Before you begin playing a guitar or starting guitar lessons it is important that the guitar is tuned properly. Obviously, an out of tune guitar will produce notes and chords that sound "sour", even though you might be playing chords or scales with the proper fingering.

How important is tuning? It is very important. Just like a car key is vitally important to starting the engine, tuning the guitar is something that should be done every time you sit down to play. Guitar strings are made out of metal and are prone to changes in climate and temperature and will expand and contract in reaction to these changes, so you will need to get in the habit of tuning on a regular basis.

A guitar is tuned by adjusting the tuning "nuts" or “tuners” located on the "headstock" of the guitar. (See our article on the Guitar Parts). The tuning nuts can be turned to either loosen or tighten the strings. When the nut is tightened the corresponding string will produce a higher sound and this is referred to as the note going "sharp". Conversely, when the nut is loosened the corresponding string will produce a lower sound and this is referred to as the note going "flat"

Which direction the nut should be turned to make the string go sharp or flat is determined by the style of guitar you are playing and also, how it was strung. In general, on an electric guitar that has a "Strat" style headstock, the tuning nuts are located on the top part of the headstock (as you are holding it) and this is known as a "6 in-line" tuner configuration. In this case, when the guitar is properly strung, all of the tuning nuts will operate the same way. Typically a counter clockwise motion on the tuning nut will cause the string to raise (go sharp) and a clockwise motion will cause the string to lower (go flat).

On most acoustic guitars as well as "Les Paul" style electrics, the tuning nuts are lined up in a "3 per side” configuration. As you are holding the guitar, the 3 tuning nuts on the top side of the headstock will react the same as the above description of the "6 in line" models, but the 3 tuning nuts on the bottom will react in the opposite direction. i.e. clockwise motion to tighten (go sharp) and counter clockwise to loosen (go flat).

Before starting the tuning process for the first time take a moment to turn the tuning nuts on your guitar, listen to the effect they have on the sound of the string and get a feel for how they operate.


Once you are comfortable with the operation of your tuning nuts the first step in the tuning process is to identify the 6 strings on the guitar and the corresponding musical note for each.

Although there are many different tunings that guitarists use for different styles of music we will be focused here in tuning the guitar to an “E” standard tuning. The vast majority of players use this tuning and most sheet music and tablature is written in E standard. Most surely, when you begin taking guitar lessons your instructor or guitar lesson program will be geared to this tuning.

In E standard the 6 strings are tuned to an E A D G B E starting with the lowest sounding (fattest) string. Conversely when the strings are referred to numerically the lowest sounding string is considered the 6th string and the others fall in order, so when discussing the strings numerically you can think of them, starting with the lowest sounding (fattest) string, like this:

E - 6th (low)

A - 5th

D - 4th

G - 3rd

B - 2nd

E - 1st (high)

This is an important point to remember not only for tuning the guitar but as you begin taking guitar lessons and later as you start reading tablature. Continually you will hear and see references like “play the note on the 3rd fret, 4th string”, or “on the 2nd string slide up from the 5th fret to the 7th” etc. So as you can see, it would serve you well to memorize these string names and numbers.

Now that we can identify the strings it is time to actually start tuning them. There are various methods we can use to tune the guitar and a number of different products available to aid us in the process, from using a pitch fork or pitch pipe, to referencing the notes on a piano, to using an electronic guitar tuner.


One of the advantages of tuning a guitar is that once we have just one of the strings adjusted to the proper pitch we can use that string to tune the rest of the guitar to itself. The following graphics show how, once the low E string is tuned properly, we can use that as a reference to tune the other strings.

With the low E string in tune we can play the note on the 5th fret (which is an A note) and match the open 5th string (A) to it. Once the A string is in tune we can play the note on the 5th fret of the A string (which is a D note) and match the open 4thstring (D) to that.

This method will work as we continue to each string with the only exception being the 3rd string (G) where we will play the 4th fret instead of the 5th to get the note to tune the 2nd (B) string.


Tuning the guitar to itself and using a pitch fork or pitch pipe is generally considered to be “old school”, especially with the advent of affordable electronic tuners. This is, however, a great way to train your ears to hear the notes on the guitar as they should sound. You will see many experienced players that can tune by ear almost automatically and it would be advantageous to you, as you start taking guitar lessons, to make the extra effort to begin the process of training your ears as well.

Another method you can use to tune the guitar is to reference the corresponding notes on a piano. An electronic piano or keyboard is actually best for this because an acoustic piano produces notes by means of internal strings and these can go out of tune over time, whereas the pitch on an electronic keyboard will remain consistent.

Find “middle C” on the keyboard and the 3rd white key above that will be the high E (1st string) on your guitar. Two octaves below that will put you at the low E (6th  string) on your guitar.

Again, with the advent of electronic tuners, this method on tuning is not nearly as common as it was years ago but it is still a great way to train your ears. It is also a method you are likely to use if you are playing a gig with an acoustic piano player so that you both match.


Far and away the most popular method of tuning is using an electronic digital tuner. These tuners are highly accurate and with prices starting about $10 and up, there is no reason you should not get one prior to starting guitar lessons.

They are easy to use as well. Most either have an input jack if you are using a guitar cable, or a built in mic for acoustic guitars. You simply pluck the open string and adjust the tuning nut until the meter or LED on the tuner indicates the string is in tune.

There are a multitude of tuners available on the market and an in depth review of them is beyond the scope of this article, but suffice it to say, that they are well worth the investment and will make life much easier as you begin with guitar lessons.

You can even find several online tuners to assist you and, if you are taking an online guitar lessons course or an in home study program for guitar lessons, they will typically provide you with a tuning module.


One of the most intimidating aspects of starting guitar lessons can be the simple process of learning how to tune the guitar and knowing when it is actually in tune. The important thing is to be patient with yourself and remember that virtually anyone that has ever played a guitar has experienced the same thing.

As with the whole process of starting guitar lessons, learning how to tune the guitar can be, at first, a little frustrating; but remember back to anything you have done in your life that seemed foreign to you in the beginning but, with practice, became second nature. Learning to tune the guitar will be the same way, but by using the many resources available to you, asking questions and making a few mistakes along the way, you will find that in no time at all you will be tuning your guitar like a pro!

Staff - TopMusicLessons.com