Learn the names of the strings and which way to turn the tuners
(Image credit: Future)
Pianos are tuned once or twice a year. Electric guitars are different – they need tuning every day. They can even go out of tune while you’re playing – so one of the first lessons you need to learn is how to tune a guitar.
Armed with a reliable guitar tuner, you’ll find a lot of the guesswork in tuning an electric guitar is taken care of – you simply adjust the tuning pegs based on what the tuner tells you. Here’s what you need to know.
1. String names
(Image credit: Future)
You’ll need to know these inside out. From thickest to thinnest, the strings are E, A, D, G, B and E. Think of a mnemonic like “Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie” to help you remember it, or make up your own one.
2. Using a tuner
(Image credit: Future)
Your tuner will automatically detect what note you’re on. In this picture, the red lights are right of centre, telling us the string is a bit too tight (aka sharp) to be an E note. If the red lights were left of centre, obviously that’d be because the string was too loose (aka flat).
Watch out for a ‘#’ symbol or a spot next to the note name. That indicates a sharp note, which means you need to loosen the string a fair bit.
Troubleshooting
If your guitar is really out of tune, it might say a different letter entirely (e.g., you pluck the G string and the tuner says ‘F’). In that case, you just need to know the alphabet.
If the tuner is saying a letter that comes earlier in the alphabet than you’re expecting, the string is a long way flat/loose; keep tuning up until you see the right letter.
If the letter comes later in the alphabet, you’re a long way sharp. The exception is if you’re tuning the ‘G’ string and the tuner reads ‘A’: then you’re very sharp.
Now tune up
We’ve covered the basics, now here are the specifics on how to tune a guitar. Remember, there are only three possibilities for whether your guitar is in tune: each string is either flat (too loose), sharp (too tight) or ‘in tune’ (just right).
The gauge on your tuner tells you which it is – you just have to adjust your guitar’s tuning pegs.
3. Six-in-line machineheads, string flat
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To raise the pitch (correcting a string that sounds flat), turn the machine head anti-clockwise and tighten the string.
4. Six-in-line machineheads, string sharp
(Image credit: Future)
To lower the pitch (correcting a string that’s sharp), turn the machinehead clockwise, lowering the tension in the process.
5. Three-a-side or reverse headstock
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If your machine heads point to the floor, the directions are reversed: clockwise to raise the pitch and anticlockwise to lower it.
Chris has been the Editor of Total Guitar magazine since 2020. Prior to that, he was at the helm of Total Guitar's world-class tab and tuition section for 12 years. He's a former guitar teacher with 35 years playing experience and he holds a degree in Philosophy & Popular Music. Chris has interviewed Brian May three times, Jimmy Page once, and Mark Knopfler zero times – something he desperately hopes to rectify as soon as possible.
