Online guitar tuner

How to tune your guitar

1. Click Turn on microphone and allow access when the browser asks.
2. Pick an open string (no fingers on the frets) and let it ring.
3. Watch the needle. If it leans left, the string is flat: tighten the tuning peg. If it leans right, the string is sharp: loosen it.
4. When the needle settles in the middle and the note turns green, the string is in tune. It gets a small ✓ and you can move on to the next one.

On Auto, the tuner works out which string you played. If a string is badly out of tune (more than a half step), it may mistake it for the string next to it: in that case, tap the button for the string you want to tune. That locks the tuner on it and also plays the right note so you can hear it.

Standard guitar tuning

From the thickest string (6th) to the thinnest (1st):

A classic way to remember it: Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie. Acoustic and electric guitars use exactly the same tuning.

Other tunings and instruments

• Drop D: only the 6th string goes down a whole step, from E to D. Popular in rock and fingerstyle, because power chords take a single finger.
• Half step down: every string goes down a half step (E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭). Common in rock and for singers who want a song slightly lower.
• Whole step down: every string goes down a whole step (D G C F A D).
• 4-string bass: E A D G, one octave below the four lowest guitar strings.
• Ukulele: G C E A, with the 4th string (G) higher than the 3rd.
• Cavaquinho: D G B D, the Brazilian four-string used in samba and choro.
• Violin: G D A E.
• Chromatic: shows any note, to tune other instruments or check your voice.

Tips for a better tuning

• Always tune up to the note. If you went past it, loosen a little below the note and come back up. The string then locks firmly on the peg and holds its tuning longer.
• Pick with medium force and wait a moment. Right after you pluck, the note is slightly sharp. Read the needle once the sound settles.
• Stay close to the mic and keep it quiet. Fans, TV and talking get in the way. On a phone, the microphone is usually at the bottom edge.
• Go round twice. Tuning one string changes the tension on the neck and the other strings a little. Do a second pass, especially with new strings.
• New strings go out of tune quickly for the first few days, because they're still stretching. Retuning often is normal.

What cents are

A semitone (the distance of one fret) is split into 100 cents. The number under the note shows how far the string is above (+) or below (−) the right pitch. Under 5 cents of difference hardly anyone can hear it, and the tuner already shows the note in green.

Frequently asked questions

Does the tuner record me?

No. The microphone sound is analysed on the spot, on your own device, and thrown away right after. Nothing is recorded and nothing leaves your browser. When you switch tabs, the microphone turns itself off.

The browser won't let me use the microphone. What now?

Click the padlock (or settings) icon next to the site address, find Microphone and choose Allow. Then reload the page. On a phone, also check that the browser has microphone permission in the system settings.

What is the "reference A" for?

Almost all music today is tuned with A at 440 Hz, the standard. Some orchestras use 442 Hz, and some people prefer 432 Hz. If you're playing along with a recording or an instrument that can't be retuned (like a piano), adjust this value to match it.

Does it work with nylon and steel-string guitars?

It works with both, and with an electric guitar through an amp too. Guitars with a pickup can be tuned by their acoustic sound without plugging in.