How to Tune a Guitar With a Tuner? ( A Step-By-Step Guide in 2024)

The more accurate the tuning, the more harmonious the guitar sound. So, tuners here can ease your process! However, how to tune a guitar with a tuner? We have you covered! Let’s find out how it should be done!

Key Takeaways: Tuning A Guitar With A Tuner

When using a tuner, first ensure the tuner is on and set to the correct mode. Now, play the low E string and tweak the peg until you are in tune. Do the same for the rest of the strings (E, A, D, G, B, E). Once done, gently stroke all the strings and see whether you need to fine-tune or make any adjustments.

How To Tune A Guitar With A Tuner? (Step-by-Step Guide)

Knowing the right tuning steps will help you tune your guitar faster.

Here’s how you do it the right way.

Step 1: Select Your Tuner

First, choose your guitar tuner type. Four types of tuners are available:

Pedal Tuners: Electric guitarists mainly use this tuner. Pedal tuners rely on a cable connection between the pedal and your guitar.
Clip-On Tuners: These tuners clip onto your guitar’s headstock and display the pitch based on string vibrations.
App Tuners: App tuners pick the pitch through your phone’s microphone and display the pitch on the screen.

Experts’ Recommendation

Expert guitarists like Denny prefer Zager’s high-accuracy guitar tuners due to its easy-to-read display. Plus, the tuner comes at a pretty affordable price with a compact size, making every penny worth it.

Step 2: Understand the Standard Tuning

If you are a beginner, you can remember the strings in this way:

E- Eddie

A- Ate
D- Dynamite

G- Good
B- Bye
E- Eddie

Here’s what each string is called:

E (low E): 6th string
A: 5th string
D: 4th string
G: 3rd string
B: 2nd string
e (high E): 1st string

Knowing the strings will help you to understand the tone and tension and you can get a better grip over your playing.

Step 3: Position Your Tuner

The correct tuner position gives you an accurate reading. You can make precise adjustments and maintain the correct pitch while playing.

Proper tuner placement even lets you know the string tension, resonance, and sound quality. Many guitarists prefer placing the tuner at the headstock as it minimizes amp noise and eliminates activated pedals.

Check out this thread on Reddit!

Step 4: Turn On the Tuner

Most tuners come with a display, showing what note you’re playing and the pitch type (high or low). Here’s what you can expect from different tuner types:

Clip-On Tuners: Starts immediately detects the vibrations from the strings and displays the notes on the screen.

Pedal Tuners: Clicking on the pedal mutes the output signal to your amp letting you hear as you tune. The screen will then display the note it's hearing.

App Tuners: Open the app and select the guitar type (if such an option is available). The application will then use your device’s microphone to analyze and display the notes.

Step 5: Strings Tuning

Start with the low E string. Play the string softly and keep an eye on the tuner display. The note detected will be displayed and you can figure out if the note’s too sharp or flat.

Turn the tuning peg accordingly: right for a higher pitch and left if it is too high. Keep tuning until you see the correct note. Repeat for each string in the following order: A, D, G, B, and high E.

Step 6: Double Check and Fine Tune

Once all the strings are tuned, cross-check again! At times, when you tune one string, it slightly changes the pitch of the others, due to the tension differences across the guitar neck. So, you may need to make minor adjustments back and forth!

After you’re done, give the guitar a few chords or scales to make sure it sounds harmonious. If not, fine-tune the guitar with your tuner. Experienced guitarists usually make final adjustments by listening to the tune.

Expert Tips While Tuning Your Guitar

Old strings tend to go off-tune more often. So, change your strings when you see it goes off-tune more frequently.

Uneven string stretches can also lead to off-tune. Avoid tugging or pulling the strings.
Defective strings can go off-tune pretty often. This is why take strings from good and high-quality brands only.
Although, it’s super rare, sometimes faulty guitars can also be the reason for frequent off-tunes. So, only purchase guitars that serve quality and are from trusted brands.

How To Tune A Guitar With A Tuner App? (Step-by-step Guide)

Not all online applications are accurate. So, first, check whether the app is a good fit for tuning or not.

Step 1: Download a tuner app from your Google Play Store or App Store. Both GuitarTuna and Fender Tune are quite popular. So, you can give any of these a try! Once installed, open the application.

Step 2: Choose the standard tuning mode (E-A-D-G-B-e), choose it unless you need some other tuning. Moreover, some applications may require you to select the "Guitar" type.

Step 3: Place the phone on a plane surface near the guitar's sound hole or near the amplifier if it’s an electric guitar.

Step 4: Pluck the 6th string. Now, note the display on the app. If the note is flat, tighten the tuning peg. If it is sharp, loosen the tuning peg. Keep adjusting until the string is in tune. Do the same for the rest of the strings.

Step 5: Double-check if your strings are in tune and play some chords for fine-tuning adjustments.

Check out this video for tuning with a free app

How To Tune A Guitar with a FREE APP (embedded)

How to Tune a Guitar With a Tuner for Beginners?

As a beginner tuning guitar is challenging. So, here’s how you can proceed.

1. Get A Suitable Tuner

Not all tuners might be suitable for beginners. Initially, start with the one in which you feel comfortable. It could be a clip-on-tuner or even a tuning app. You would plan to get used to the tuner.

2. Turn on the Tuner

Position the tuner and start strumming each of the strings. If you’re still learning to strum, it might take a while, but gradually you’ll get the hang of it.

3. Select Mode (only if you are using an app)

If you are using an application, you may need to select the mode first. However, the accuracy of online applications is questionable. So, ensure you use accurate and verified applications.