Guitar Tuner
Press Start, allow the microphone and play one string at a time. The meter shows whether the string is too low or too high, and by how many cents. Tap a string to hear its reference note instead.
How to tune your guitar
Tune in a quiet room, with the phone or laptop close to the guitar. Pluck one string firmly and let it ring; the reading settles within a moment of the note starting.
If the needle sits left of centre the string is flat, so tighten it. If it sits right of centre the string is sharp, so loosen it. Tuning up to a note is more stable than tuning down to it, so if you overshoot, drop below the note and come back up.
Auto picks whichever string of the chosen tuning is closest to what it hears. When a string is far out, or you are changing to a new tuning, tap that string first so the tuner aims at it however far away it starts.
Alternate tunings
Drop D lowers only the sixth string, from E to D. Half step down and whole step down lower every string by the same amount, keeping the shapes of standard tuning. Open G, open D and DADGAD retune several strings so that the open strings ring together as a chord.
Frequently asked questions
What are the notes of standard guitar tuning?
From the thickest string to the thinnest: E, A, D, G, B and E. The low E is two octaves below the high E.
Is my microphone audio recorded or uploaded?
No. The pitch is measured inside your browser and the audio is never recorded, stored or sent anywhere. The microphone is released as soon as you press Stop or leave the page.
What does cents mean on a tuner?
A cent is one hundredth of a semitone. Within about five cents of the target, a string sounds in tune to most listeners.
Practice on your own guitar
Fretonomy listens to your instrument and drills notes, triads, scales and chords.