Tune a guitar cleanly with the microphone
Choose Auto when the strings are already close, or lock the string you are correcting. Pluck once with a moderate touch, let the pick noise pass, and read the sustained part of the note.
- Begin with the sixth-string E2 and mute the other five strings with the fretting hand.
- Approach the target from below so the final movement tightens the string instead of releasing slack.
- After reaching the first-string E4, repeat the six strings because changes in total tension can move earlier readings.
Standard guitar tuning and two nearby alternatives
Standard tuning uses six octave-labelled targets. E-flat lowers every string by one semitone; Drop D changes only the sixth string from E2 to D2.
E-flat: Eb2 · Ab2 · Db3 · Gb3 · Bb3 · Eb4
Drop D: D2 · A2 · D3 · G3 · B3 · E4
Why low E may appear one octave high
A phone or laptop microphone may capture the second harmonic of E2 more strongly than its fundamental. This page folds the detected pitch toward the selected string’s octave for the tuning decision while preserving the raw detected frequency on screen.
Live guitar audio remains inside this browser tab
The page requests microphone access only after Start is pressed. The shared pitch engine examines short in-memory buffers and sends no guitar audio to a server.
Online Guitar Tuner questions
These answers deal with six-string muting, octave harmonics, alternate tuning references, and unstable readings.
Why does open E2 sometimes show as E3?
Small microphones may favor the second harmonic. Lock E2 and compare the folded target reading with the raw detected frequency shown below it.
Can I use this page for Drop D?
Yes. Lock the sixth-string target and tune it to D2 using the Drop D note row; the other five open strings stay A2, D3, G3, B3, and E4.
What changes for E-flat tuning?
Each standard string moves down one semitone: Eb2, Ab2, Db3, Gb3, Bb3, and Eb4. The reference list keeps the standard targets available for comparison.
Why should unused guitar strings be muted?
Adjacent strings can ring sympathetically and introduce another strong pitch. Touching them lightly gives the microphone one sustained note to follow.
Press Stop or leave the guitar tuner to close its microphone stream; no performance recording is created.