Acoustic Guitar Tuning Chart

The idea behind this widget is that you will be able to train your ear to distinguish standard acoustic guitar tuning by using visual feedback and comparing sounds.

To engage with it, simply use your mouse to click on the pegs and controls. Alternatively, you can navigate more quickly by using the keys on your computer keyboard. The aim is to make a simulated practice string play in tune with the corresponding reference frequency for each string on a guitar.

How to Use the Guitar Tuning Tool

On the left-hand side of the screen is a diagram of a guitar’s headstock showing the six tuning pegs in their usual E A D G B E tuning. Each one can be clicked on which will then pick out just that string and play its reference tone. When it is active, the tuning peg becomes highlighted. A table containing all the strings’ frequency and concert pitch are also below this diagram. So not only does it visually represent where the string sits but what note or frequency it should match.

The controls and practice tools is on the right hand side. The centre circle represents a soundhole. As you pluck the practice string, it shows rippling lines representing the beat between the reference pitch and your practice string. If the pitches are further apart, the ripples move faster. However, at a perfect unison, they stop rippling completely. Below the circle of ripples some text explains what’s happening. It tells you whether the practice string is flat or sharp, how many cents and so on.

With this setting, you are able to manually detune the practice string using the slider option called Practice string offset. This will train your ear to pick up on tuning issues that frequent arise in a situation like this. You will then be able to recognize them. Simply adjust the slider to a negative value for a flat string or a positive value for a sharp string, and work towards matching the pitch by ear.

There are several buttons that control the testing and audio playback modes. You have the option to play just the note being practiced (the reference) with the Pluck reference button. This is nice because it gives you a good sense of what the target pitch should be.

The Compare the pair button will then play the two strings together… One detuned as practice and the other at the reference pitch. This creates a beating sound and you’re able to hear how far away from the reference your practice string is.

Finally, there’s the Bring to unison button that resets the practice string immediately back to the correct pitch so you can hear exactly what a perfectly tuned string sounds like. Pressing the soundboard button on the Palm turns off all currently playing notes. It is handy when you’ve finished comparing something and wish to clear the sound before beginning another comparison.

The Soundboard level slider controls the overall volume of the widget. If the tones is too loud turn the volume down. In a noisier environment you may want to increase the volume to help you hear better.

We have provided a complete mapping for keyboard users to help you learn faster. To choose the string, simply press the number of the string from lowest to highest (1-6) while playing the corresponding reference tone. The buttons are R for Play reference, C for Compare pair, U for Center pitch to unison, P for Palm soundboard, F for Toggle fullscreen, and H for Toggle help panel. This allows you to keep your hands on the keyboard at all times, making the whole process much easier.

If you’d like a refresher on the controls, they’re all at the bottom in a collapsible help panel. Click the How to play button in the upper-right corner to expand it. It describes what each of the visual indicators (like the ripples around the soundhole) means and also lists the keyboard shortcuts. Leave it expanded until you feel comfortable navigating the interface, then close it to remove any clutter as you get used to the layout.

The best way to use this tool is to listen through to the reference tone on a single string then repeat for all strings. When using the compare function, listen carefully to the beat rate indicated in the soundhole. Before hitting the unison button, try to match the offset slider in your head and have an idea how far to move it to make the beats silent. This helps you develop a feel for the pitch of each of the standard notes over time.

The widget uses an A440 Hz tuning reference. This is the industry standard tuning reference that the widget use. These are the frequencies you should trust in ear training. They’re accurate reference points to tune your ears too. The visual component adds to the sound, reinforcing the connection between hearing something and seeing it too.

Work with this regularly to sharpen your tuning abilities and improve your ability to recognize pitch more generally. Have a play around at it. Have a look at some of the options for controls and have a listen to each string. Try moving the offset slider up and down and notice the change in beat frequency. Even a difference of just a couple of cents makes a big difference to the audible beating. This beating points out just how accurate a tuner needs to be.

This is also an excellent way to keep your instrument in tune and your ear sharp with a daily warm-up using this interactive chart.