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Standard guitar tuning
Standard guitar tuning, from the lowest thick string to the highest thin string, is E A D G B E.
Before you start
- Move to a reasonably quiet room and mute the strings you are not tuning.
- Confirm that the selected preset matches the tuning you want.
- Identify string 6 as the thick low string and string 1 as the thin high string.
- Use small tuning-key movements and stop if a string feels unusually tight.
Step-by-step tuning
- Open the free guitar tuner.
- Choose your tuning from the dropdown.
- Tap Start listening and allow microphone access.
- Pluck one string clearly.
- If the note is flat, tighten the string slowly.
- If the note is sharp, loosen the string slowly.
- Repeat for each string.
What flat and sharp mean
Flat means the string is too low. Tune up by tightening the string. Sharp means the string is too high. Tune down by loosening the string.
Tune in more than one pass
Changing one string slightly changes the total tension on the guitar, especially on instruments with floating tremolo bridges. Tune all six strings once, then return to the low string and check them again. Pluck with moderate force and judge the pitch after the sharp initial attack settles.
Why your guitar may still sound out of tune
- Old strings can drift or sound dull.
- New strings need to stretch.
- Pressing too hard on the frets can make notes sharp.
- The guitar may need intonation adjustment.
Popular tunings
Continue learning
Match the string before turning a peg
The two E strings have the same letter but are two octaves apart. Use thickness and position to identify them; do not try to tighten the thick E string until it reaches the thin E string's pitch.
| String | Target note | Target frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 6 — thickest | E2 | 82.41 Hz |
| 5 | A2 | 110.00 Hz |
| 4 | D3 | 146.83 Hz |
| 3 | G3 | 196.00 Hz |
| 2 | B3 | 246.94 Hz |
| 1 — thinnest | E4 | 329.63 Hz |
A complete example: tuning the A string
- Select Standard and pluck string 5, with the other strings muted.
- Confirm the intended target is A2. The tuner compares sound with the selected preset; it is not a full-range chromatic note identifier.
- If the settled reading is −12 cents, make a small adjustment upward. Pluck again before making another adjustment.
- If you pass the target and read +8 cents, loosen below the target and approach upward again.
- Finish near the center, then revisit the string after tuning the other five.
These readings illustrate the process; they are not measurements from a particular guitar. If the string is far from its target, a preset tuner may show another string or no stable reading. Compare with a known reference or a chromatic tuner before making a large adjustment.
Before your first song
Play a familiar chord gently, check each open string once more, and remove a capo if you used one. If open strings are stable but fretted chords remain sharp, investigate intonation and fretting pressure rather than repeatedly retuning the open strings.