Things You'll Need:
- Guitar String Tuner
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Step 1
Start with the guitar string loose. Even a brand-new guitar string can snap quickly when tuned to a higher pitch than it was designed for. Start with it low. Tune up to find the pitch.
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Step 2
Attach a clip-on tuner--such as the one linked in our Resources section--to the headstock of the guitar. Clip-on guitar tuners attach to the guitar headstock with a clip, and they can pick up the vibrations of the string through the body of the guitar. You don't have to plug your guitar into this kind of tuner, and it can't be disrupted by talking or other noises in the room.
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Step 3
Know the pitch you are tuning to. Standard tuning goes, from lowest note to highest, E, A, D, G, B, and E. The low E is at 83.4 Hz. The high E is at 329.6 hz, and the other notes are in between.
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Step 4
Pluck the string you are tuning and look at the tuner. It will tell you what note the string is currently on. It will have a digital graph which tells you how close to the exact note you are. Generally, if the graph shows a dot to the left of the note, it means you are too low. If it shows one to the right, it means you are too high.
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Step 5
Pluck the string again. Slowly turn the peg until you get to the right note. Make sure that it is the right note and not an octave down. For example, if your low E is at 41.2 instead of 82.4, you are actually an octave too low.
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Step 6
Once you get to the right note, slow down your tuning. Pluck the string. Make a tiny adjustment to get it closer to the exact value. Then pluck it again. It may take a minute or so to get it exactly tuned to the right pitch.
