Guide · about 5 minutes
How to tune a guitar.
Use the tuner below, tune by ear, or check with harmonics. Each way takes a few minutes once you know the steps.
Tuner · Any tuning
Tune your guitar.
Pluck a string and the meter shows how far off it is. Tap any string to hear it at its true pitch and tune by ear.
- Pick any instrument and tuning
- Shift it down or up by half steps
- Set A to anything: 440, 432, 442…
E A D G B E
Check string tension →The sound never leaves your device.
Keys: Space start or stop · ← → half step · ↑ ↓ A (Shift: bigger steps) · 1–9 string · M mode · R hear · − + volume · L copy link · Esc done
Ready
Strings 1 → 6
3 times each
Tap Start, then pluck any string.
Your browser asks once · nothing is recorded
Strings · tap to hear
Instrument
Try uke, bari, 5 string, cello…
Tuning
E Standard
Shape
Shift
Standard pitch
Higher or lower
Fine-tune
Moves every string a little, for example to match a recording.
Custom tuning
Any strings, any notes
One row for each string. The top row is the top string, usually the thickest.
Start from
Strings
+ adds a lower string at the top. − takes the top string away.
Notes from C0 to C8. Type a note like D2, F♯3 or B♭1, or use − and +.
Save and use keeps it on this device (up to 8 tunings). Use without saving tunes with it for now.
Reference A
Slider 380–500 Hz. Type any value from 300 to 600 Hz.
More pitches
Sound
Violin, viola, cello and double bass start with Bowed, the rest with Acoustic.
Note length
Match a recording Beta
Find the A a song was recorded at, then tune to it and play along.
…listening
Play the song, loud and clear.
Result
This recording sits on A 440
The tuner already matches it: nothing to change.
A recording is only known within a half step: if the song is a half step down, also change the tuning.
Beta: tested on real records and synthetic songs. Check the result by ear.
Nothing is uploaded: the sound is measured on this device.
Settings
Mode
Guided: one string at a time, from the thickest.
Meter
Bar: a slider with a mint in-tune zone.
Note length
How long a tapped string and Hear sound. Repeat plays the string again every few seconds, Continuous holds it: tap it again to stop.
Reference sound
Violin, viola, cello and double bass start with Bowed, the rest with Acoustic. A sound you pick stays.
Volume
Phone speakers play very low notes an octave up.
Note names
Sharps and flats
Octave numbers (E2, E4)
Tells the two E strings apart: E2 is the low one, E4 the high one.
Frequencies (Hz)
Each string's pitch in hertz, such as 82.4 Hz.
In tune within
Precise is not used with harmonics: Normal ±3 applies.
Harmonic mode
For one low string: play its 12th-fret harmonic (×2) or its 5th-fret one (×4).
Pro view
The pitch heard in Hz, tenths of a cent and the input picker. Turns on octave numbers and frequencies.
Device names appear after you allow the microphone.
Input channel
Auto picks the channel with sound. Interfaces: choose the input your instrument is plugged into.
Background
Night ocean, cosmos, forest and more.
The sound never leaves your device. No account, no cookies.
Standard tuning
Tune a guitar in five minutes
Standard tuning, from the thickest string to the thinnest:
- String 6E282.41 Hz
- String 5A2110.00 Hz
- String 4D3146.83 Hz
- String 3G3196.00 Hz
- String 2B3246.94 Hz
- String 1E4329.63 Hz
With the tuner above
- Sit somewhere quiet and hold the phone or laptop near the guitar.
- Tap Start tuner and allow the microphone. Nothing is recorded or sent.
- Pluck String 6 and let it ring. Watch the meter: left of the center with Low · tighten means flat, right of it with loosen · High means sharp.
- Turn the peg a little at a time. Low? Tighten. High? Loosen below the note, then come back up.
- When the meter shows ✓ in tune, move on to String 5, and so on to String 1. Guided mode points to the next string for you.
- Play every string once more. Tuning one string changes the neck a little, so a quick second pass helps.
Before you turn
Which way to turn the pegs
That depends on the headstock, so do not guess: pluck the string while you turn and watch the reading. If the note goes the wrong way, turn the other way. Small moves, a quarter turn at most.
A second check
Tune with harmonics
Touch a string lightly right above the fret wire and pluck: you get a bell-like harmonic. The 5th-fret harmonic of one string matches the 7th-fret harmonic of the next (strings 6–5, 5–4, 4–3). The 7th-fret harmonic of String 6 matches open String 2. Harmonics give pure intervals, about 2 cents away from the equal-tempered notes a tuner uses, so finish with the tuner.
No microphone
Tune by ear: the 5th-fret method
Get String 6 right first, with the tuner or the reference tone. Then match each string to the one above it:
- String 6 at fret 5 = String 5 open (A)
- String 5 at fret 5 = String 4 open (D)
- String 4 at fret 5 = String 3 open (G)
- String 3 at fret 4 = String 2 open (B)
- String 2 at fret 5 = String 1 open (E)
When two notes are close, you hear a slow wobble (beating). Turn until the wobble slows down and stops.
Avoid these
Common mistakes
- Tuning down to the note. Slack in the gear lets the string slip flat. Come up to the note instead.
- The wrong octave. Tightening a string an octave too high can snap it. If a string feels very tight and the note seems "right", check the octave.
- Turning the wrong peg. Follow the string from the nut to its peg before you turn.
- New strings. They stretch for a day or two. Tune, stretch each string gently, and tune again.
- A different A. If you play with a piano or a band at 442, set the tuner to 442 too.
Other tunings
Ready for something new? Try Drop D, E♭ Standard (half step down), DADGAD or Open G, or see every tuning.
Questions
How often should I tune my guitar?
Every time you play. Temperature, humidity and playing all move the strings a little, so a quick check before each session is normal.
Why does my guitar not stay in tune?
Usually new strings that are still stretching, strings not wound neatly on the pegs, or tuning down to the note. Stretch new strings gently, and always finish by tuning up to the note.
Can I tune without a microphone?
Yes. Tap Hear to play the note of each string and match it by ear, or use the 5th-fret method on this page once String 6 is right.