Guitar Tuner

How to Tune Your Guitar

• Tap Start Tuning and allow microphone access.
• Pluck one string at a time and let it ring. The tuner shows the nearest note and how many cents it is off.
• If it says Tune up, tighten the string. If it says Tune down, loosen it. Stop when it shows In tune.
• To tune a particular string, tap its button. The tuner then measures against that string and plays its note, so you can also tune by ear.

Tune up to each note rather than down to it. If you go past, loosen the string below the note and come back up: the string holds its pitch better that way.

More Tunings in Settings

Open Settings and choose a tuning. The string buttons change to match:

• D standard (D G C F A D) and C standard (C F B♭ E♭ G C): every string one or two whole steps below standard.
• Drop C♯ (C♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯) and drop B (B F♯ B E G♯ C♯): heavy rock and metal tunings, with the low string a further whole step down.
• Open E (E B E G♯ B E), open C (C G C G C E), and open A (E A E A C♯ E): the open strings make a major chord, for slide guitar. Open E and open A tune some strings above standard, which adds tension, so raise them slowly.

Lower tunings sound best with heavier strings, which keep the tension up.

Other Tunings

These tunings have their own pages, with how to get there from standard and which strings to use. For bass, use the bass tuner.

Drop Tunings

• drop D tuner: D A D G B E
• drop C tuner: C G C F A D
• drop B tuner: B F♯ B E G♯ C♯

Open Tunings

• open D tuner: D A D F♯ A D
• open G tuner: D G D G B D
• open E tuner: E B E G♯ B E
• open C tuner: C G C G C E
• DADGAD tuner: D A D G A D

Lower Standard Tunings

• half-step down tuner: E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭
• D standard tuner: D G C F A D

7-String Guitar

• 7-string guitar tuner: B E A D G B E

If the Tuner Doesn't Pick Up Your Guitar

• Acoustic guitar: hold the phone or laptop about a foot (30 cm) from the sound hole, and pluck firmly.
• Electric guitar: unplugged, it is quiet. Hold the phone close to the strings over the pickups, or play through your amp with the phone near the speaker.
• Pluck one string at a time and mute the others with your fretting hand. Several ringing strings confuse any tuner.
• If the reading never moves, check that the browser is allowed to use the microphone. The tuner shows how to fix it if access is blocked.

Tuning by Ear

Tap a string button to hear its note, then match your string to it. Listen for a slow wobble (beating) as you get close: it slows down and stops when the two notes match.

String Notes and Frequencies

At the standard reference pitch, A4 = 440 Hz. String 1 is the highest-pitched string.

Standard

D Standard

C Standard

Drop C♯

Drop B

Open E

Open C

Open A