An out-of-tune guitar is the number one reason beginners feel that “it doesn’t sound like the song”. The good news: tuning a guitar is a skill you learn in a few minutes, and with a little practice it becomes automatic. Here’s the method we teach in our guitar lessons at Rockstar.
First of all: what does “in tune” even mean?
Every string has a target pitch. From thickest to thinnest: E, A, D, G, B, E. Tuning is simply adjusting the tension of each string until it lands exactly on that pitch. Turn the tuning peg, the string tightens and the pitch goes up; loosen it and the pitch goes down.
The easy way: a tuner (app or clip-on)
- Download a free tuner app or use a clip-on tuner that attaches to the headstock.
- Pluck one string only, gently, and let it ring.
- Turn the peg slowly. The needle should settle in the center, exactly on the string’s letter.
- Important tip: always tune “up to” the note. If you overshoot, loosen slightly below the target and come back up to it. That way the string doesn’t slip out of tune a minute later.
The secret: tuning without a tuner (the fifth-fret method)
This is the method every guitarist should know, because it trains the ear:
- Tune the thick E string to a reference pitch: a piano, an app or a song you know.
- Press the fifth fret on the E string. The note you hear is A, exactly the pitch of the next string. Tune the A string until the two notes sound identical.
- Continue the same way: the 5th fret on the A string gives D, the 5th fret on the D string gives G.
- Watch out for the exception: the B string is tuned to the fourth fret of the G string (not the fifth).
- And finally: the 5th fret on the B string gives the thin E.
When the notes are close but not identical you’ll hear “waves” (beats). As the waves slow down, you’re getting closer. When they disappear, the guitar is in tune.
Why does the guitar keep going out of tune?
- New strings stretch during the first few days. Pull them gently after changing them and tune again.
- Temperature and humidity changes: a guitar left in the car or next to a window will drift out of tune.
- Loose tuning pegs or a poorly adjusted bridge: this is where a professional setup helps (see our article on guitar setup).
A small habit that changes everything
Tune the guitar at the start of every practice session, even if it “sounds fine”. Students who practice on a tuned guitar develop an accurate ear much faster, and simply enjoy it more. In our guitar lessons at Rockstar, in Ramat Aviv Gimel, tuning is the first thing you learn, and within a lesson or two it’s already in your hands.
Read also: Guitar Setup Explained · Guitar Effects for Beginners
Guitar lessons at Rockstar · Book a no-commitment trial lesson