Finding your way around your guitar’s fretboard might seem like picking your way through a maze of letters and notes but, once your guitar is in tune, it's surprising how quickly you’ll pick up just what lies where and what your best next move will be.
Keyboard players have it simple, with a string (virtual or otherwise) for every note they play - that’s 88 strings on a piano (not including unison strings…). The ‘low’ ones are on the left and, working your way to the right, they just get higher… Simple.
Guitarists, however, don’t have the same luxury of space and size, instead using just six strings to represent the full gamut of notes available. Thus, with such a shortcut in place, there’s a few tricks that have to be played in order for your guitar to present all the notes you need.
At this point, it's probably best not to ask ‘why’ but simply go with the tried and tested flow that’s worked for hundreds of years. Trust us – it really does all work out for the best.
Why does a guitar have six strings?
As you’ve probably noticed, your guitar features six strings and, with it sitting in your lap – from the fat one at the top, to the thin one at the bottom – these play the notes: E, A, D, G, B, E.
Or they should if your guitar is in tune…
That’s right, there are two E strings, two octaves apart – a ‘low E’ and a ‘high E’. Don’t fret (no pun intended) about ‘why’ now, just know that this setup allows you to reach an insane range of notes from a fretboard that’s literally within an arm's reach.
So all you need is six strings and you can play anything. The looser the string, the lower the note. That’s because a loose string vibrates slower than a high string. Notes are measured in Hz – the number of vibrations per second. Sounds complicated, but be grateful that this is all so scientific, as it means that tuning a guitar is easy to accomplish with your choice of hundreds of modern electronic tuners.
Or your amp may even have a tuner built in. Or simply go for one of the countless guitar tuning apps you’ll find for your phone.
So, from the fat E string nearest you to the thinnest E string furthest away:
E string: Should vibrate at 82 Hz and play the E2 note
A string: Should vibrate 110 Hz and play the A2 note
D string: Should vibrate 147 Hz and play the D3 note
G string: Should vibrate 196 Hz and play the G3 note
B string: Should vibrate 247 Hz and play the B3 note
E string: Should vibrate 330 Hz and play the E4 note
The ‘2’ or ‘3’ number is the octave number – aka where you’ll find the identical note on a piano keyboard.
And with your six strings in tune, then, by holding down a fret on the fretboard, you’re effectively shortening the string so it will vibrate faster when you pluck it. And it will sound at a higher pitch. Get it?
How to tune a guitar
Simply fire up your tuner/app of choice, ensure that its mic has clear, unimpeded access to the sound of your guitar and pluck each string in turn. Your tuner will tell you the pitch it’s listening to and then you simply rotate that string’s tuning peg (which you’ll find on the head of the guitar – at the end of the neck) until it plays the pitch listed above.
Turning the tuning peg away from you (counter-clockwise on the top strings, clockwise on the bottom) tightens the string and gives you a higher pitch. Turning the peg toward you (clockwise on the top strings, counter-clockwise on the bottom) will loosen the string and give you a lower pitch.
Remember the old adage: Righty-Tighty, Lefty-Loosey as you look directly at each tuning peg. Go slowly as small adjustments will make a bigger difference than you expect.
And – top tip – Always tune UP to the correct note rather than DOWN to it. This keeps the string under consistent tension as you’re tuning, and so, when the job is done, will help it stay in tune for longer.
How to tune a guitar without a tuner
It’s also possible to tune a guitar using a method known as ‘relative tuning’. I.e. You can tune all the strings to each other so they’re the correct number of Hz apart from each other and will sound chords and melodies correctly.
Do be aware that this method means that your guitar isn’t necessarily in tune with every OTHER guitar… So perhaps get at least one string in correct tuning before using it to tune the others. Or use relative tuning only when you’re practicing or playing solo (and perhaps only for emergencies)… But it can be done.
Relative tuning works by using one string as your reference point and tuning the others to match it. Start by assuming your low E string (the thickest one) is roughly in tune, then work your way down:
Step 1: Fret the low E string at the 5th fret. This produces the note A. Now tune the next string – that open A string – to match that sound. Simple.
Now just keep going.
Step 2: Fret the A string at the 5th fret. This produces a D. Tune your open D string to match.
Step 3: Fret the D string at the 5th fret. This produces G. Tune your open G string to match.
Step 4: Fret the G string at the 4th fret. This produces B. Tune your open B string to match. (Note: this one is the 4th fret, NOT the 5th, remember!)
Step 5: Fret the B string at the 5th fret. This produces E. Tune your open high E string to match.
Top tip. Try to pluck both strings — the fretted note and the open string — together, and listen carefully. If you hear a slight wavering or wobbling sound, the strings are close but not quite matching. Adjust the tuning peg slowly until that wavering disappears and the two notes sound smooth and stable together.
It takes a little practice but is a genuinely useful skill to develop and you’re training your ear and to recognise notes at the same time!
Why does my guitar keep going out of tune?
Don’t worry. New guitars – and new strings – go out of tune frequently at first. That’s because your strings and the neck and body of the guitar need time to stretch and settle under tension. This is completely normal. Simply retune and just keep playing. After a few weeks things will stabilise considerably.
Temperature and humidity also affect tuning. If you've moved your guitar from a cold car into a warm room, give it a few minutes to adjust before tuning up.
More top tuning tips
Get into the habit of tuning every single time you pick up your guitar, before you play anything. It takes less than a minute and makes everything sound immediately better. Your ears will gradually learn to recognise when something sounds slightly off, and that's the beginning of developing a musical ear.
Tuning might seem like a chore at first, but it quickly becomes second nature. And there's something quietly satisfying about a perfectly in tune guitar which invites you to play.
Have fun!
