Tuning by ear

A tuner is quicker and more accurate, so why bother? Because tuning by ear trains you to hear when two notes match, and that skill is the start of everything else: playing in tune, singing in tune, and noticing when something is wrong.

It is also useful when you have no tuner, or when you want the guitar in tune with a piano or another guitar rather than with an exact pitch.

The idea is simple. A string pressed at the fifth fret plays the same note as the next string open. So once one string is right, you can tune every other string from it.

The one exception is the G string, where you use the fourth fret instead. That is because the gap between G and B is one fret smaller than the others.

Start with low E in tune, using the tuner or a reference note.

• Press the low E string at the fifth fret and pluck it. That note is A.
• Pluck the open A string straight after.
• If the open A sounds lower, tighten it. If higher, loosen it and come back up.
• Repeat until the two notes sound like one note.

Then move across: fifth fret on A to tune the open D, fifth fret on D to tune G, fourth fret on G to tune B, and fifth fret on B to tune high E.

When two notes are close but not quite the same, you will hear a slow wobble or beating in the sound, a "wah-wah-wah". As you get closer, the wobble slows down. When the notes match, it disappears.

Listening for the wobble is much easier than trying to judge which note is higher. Play both notes together and let them ring, and turn the peg slowly until the sound goes smooth.

Tune your guitar by ear now, then open the tuner to see how close you got. Do not worry if the first attempts are off. This is a skill that improves every time you do it.