Q&A for How to Tune a Guitar Without a Tuner

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  • Question
    What if my reference note is E instead of D?
    Michael Papenburg
    Professional Guitarist
    Michael Papenburg is a Professional Guitarist based in the San Francisco Bay Area with over 35 years of teaching and performing experience. He specializes in rock, alternative, slide guitar, blues, funk, country, and folk. Michael has played with Bay Area local artists including Matadore, The Jerry Hannan Band, Matt Nathanson, Brittany Shane, and Orange. Michael currently plays lead guitar for Petty Theft, a tribute to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
    Professional Guitarist
    Expert Answer
    One of the easiest ways to tune your guitar manually is to find a reference note for E. Match that pitch to your lowest string, then play that string with your finger on the fifth fret. Compare that to the pitch of the open 5th string, which is the A string. When those notes are identical in pitch, fret the 5th string at the 5th fret and match it to the open 4th string. Keep doing this down each string. The only string that's slightly different is the second string, which you'd match by fretting the 3rd string at the 4th fret.
  • Question
    Are the guitar strings EADGBE or EBDGAE?
    Community Answer
    It's standard to refer to the string order from lowest (thickest) to highest, from right to left. So EADGBE is correct.
  • Question
    Would a guitar be the same as piano in this pitch?
    Community Answer
    Yes. An E on the piano should be an E on a guitar, or it's not an E anymore. You have to make sure it's the right octave, however.
  • Question
    What different types of playing guitar are there?
    Community Answer
    The main methods are finger-style (using your fingers or fingernails to pluck the string) or flat-picking (using a pick to strum the strings).
  • Question
    Why is it so hard to tune a guitar?
    Community Answer
    It's hard at first, but you'll get better with practice, because your ear will improve and so will your knowledge of how to do it.
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