The 5th Fret Method
This method compares a fretted note on one string with the open string next to it. Taylor Guitars describes it this way: the note at the 5th fret of one string should be the same as the open string below it.
- Tune the low E (6th) string first, to a reference note if you have one.
- Fret the low E string at the 5th fret. That note is A. Tune the open A string to match it.
- Fret the A string at the 5th fret. That note is D. Tune the open D string to match.
- Fret the D string at the 5th fret. That note is G. Tune the open G string to match.
- Fret the G string at the 4th fret, not the 5th. That note is B. Tune the open B string to match.
- Fret the B string at the 5th fret. That note is E. Tune the open high E string to match.
The G to B pair is different because, as Fender explains, it is the only pair of strings tuned a major third apart. Every other pair is a fourth apart, which is five frets. See guitar string names for which string is which.
Listen for the Wobble
Play the two notes so they ring together. When they are slightly out of tune, Fender says you hear an oscillation, a pulsing or wobbling sound. Turn the peg of the string you are tuning until the wobble slows and goes away.
Taylor's advice is to tune up to pitch rather than down. If a string is sharp, loosen it until it is flat, then bring it up to the note. The gears in the tuning pegs are then less likely to slip and pull the string out of tune.
The Harmonic Method
Harmonics give a clear, ringing tone that makes the wobble easier to hear. To play one, rest a fingertip lightly on the string directly above the fret wire, without pressing down, and pluck. Fender gives these pairs:
- The 5th fret harmonic of the low E string matches the 7th fret harmonic of the A string.
- The same 5th and 7th fret pairing works for A to D, D to G, and B to high E.
- For G to B, Fender matches the 9th fret harmonic of the G string with the 5th fret harmonic of the B string. Taylor instead tunes that pair with the fretted method above.
Harmonic tuning is close, not exact. Joe Wolfe of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) explains that harmonic intervals differ slightly from the equal-tempered intervals the frets are spaced for. Tuning two pairs by harmonics can leave a later interval about 4 cents flat, so check the octaves afterward.
Where to Get a Reference Note
Tuning a guitar to itself makes it sound right on its own, but it may sit higher or lower than other instruments. Taylor notes that A at 440 Hz is the standard reference. Some options for the first string:
- A piano or keyboard: match each string to its key. If you tune to a piano, check that the piano is in tune first with the piano tuning checker.
- A reference tone: the string buttons on our guitar tuner play each string's note, so you can tune by ear to them without starting the microphone.
- Another instrument in the group, so that you agree with each other.
For what changes when the reference moves away from 440 Hz, see 432 Hz vs 440 Hz.
Check It With a Tuner
Fender's ear-training advice is to tune by ear and then check the result with a tuner. Open the online guitar tuner, tap Start Tuning, and play each open string. It listens through your phone or computer mic and shows how many cents sharp or flat each string is, so you can see how close your ear got.
Clip-on tuners read the string's vibration through the headstock instead of a microphone, which helps in a noisy room. Our clip-on tuner guide compares them.