How to Tell if a Guitar is Out of Tune

If you play the guitar in public, you are not going to have many people asking you for your autograph afterwards if you cannot tell when your guitar is out of tune. An out-of-tune guitar can ruin a concert. Learning to tune a guitar is one of the first things a guitar player does. Follow these steps to tell whether or not your guitar is out of tune.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Make sure the bottom, or low E string, is in tune. You can do this either by using your tremendous sense of hearing or another instrument that you know is in tune, such as a digital keyboard. Once the low E string is in tune, you can then tell one by one if the other strings of the guitar are out of tune.
2. Hold your finger on the fifth fret of the bottom or low E string. Pluck the E string and the second string from the bottom, the A string. If you hear a vibration or pulsing in the notes, then the A string of the guitar is out of tune.
3. Twist the tuning peg to adjust the pitch. If the string is flat, tighten the string. Conversely, if the string is sharp, loosen the string.
4. Pluck the strings again holding the low E string on the fifth fret. If they are still out of tune, make more adjustments.
5. Work your way up the other strings following the same procedure. Hold the lower string on the fifth fret. After you get to the high E string there is no way your guitar is out of tune anymore.