Why Tuning Matters More Than You Think
Nothing undermines practice like a guitar that is slightly out of tune. Chords sound muddy, your ear learns the wrong pitches, and you start to blame your fingers for a problem that is really in the tuning pegs. Tuning well is a two-minute habit that pays off every time you pick up the instrument.
Standard Tuning
In standard tuning the open strings, from the thickest to the thinnest, are:
E A D G B E
A common way to remember it is a phrase like "Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie". The low and high E strings are the same note two octaves apart.
Most tuners and most recordings use a reference of A = 440 Hz, which is the widely used standard pitch. Unless you are playing along with a recording that is tuned differently, leave your tuner at 440.
Tuning With an Electronic Tuner
Clip-on tuners, pedal tuners and phone apps all work the same way: they listen to the string and show you whether the note is flat (too low) or sharp (too high).
- Play one open string and let it ring. Pick firmly but not aggressively; a hard attack makes the pitch jump sharp for a moment.
- Watch the display. It shows the note name and a needle or bar.
- Turn the peg until the display shows the correct note and the needle is centred.
Always tune up to the note. If a string is sharp, loosen it until it is below the target, then bring it back up. Tuning up leaves the string tight against the peg and it holds pitch better. Tuning down to the note often leaves slack in the winding that lets the string slip flat a few minutes later.
Clip-on tuners read vibration through the headstock, so they work well in noisy rooms. Phone apps use the microphone and can struggle when others are playing.
Tuning by Ear: The Fifth-Fret Method
You will not always have a tuner, and tuning by ear trains your hearing. The classic method tunes the strings relative to each other:
- Tune the low E to a reference if you have one (a piano, another guitar, a recording). If not, just get it close.
- Play the low E at the 5th fret. That is an A. Tune the open A string to match.
- Play the A string at the 5th fret (D). Tune the open D string to match.
- Play the D string at the 5th fret (G). Tune the open G to match.
- Play the G string at the 4th fret (B). Tune the open B to match. This is the one exception, because of the interval between G and B.
- Play the B string at the 5th fret (E). Tune the open high E to match.
When two notes are close but not quite matched, you will hear a slow "wobble" or beating in the sound. As you get closer, the wobble slows down. When it disappears, they match.
The weakness of this method is that small errors add up as you move across the strings. After tuning, check a few chords. If an open G or E major sounds sour, go back and fine-tune.
Harmonics and Checking Your Work
Natural harmonics are a useful check. Lightly touch the string directly above the 12th fret wire, without pressing, and pick. You get a bell-like note an octave above the open string. Harmonics at the 5th and 7th frets can be compared between neighbouring strings too.
Many players use harmonics for a quick check between songs, but be aware that tuning purely by 5th- and 7th-fret harmonics introduces small errors, because those harmonics are "pure" intervals that differ slightly from the equal-tempered tuning guitars are designed for. A tuner or fretted comparisons are more reliable for the final pass.
Why Guitars Go Out of Tune
- New strings stretch. For the first day or two, new strings keep settling. Gently pulling each string away from the fretboard along its length and retuning speeds this up.
- Temperature and humidity. Wood and metal respond to changes. A guitar brought in from a cold car will drift as it warms.
- Poor winding at the peg. Too few wraps, or wraps that cross over each other, can slip.
- Playing hard. Heavy bends and aggressive strumming pull strings out of tune faster.
- Tremolo systems. Floating bridges trade tuning stability for expression and need more attention.
If a guitar will not stay in tune even after the strings have settled, the nut slots, tuners or bridge may need attention from a technician.
Three Alternate Tunings Worth Trying
Alternate tunings open new sounds and make some songs possible that are awkward or impossible in standard.
Drop D (D A D G B E)
Lower only the low E string down a whole step to D. Check it by playing the open D string: the low string should sound the same note an octave lower. Drop D gives you a deeper low end and lets you play power chords with one finger across the bottom three strings. It is common in rock and metal, and it is also useful for folk songs in D.
Open G (D G D G B D)
Lower the low E to D, the A to G, and the high E to D. Strummed open, the guitar now plays a G major chord. Open G is closely associated with slide guitar and with a lot of classic rock rhythm playing, where one finger barring across a fret gives you a major chord.
DADGAD (D A D G A D)
Lower the low E to D, the B to A, and the high E to D. It is neither major nor minor when strummed open, which gives it a floating, ringing sound. It is popular in Celtic and acoustic fingerstyle music.
When you change tunings often, retune slowly and expect the guitar to need a touch-up after a few minutes, as the neck adjusts to the change in tension.
A Simple Habit
Tune at the start of every practice session, and check again after the first ten minutes. It takes almost no time, and it keeps your ear honest.
FAQ
Q: My tuner says E but the chords still sound wrong. Why? A: Check that the needle is centred, not just that the note name is right, and that every string reads the correct note. If all six read perfectly and chords still sound off, the intonation may need adjusting, which is part of a setup.
Q: Should I tune down a half step like some bands? A: Only if you are playing along with recordings in that tuning, or you prefer the feel. Set your tuner to show flats, or tune each string to the note a half step below standard: Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb.
Q: How often should I change strings to help tuning? A: When they sound dull, feel rough, or will not hold pitch. How often that is depends on how much you play.