How to Tune a Guitar Using a Tuner

Acoustic guitars can be tuned with electric tuners.

Using a guitar tuner is the easiest and most efficient way of tuning your instrument. Most tuners today are quite inexpensive and are capable of tuning both electric and acoustic guitars. An acoustic guitar is tuned by a small microphone inside your tuner picking up the note you strum on your guitar and displaying if the note is sharp or flat. An electric guitar is plugged into a tuner with a quarter-inch guitar cable. When a note is strummed the guitar tuner picks up the note through the cable and displays if that note is sharp or flat. Although there are dozens of ways to tune your guitar, the standard tuning in music is "E" "A" "D" "G" "B" "E." By reading this guide you will be able to tune your guitar quickly and professionally so that you are playing along your favorite songs in no time.

Things You'll Need

• Guitar (acoustic or electric)
• Guitar tuner
• Quarter-inch guitar cable (If you have an electric guitar)
• Guitar pick

Instructions

Tuning An Acoustic Guitar

1. Press the power button on your guitar tuner to turn it on.

2. Place the guitar tuner on a flat surface as close to your guitar as possible

3. Using your guitar pick, strum the E string, the lowest string on your guitar. Your tuner will pick up the note and show you on its meter whether the note is flat or sharp.

4. Adjust the note with the tuning pegs located on the headstock of your guitar. The tuning pegs will tighten or loosen the string, making the note sharp or flat.

5. Turn the tuning pegs until the note is no longer sharp or flat. It should read "E." This means that your "E" string is in tune.

6. Continue these steps with all remaining strings on your guitar.

Tuning An Electric Guitar

1. Turn on your tuner by pressing the power button.

2. Take your quarter-inch guitar cable and plug one end into the output of your tuner and the other end into the input of your guitar. Make sure that the volume is turned up on your guitar.

3. Using your guitar pick strum the "E" string, the lowest string on your guitar. The guitar tuner will pick up the note you strummed and show you whether it is sharp or flat.

4. Adjust the note with the tuning pegs located on the headstock of your guitar. The tuning pegs will tighten or loosen the string making the note sharp or flat.

5. Tighten or loosen the string by turning the tuning peg until the note is no longer sharp or flat; it will read "E" on your tuner. Continue these steps with all other strings on your guitar.

Tips & Warnings

• Some guitar tuners are capable of tuning both bass guitars and regular guitars. Make sure that your turner is set to "Guitar" and not "Bass" or it will be impossible to tune your guitar.

• Always remember to turn off your guitar tuner when you are finished using it. If you leave it on it will run out of batteries quite quickly and they can be quite costly to replace.