TuneHaven

How to tune a guitar by ear, without a tuner

Tune the six strings to each other with the fifth-fret method or with harmonics. One reference note gets the guitar to concert pitch; without one it is only in tune with itself.

You need one thing a tuner normally gives you: a note you trust. Everything else on the guitar can be tuned from the strings themselves, because each string sits a fixed distance above the one below it.

Start with one reference note

Pick the string you have a reference for and tune it first.

  • A piano or keyboard: the E just above middle C is exactly your open high E string (E4), and the A below middle C is your open A string (110 Hz) one octave up. Either works.
  • Another guitar that is already in tune: match your low E to its low E.
  • A recording of a tuning note, or any song you know is in standard tuning and starts on E.

No reference at all? Tune the low E until it feels tight but not stiff, and tune everything else to it. The guitar will sound right on its own; it just will not match anyone else. That is fine for practising alone.

The fifth-fret method

The standard tuning interval between neighbouring strings is a perfect fourth, five frets, with one exception.

  1. Fret the low E string at the fifth fret. That is an A. Tune the open A string to match it.
  2. Fret the A string at the fifth fret (a D). Tune the open D string to it.
  3. Fret the D string at the fifth fret (a G). Tune the open G string to it.
  4. Fret the G string at the fourth fret (a B). Tune the open B string to it. This is the exception: G to B is a major third, four frets, not five.
  5. Fret the B string at the fifth fret (an E). Tune the open high E string to it.

Then go back and check the low E against your reference. Tightening five strings pulls the neck forward a little, so the strings you tuned first drift flat. A second pass usually settles it.

Listening for the match

Play the fretted note and the open string together and let them ring. Two notes that are close but not equal produce a slow wobble in volume, called beating. The further apart they are, the faster the wobble. Turn the peg of the string you are tuning, never the reference, and the wobble slows. When it stops, the strings agree.

If you cannot hear any wobble, the notes are probably far apart. Play them one after the other instead and decide which is higher, then close the gap from below. Arriving at a note from below holds better than coming down to it, for the reasons in the standard tuning guide.

Tuning with harmonics

A harmonic is the bell-like note you get by touching a string lightly, directly above a fret wire, without pressing it down, and lifting your finger as you pick. Harmonics are higher and cleaner than fretted notes, so beating is easier to hear, and they keep ringing while your fretting hand turns the peg.

  • Low E, 5th-fret harmonic = A string, 7th-fret harmonic. Tune the A.
  • A string, 5th-fret harmonic = D string, 7th-fret harmonic. Tune the D.
  • D string, 5th-fret harmonic = G string, 7th-fret harmonic. Tune the G.
  • Low E, 7th-fret harmonic = open B. Tune the B. The 5th/7th pair does not work across G and B, for the same reason the fourth fret is the exception above.
  • B string, 5th-fret harmonic = high E, 7th-fret harmonic. Tune the high E.

One caution: the seventh-fret harmonic is a pure fifth, a hair wider than the fifth a fretted guitar plays. The difference is about two cents per pair, small enough to ignore by ear, but it adds up across the neck. If chords sound slightly off after harmonic tuning, check the outer strings against each other or against a tuner.

When by ear is not enough

Tuning by ear gets a guitar playable. It will not tell you whether the guitar plays in tune higher up the neck (that is intonation), and it gets harder with low, heavy strings in drop C or on a 12-string, where octave pairs make the beating busy. A tuner that names the string and shows how many cents you are off takes the guesswork out of all three.

Questions

Can you tune a guitar without a tuner?

Yes. Fret each string at the fifth fret and match the open string above it, except the G string, which you fret at the fourth fret to tune the B. That puts the guitar in tune with itself. To be in tune with other instruments you also need one reference note, such as an E or an A from a piano, another guitar or a recording.

Which fret do you use to tune the B string?

The fourth fret of the G string. Every other pair of neighbouring strings is a perfect fourth apart, which is why the fifth fret works for them. G to B is a major third, four frets.

How do I know when two strings are in tune by ear?

Play both notes together and listen for a wobble in the volume, called beating. The further apart the notes are, the faster it pulses. As you turn the peg it slows down, and when it stops the two notes match.

Is tuning with harmonics more accurate than the fifth-fret method?

Harmonics are easier to hear because they are high and keep ringing while you turn the peg, but the method still only matches strings to each other. A string pair that relies on the seventh-fret harmonic is also very slightly off from equal temperament, so finish with a tuner if you have one.

  • 7-string and 8-string guitar tuning Standard 7-string tuning adds a low B below the low E; standard 8-string adds a low F♯ below that. Exact pitches for both, and why the lowest strings are hard for tuners.
  • Beginner guitar chords, the first eight to learn Em, C, G, D, Am, E, A and Dm cover a huge number of songs. Fret charts for each, the order to learn them in, and the chord changes worth practising first.
  • DADGAD tuning D A D G A D, three strings moved from standard. The exact pitches, how to get there and back, why it sounds neither major nor minor, and the first shapes to try.