Guitar Tuning Chart
Standard & popular alternate tunings · tap a string for its reference pitch
How to play
- Tap a string card to hear a clean, steady reference tone; match your string to it by ear until the beating stops. Cards read 6th (thickest, lowest) on the left to 1st (thinnest, highest) on the right.
- Pick a tuning at the top. Notes that differ from standard are marked in green with how far they move.
- Play all sounds the whole tuning from low to high. Tune the low string first, then work up.
- Drop D lowers only the 6th string for heavy riffs; Open tunings make the open strings a chord for slide playing. Vol sets volume. Keyboard: Tab + Enter/Space.
- No tuner? Use the fret method at the bottom: tune your lowest string, then fret it where shown and match the next open string to that pitch. Tap a step to hear the target note.
Tune by ear — the fret method
Get one string in tune (use the reference tones above), then match each next string to a fretted note on the one below it. Tap a step to hear the two pitches in unison.
Watch the yellow fret! One pair uses a different fret than the others — in standard tuning that’s the 3rd string at fret 4 (because B is only a major 3rd above G).
The virtual tuning chart offers reference tones for popular alternate and standard tunings so that you can get in tune and play immediately. You can use your computer keyboard to control the widget, or you can click or tap on it to interact. Whether you want to experiment with new tonal textures or give yourself a quick check just prior to a session, this is a handy guide to have nearby.
Underneath is the selection of popular tunings on the top row of buttons: Standard, Drop D, half-step down, DADGAD, Open G, Open D, Open E, Open C and whole-step down. When you click one of them, the string cards beneath is updated with the right notes for that tuning. Strings that aren’t tuned to normal are coloured green. This highlights how many semitones they is above or below standard tuning. So it’s very easy to pick out at-a-glance what strings need adjusting.
How to Use the Tuning Chart
Below the tuning selector, six cards are displayed. Each card is labeled with a guitar string in order from lowest to highest pitch followed by the note name and any difference from the intended pitch. One at a time simply tap on one of these string cards and it will play a pure tone based off this string’s note. Get your matched string out and listen hard. Match the sound on your guitar string until they both sound the same and there is no beating between the two tones. Do this by increasing string thickness, starting with the lowest string and moving up to the highest.
Want to listen to all of them together? Simply hit the play all button located just under the volume slider and you will get all the notes played from lowest (bass strings) through to the highest (treble strings). So you will have a total sound picture of what you are after with regards to the chosen tuning. It is just one of those little things that saves time when checking if your instrument lines up with the chart rather than playing each note separately.
You’ll also notice the volume slider on the right, which lets you control how loud the reference tones come out. If you want them louder (or softer) than the default setting, just drag it left or right until you reach a comfortable listening level for your headphones or the environment in which you’re practicing. This is great if you want to turn it up to hear them better amidst background noise or practice quietly.
Below that is the fret method section which gives you a secure option if you don’t have an electronic tuner. These are instructions for how to tune using open strings matched to certain fretted notes on neighbouring strings. Each step plays the note you should of aiming for (twice). This allows you to play the string of your guitar and then match the two pitches together. One unique step in this process is marked out in yellow in the interface to show where the change of interval occurs. Pay attention here.
If you get confused about the controls or need a fast refresher on the functionality, there’s a help button up in the upper-right. Tap it and it will display a brief explanation of the control functions and tuning methods. It is handy for when someone shares this with you or you forget whether an open or drop tuning are being used.
Clicking fullscreen expands the widget to take up your whole screen so it’s easier to see. That’s useful when you’re viewing the app from a small screen, like a phone and wish to have more room for string cards. Clicking the fullscreen button a second time takes you out of that mode, and updates the label appropriately.
You can easily navigate the interface using regular keyboard keys. To select an item, just hit Space/Enter when one is highlighted (or hit Tab to cycle through items like sliders, string cards, and buttons). So you don’t need a mouse at all, it’s fully usable with your keyboard or trackpad if you’d rather.
Vary the tuning to broaden the range of sounds available on one guitar. For example, if you’d like to experiment playing slide, try Open D. If you’re into heavy power chords and need something more playable, try Drop D. Every tuning has a slightly different sound that can lead to some fresh ideas for chord progressions or even riffs you may not have come up with in standard tuning.
Matching pitches takes a little time but is more accurate the longer you take. Listen out for when the frequencies match and use the reference tones as a stable guide. It’s not a magic wand. It is a device that helps you tune yourself accurately using information provided. It also helps you keep your intonation in check without stressing.
To get started, choose the tunings you like to use, listen to the reference notes and adjust your strings so that they are true and clear sounding. Then go ahead and play your heart out knowing you have the tool for a fast tune up or to change things around creatively on the fly.