Guitar Tuning Methods:
How to tune a guitar

If you're asking yourself how to tune a guitar, the answer is that there are many ways. It's best to know and understand them all, so you can always be in tune.

Tuning is always relative: the question we need to answer is who, or what do I have to be in tune with?

If you are playing with a pianist, for instance, and his piano happens to be tuned higher or lower than A 440, it's always easier for you to get in tune with him than the other way round, right?

On the other hand, if you are accompanying a singer, then it's probably he who has to tune to you (unless you happen to be playing with a singer with absolute pitch who refuses to play with someone who's instrument is "off").

It is important to know the interval between each open string and middle C, the note most widely used as a reference point for talking of pitch "height".

And any musician with even the faintest idea of theory should know where middle C is on his instrument. Knowing the following should allow you getting in tune with whoever you happen to find yourself playing with, regardless of what instrument they play:

The open strings

string 1: E5 - above middle C

string 2: B4 - below middle C

string 3: G4 - below middle C

string 4: D4 - below middle C

string 5: A3 - two octaves below middle C

string 6: E3 - two octaves below middle C

Middle C is also called C 5 in most of the world, and C 4 in the U.S. (We will use the international pitch index numbers throughout this site -just take away one for U.S. numbering!)