At first, tuning can be tricky, but with a bit of practice, it'll become second nature.
What if the tuner shows the wrong letter?
Let’s troubleshoot this scenario:
Say you’re tuning the E string.
You pluck the string, and the tuner displays F.
Huh?! That’s the wrong letter.
Chances are, you're only a note off.
Here are two solutions for this dilemma:
1. Use your ear/tuner:
Many tuners will play a sample note that you can compare your string's pitch to.
On our tuner, click on the letter of the string you’re tuning.
The correct pitch will play.
Pluck your string again to compare if your pitch is higher or lower
2. Use the alphabet
The musical alphabet below can help you determine whether your string needs to be tuned down or up.
Here’s the order of pitch from high to low starting with E since that’s the pitch of the lowest string on guitar:
If the note is to the right of your target note, you're too sharp.
If the note is to the left of your target note, you're too flat.
The same counterclockwise/clockwise rule applies for this.
E - F - F# - G - G# - A - A# - B - C - C# - D - D# - E - F - etc - etc
What if the tuning display is jumping all over the place?
This might mean that your tuner isn't getting enough volume from your guitar, or the room you're in is too noisy.
Make sure you're in a quiet space, free from noise and vibrations.
If you're using a clip-on tuner, try adjusting its position on your guitar's headstock.
These tuners use a vibration sensor to measure pitch.
Loud sounds or a weak connection to your guitar can throw them off.
If you're using an app or online tuner, make sure your guitar is close enough to your phone or computer's microphone.
What if my string won't stay in tune?
If this happens, there might be an issue with how your guitar was strung.
In this case, the string slips on the tuning peg and can frequently go out of tune.
You may need to restring your guitar.
Here's how to restring an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar
What if my open strings are in tune, but higher frets are out of tune?
This is called intonation.
Your open string should give you the same note as the 12th fret on each string.
If this isn't the case, your guitar likely needs a "set up" from a guitar tech.
You can take your guitar to a local shop to have a tech check it out.
How often do you need to tune your guitar?
Guitars require frequent tuning, but how often you need to tune your guitar depends on various factors:
Frequency of playing – The more you play, the more you need to tune.
Guitar type – Gibsons are notorious for their G strings going flat.
Room temperature – 66-77 °F or 19-25 °C is ideal
Humidity – 40-50% humidity is ideal
Storage – Keeping your guitar in a case vs. out in the open
As a rule of thumb, if you’re playing the guitar continuously for 30 minutes to an hour, you’ll want to check your tuning at least once during that session.
We recommend tuning your guitar every time you sit down to play.
If you perform live, you’ll want to tune your guitar every two to three songs.
Writing a reminder on your set list is a great way to keep this in mind.
Common tuning displays
At Pickup, we have a free guitar tuner you can use on your phone or computer – it looks like this:
Below is another common tuning interface you'll see. The same rules applies:
Left of center = flat (too low) = turn the tuning peg counterclockwise
Right of center = sharp (too high) = turn the tuning peg clockwise
Most clip-on tuners follow the same left-right principles as the tuning displays above:
