How to tune a guitar by ear and with a tuner

Updated by Winton Gee

Quick answer

Standard tuning, from the thickest string to the thinnest, is E A D G B E: 82.41, 110, 146.83, 196, 246.94 and 329.63 Hz. With a tuner, pluck one string, let it ring, and turn the peg until the reading sits at 0 cents, coming up to the note from below. By ear, tune the low E to a reference tone, then fret each string at the 5th fret (the 4th fret on the G string) and match the next string to it.

A guitar in tune starts with the right note on each open string. This guide gives the notes and their frequencies, explains what a tuner is measuring, and shows two ways to get there: with a tuner, and by ear.

Standard tuning: E A D G B E

Standard tuning names the open strings from the thickest (the 6th string) to the thinnest (the 1st string). The frequencies assume the usual reference of A4 at 440 Hz.

  • 6th string, thickest: 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, thinnest: E4, 329.63 Hz

Each pair of neighbouring strings is five semitones apart (a perfect fourth), except G and B, which are four semitones apart (a major third). That pattern is what makes the 5th fret method below work.

How a tuner reads cents

A chromatic tuner finds the pitch of the note you play, names the nearest note, and shows how far off it is in cents. A cent is one hundredth of a semitone, so an octave is 1,200 cents. The scale on most tuners runs from 50 cents flat to 50 cents sharp; past 50 cents the nearest note is the next one over.

  • Below zero (flat): the string is too low. Tighten it: turn the peg so the pitch rises.
  • Above zero (sharp): the string is too high. Loosen it a little past the note, then come back up.
  • At zero: the string is on the note. Within a few cents is close to what most ears can tell apart.

Why the needle wobbles, and what to do

A plucked string is not one clean frequency. It sounds the note plus harmonics above it, and the sound changes as it fades. Background noise, other strings ringing along and the harmonics can all pull a tuner away from the note, which is why the needle on many tuners wavers while the string rings.

  1. Pluck once, firmly, and let it ring. Read the needle after the first attack, while the note is still strong. Plucking again and again restarts the attack each time.
  2. Mute the other strings. Rest your fretting hand lightly across the strings you are not tuning, so only one string sounds.
  3. Keep the room quiet and the phone close. Hold the iPhone near the sound hole or the amp, away from fans, voices and other instruments.
  4. Tune up to the note. If a string is sharp, loosen it until it is flat, then tighten up to the note.
  5. Check again after a full pass. Changing one string shifts the tension on the neck a little, so a second pass over all six strings settles them.

Tune by ear with the 5th fret method

Tuning by ear means tuning one string to a reference, then tuning each string to the one before it. Start with a reference tone for the low E (E2, 82.41 Hz) and match the open 6th string to it: when the two are close, you hear a slow wah wah beat that disappears when they match.

  1. Fret the 6th string (E) at the 5th fret. That note is A. Tune the open 5th string to it.
  2. Fret the 5th string (A) at the 5th fret. That note is D. Tune the open 4th string to it.
  3. Fret the 4th string (D) at the 5th fret. That note is G. Tune the open 3rd string to it.
  4. Fret the 3rd string (G) at the 4th fret. That note is B. Tune the open 2nd string to it.
  5. Fret the 2nd string (B) at the 5th fret. That note is E. Tune the open 1st string to it.

The guitar is now in tune with itself. It is in tune with other instruments only if the first string matched a true reference, which is why a reference tone or a tuner is the place to start.

When a tuner app cannot hear the guitar

A tuner app on iPhone listens through the microphone, and iPhone asks your permission before any app can use it. If you said no, or the app shows that the microphone is off, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone and turn it on for the tuner. An orange dot at the top of the screen shows when an app is using the microphone.

Where Guitar, Ukulele & Bass Tuner helps

Guitar, Ukulele & Bass Tuner smooths its readings so the needle settles instead of flapping, then says which way to turn the peg in plain words. Pick a string and it stays picked, or let the app follow the string you play. A reference tone for every string covers the by ear method above, and works with the microphone off.

Tuning, every preset tuning for guitar, ukulele and bass, and the reference tones are free, with no limits. Sound is analyzed on your iPhone and never recorded or sent.

Guitar, Ukulele & Bass Tuner is coming soon to the App Store.

Sources

Steps, quotes and findings in this guide come from these sources, checked on October 12, 2026.