Guitar Tuning: Standard, By Ear and Alternate Tunings

An out-of-tune guitar makes every chord sound wrong, no matter how well you play. Tuning is the first skill every guitarist needs, and doing it well also trains your ear. This lesson covers standard tuning, three ways to tune, and the alternate tunings you are most likely to meet.

Standard tuning

In standard tuning, the six strings are tuned, from the thickest (6th string) to the thinnest (1st string):

A common memory aid is to read the letters E A D G B E from low to high. The intervals between strings are all perfect fourths, except between G and B, which is a major third. That one exception is why chord shapes change when they cross from the 3rd to the 2nd string.

Guitar music is written an octave higher than it sounds, so the low E string (E2) appears on the staff as E3, below the treble staff.

Reference: the six open strings in standard tuning

Using a tuner

An electronic tuner is the fastest and most accurate method, and perfect for beginners.

1. Play one open string and let it ring. Pluck firmly but not hard; a very hard attack makes the pitch go sharp for a moment.
2. Read the note name on the display. If it shows the wrong letter (for example D# instead of E), turn the peg until the correct note appears.
3. Adjust until the needle or light is centered. Flat means too low (tighten), sharp means too high (loosen, then come back up).
4. Repeat for all six strings, then check them all again. Changing the tension of one string slightly affects the others, especially on guitars with a floating bridge.

Clip-on tuners read vibrations through the headstock and work well in noisy rooms. Microphone tuners, including the one on this site, work best in a quiet room.

ToolsOnline TunerChromatic microphone tuner with reference tones for guitar, bass, ukulele and more.

Tuning by ear: the 5th-fret method

This method tunes the guitar to itself. It is useful when you have no tuner, and it trains your ear. First tune the low E string to a reference (a piano, a tuning fork, another instrument or a reference tone). Then:

1. Press the 6th string at fret 5 (A). Tune the open 5th string to match.
2. Press the 5th string at fret 5 (D). Tune the open 4th string to match.
3. Press the 4th string at fret 5 (G). Tune the open 3rd string to match.
4. Press the 3rd string at fret 4 (B). Tune the open 2nd string to match. Remember: fret 4, not 5, because of the major third.
5. Press the 2nd string at fret 5 (E). Tune the open 1st string to match.

How to hear "in tune"

When two notes are almost the same, you hear a wobble called beating: a slow pulsing in the volume. The closer the pitches, the slower the beats. When the beating disappears, the strings match. If you cannot tell whether the open string is higher or lower, detune it clearly flat and bring it up slowly while listening.

Tuning with harmonics

Natural harmonics are bell-like tones you get by lightly touching a string directly above a fret wire (not pressing it down) and picking. They ring clearly while both hands are free, which makes beating easier to hear.

The 7th-fret harmonic gives a pure (just) fifth, which is about 2 cents wider than the equal-tempered fifth used on a fretted guitar. For casual tuning this difference is tiny, but for precise work, finish with a tuner or check octaves and chords by ear.

Alternate tunings

Alternate tunings change the pitch of one or more strings to create new chord shapes, deeper sounds or open-string drones. All notes below are listed from the 6th string to the 1st.

What each tuning is good for

• Half-step down and D standard: same shapes as standard tuning, lower and darker sound, slightly looser strings that are easier to bend. Popular in rock and metal and for singers who prefer lower keys.
• Drop D: a low D bass note under D-based chords, and one-finger power chords on the lowest three strings (barre the same fret on strings 6, 5 and 4).
• DADGAD: an open, modal sound, neither major nor minor (it forms a Dsus4 when strummed open). Common in Celtic and acoustic fingerstyle music.
• Open G: strumming the open strings gives a G major chord. A single finger barre at fret 5 gives C, at fret 7 gives D. Excellent for slide guitar and rhythm parts.
• Open D: open strings give D major. A rich, resonant tuning for fingerstyle and slide.
• Open E: the same shapes as open D, a whole step higher. It raises string tension, so tune carefully and consider open D with a capo at fret 2 as a safer alternative.

Practice

1. Tuner routine: detune all six strings slightly, then tune them with a tuner. Time yourself and aim for under one minute.
2. 5th-fret method: tune the low E with the reference tone, tune the rest by ear with the 5th-fret method, then check with the tuner and note how far off each string was.
3. Hear the beats: play the 5th-fret harmonic on the 6th string and the 7th-fret harmonic on the 5th string together. Detune the 5th string slightly and listen to the beating speed up and slow down.
4. Drop D power chords: tune to Drop D and play one-finger power chords on the lowest three strings at frets 0, 3, 5 and 7 (D5, F5, G5, A5).
5. Open G exploration: tune to open G and play barres at frets 0, 5 and 7 (G, C, D) as a I IV V progression.

Related lessons: Guitar fretboard notes, Reading tab, Intervals, Ear training, Transposition and capo, Bass basics.

Tools: Tuner, Scale explorer with any tuning, Chord builder, Fretboard trainer.

Exercises and printables: Guitar fretboard 1, Guitar fretboard notes chart, Blank guitar fretboard, Guitar tab paper, Open chords chart. For a complete plan, start the 30-day guitar beginner path.