How to tune your guitar
- Choose Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, Violin or Any note, and a Tuning such as Drop D. Press Start and allow the microphone.
- Play one string at a time and let it ring. The tuner shows the nearest string, a needle and the frequency in Hz. Click a string’s letter to hear its note and tune to that string only.
- Follow the hint under the needle: tighten a string that is flat and loosen one that is sharp, until it says In tune.
Standard tuning frequencies
These are standard tunings with A4 = 440 Hz, the usual concert pitch. Strings are listed in the order they sit, starting with the one nearest your face as you play a guitar, bass or ukulele, and with the lowest string on a violin.
| Instrument | Strings | Frequencies |
|---|---|---|
| Guitar | E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4 | 82.41, 110.00, 146.83, 196.00, 246.94, 329.63 Hz |
| Bass (4 string) | E1 A1 D2 G2 | 41.20, 55.00, 73.42, 98.00 Hz |
| Ukulele | G4 C4 E4 A4 | 392.00, 261.63, 329.63, 440.00 Hz |
| Violin | G3 D4 A4 E5 | 196.00, 293.66, 440.00, 659.26 Hz |
A standard ukulele is the odd one out: its G string is tuned higher than the C next to it, which gives the instrument its bright sound. That’s why the ukulele row isn’t in rising order.
Tips for tuning faster
- Tune up to the note. If a string is sharp, loosen it a little below the note and then bring it up. Finishing on a tightening turn takes up any slack in the tuning peg, so the string holds its pitch better.
- Pluck firmly but not hard. A very hard pluck makes the note go slightly sharp for a moment. Pluck, wait a beat and read the needle once it settles.
- Go round twice. Changing one string pulls a little on the neck and the others. After tuning all six, check each one again.
- New strings stretch. Fresh strings go flat for the first day or two. Tune them often, and gently pull each string away from the fretboard a few times to help them settle.