ONLINE GUITAR TUNER
GUITAR TUNER
Tune your guitar accurately using your device's microphone.
Allow microphone access, then play one string at a time. Your audio is analysed in your browser and is not recorded or uploaded.
ADVANCED TUNER SETTINGS +
Standard concert pitch is A = 440 Hz.
Try High sensitivity for an unplugged electric or particularly quiet guitar.
How to Use the Free Online Guitar Tuner
The Play Like A Pro Guitar Tuner is a free online guitar tuner that uses your device's microphone to detect the pitch of each guitar string in real time.
There is nothing to download. Enable your microphone, play one open string at a time and use the tuning gauge to see whether your string is flat, sharp or in tune.
The tuner works with acoustic and electric guitars and includes Standard tuning, Drop D and Eb Standard tuning.
Enable Your Microphone
Press Enable Microphone and allow your browser to access your device's microphone.
The tuner listens to the guitar through your microphone and analyses the pitch locally in your browser.
Your guitar audio is not recorded, uploaded or stored by Play Like A Pro.
Standard Guitar Tuning: E A D G B E
The most common guitar tuning is Standard tuning.
From the thickest 6th string to the thinnest 1st string, the open strings are:
If you're new to guitar tuning, start on the 6th-string low E and work across the guitar one string at a time until you reach the 1st-string high E.
Guitar String Frequencies in Standard Tuning
With the tuner set to the standard A = 440 Hz reference pitch, the six open guitar strings have the following target frequencies.
You don't need to memorise these frequencies to tune your guitar. The tuner calculates the pitch difference for you automatically.
Follow the Tuning Gauge
After you play a string, the tuner detects its pitch and compares it with the target pitch for that string.
The needle shows how far away you are from the correct note.
Tune the pitch up.
Move to the next string.
What Do Cents Mean on a Guitar Tuner?
The tuner measures how far your pitch is from the target in cents.
A semitone is divided into 100 cents, so the closer the reading gets to 0 cents, the closer the string is to its target pitch.
Your aim is to bring the needle towards the centre rather than simply matching the correct note name.
Use Automatic String Detection
Leave the tuner in Auto mode for normal guitar tuning.
Play an open string and the tuner automatically finds the closest target string in your selected tuning.
Once that string is in tune, simply move to the next string. There is no need to manually change the tuner between every note.
When to Use Manual Guitar Tuning Mode
If you want the tuner to focus on one specific string, switch from Auto to Manual mode.
Select the string you want to tune and the tuner will compare your guitar directly with that target pitch.
Manual mode can be useful when your guitar is badly out of tune or when other vibrating strings make automatic detection less clear.
Drop D and Half-Step-Down Guitar Tuning
The tuner also includes two popular alternatives to Standard tuning.
Drop D lowers the 6th string from E down to D while leaving the other five strings in Standard tuning.
Eb Standard tunes every string one semitone lower than normal Standard tuning.
Choose the tuning preset before playing your strings so the tuner compares your guitar against the correct target notes.
Calibrate the Microphone
If the tuner struggles to pick up your guitar clearly, press Calibrate Mic.
Keep the room quiet while the tuner measures the background noise and adjusts its detection threshold.
You can also change the microphone sensitivity inside Advanced Tuner Settings.
What Does A = 440 Hz Mean?
Most modern guitar tuning uses A4 = 440 Hz as the reference pitch.
This gives the tuner a standard reference from which the frequencies of the other notes are calculated.
For normal guitar practice, leave the tuner set to 440 Hz. The advanced setting is there for situations where you specifically need a different reference pitch.
How to Tune a Guitar Step by Step
Choose Standard E A D G B E unless the song you're playing requires another tuning.
Allow microphone access so the online tuner can analyse your guitar's pitch.
Pluck the thickest string clearly and let the note ring.
If the string is flat, raise the pitch. If it is sharp, lower the pitch.
Make small adjustments until the tuner shows that the string is in tune.
Continue through A, D, G, B and high E, then quickly check all six strings again.
Guitar Tuning Tips
Use a clean, even pluck rather than hitting the string aggressively.
Stop unused strings ringing sympathetically while you're tuning.
Turn the tuning peg gradually instead of making large changes.
If you overshoot, drop slightly flat and approach the target pitch from below.
After tuning all six strings, run through them again for a final check.
A quick tuning check before practice helps everything you play sound better.
Online Tuner for Acoustic and Electric Guitar
Because the tuner listens through your device's microphone, it can be used with both acoustic and electric guitars.
Acoustic guitars usually produce enough volume for a strong microphone signal immediately.
With an electric guitar, you can tune through an amplifier or try tuning the guitar unplugged by moving closer to your device and increasing the microphone sensitivity.
Why Guitar Tuning Matters
Good technique can't compensate for an out-of-tune guitar.
When the open strings are correctly tuned, chords sound clearer, intervals behave as expected and the notes you play match recordings, backing tracks and other musicians.
Checking your tuning only takes a minute, so make it one of the first things you do before you practise or perform.
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