in temperature and humidity make wood and metal move. Tune every time you play, and stretch new strings gently before tuning them a second time.
Open the free VITON13 SCHOOL guitar tuner, tune the six strings to E A D G B E until every reading is green, then check the result once by ear with the 5th-fret method so you can tune without a tuner when you need to.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Guitar tunings (standard tuning, string numbering and frequencies) ↗Sources checked:
- Wikipedia: List of guitar tunings (drop D, D standard, open G, DADGAD) ↗Sources checked:
- Wikipedia: A440 (pitch standard), ISO 16 ↗Sources checked: