How to tune guitar by ear

If your playing on your own it doesn't matter so much if each string isn't tuned exactly to the correct pitches, as long as they are in tune relative to each other. However if you tune too high you're in danger of strings snapping, so it's best to use a reference to get your thickest string tuned to E, or at least close to it.

Tuning by ear is a method where we tune all strings in relation to the thickest.

To do this you will need to know when two strings are sounding the same note. This is a skill that most people need to learn / develop.

When two notes are almost the same pitch, a ‘beat’ or ‘pulse’ is produced. It is this pulse that you will need to detect in order to tune your instrument ‘by ear’.

As one notes frequency / pitch approaches another; as one becomes more in tune and identical; the pulse will decrease in speed, becoming slower and slower until it stops – and the two notes are the same.

This is true whether tuning up or down, shown in the following diagram:


Before you try this for yourself, listen as I tune up to the required pitch on my 5th (A) string, then overshoot; taking it slightly too high; before bringing it down again to the correct point:



The pulse is quite fast to begin with, whilst the 5th string is flat (too low). It slows as I approach the correct tuning, then speeds up again when I overshoot; making the note slightly sharp (too high). The pulse has all but gone when I finally get it tuned in correctly.

I’ve played through an effects pedal in order to make the pulse more prominent - it doesn't sound nice, but it does make the pulse prominent. A distortion or overdrive effect will achieve this. Using your treble pickup will also make the pulse more prominent. It’s exactly the same process on an acoustic, the pulse is still there, but you can get an electric guitars volume etc to make the pulse more prominent.

Note that two notes have to be fairly similar before the pulse becomes apparent.

Now grab your guitar and try tuning!

Below is an ‘E’ note. Tune your 6th (thickest) string to this:



Now fret your 6th string at the 5th fret. This produces the note of ‘A’, which is what your 5th string needs to be tuned to.

Pluck it, listening carefully. Pluck it again, followed closely by the 5th string. Is the 5th string sounding higher or lower?

Adjust it until it’s almost the same, listening for the pulse. Can you hear it?

Now tune up or down ever-so-slightly. If the pulse slows, then you’re going in the right direction. If not, change the direction you're turning your tuning peg.

Repeat fretting at the 5th fret to tune the 4th and 3rd strings, fretting the 5th and 4th strings respectively to produce the required note to tune to (‘D’ for the 4th and ‘G’ for the 3rd).

When tuning the 2nd, or ‘B’, string you need to fret the 3rd (G) string at the 4th fret, rather than the 5th.

Return to fretting at the 5th fret on the 2nd string in order to produce the ‘top E’ required to tune the 1st (highest / thinnest) string.

You can also compare the 6th (thickest) and 1st (thinnest) strings, listening for a pulse. Although they are two octaves apart, they are both tuned to E. Notes of the same value, even when octaves apart, will produce a pulse.

One crucial factor in the tuning of your instrument is the intonation. This is to do with the overall length of the strings and most electric guitars have adjustments on the bridge to adjust the overall length of each string. If your intonation is out, then a string may be in tune when played open, but will be progressively more out of tune as you fret further up the neck.

It is worth paying to have your intonation and action (the distance of the strings from the fretboard) set up by a professional from time to time. I encourage you to treat your guitar, and yourself, to a ‘set-up’ of this nature about once a year. I pay around £20 for this.

Tuning can seem dull and boring, but learning and practicing tuning by ear will effectively improve your ‘musical ear’. Always relying on an electronic tuner will slow down the development of your musical ear.

Improving our ability to hear; to discern when sounds are ‘in tune’ and to separate different instruments in a mix (E.G to ‘pick out’ the guitar when listening to a band); is crucial.


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