How To Tune Your Electric Guitar

Learning how to tune your electric guitar may take some time to master, but there are certainly fewer steps than there are for tuning a piano. The most familiar way to tune an electric guitar is to use the standard guitar tuning method. To do this, you start with the lowest in tone, but highest in position: the E string.

1. Tune this E string on your electric guitar as closely as you can. The best way to do this is to find another instrument, such as a piano, and tune the E string to that. On the piano, it's the first E below the middle C. Once you have E correct, you can then tune the rest of your five remaining electric guitar strings to that one.
2. Tune your electric guitar's A string. Put your left hand's index finger on the fifth fret on the bottom E string. When you pluck it, it's the A note. Keep your index finger on that note, and then pluck the fifth and sixth strings, and carefully adjust the fifth string by turning its peg until both tones are the same.
3. Tune the D string on your electric guitar. To tune your D string, which is the third string down from the top, you will do the same thing as you did with your A string. You'll place your index finger just before the fifth fret of the second string and pluck the D (or third string) until they're the same tone.
4. Tune the G string. To tune the G string, do the same thing as you did with the D, only use the D as the guide, and tune the G so it's the same as the D.
5. Tune the B string. Tuning the B string is the one that differs most from the other strings on your electric guitar. To tune this one, put your finger on the fourth fret of the fourth string, and make sure the fifth string sounds like the fourth string.
6. Tune your guitar's E string. To tune the final E string, at the bottom of the fret board, go back to plucking the fifth fret of the fifth string, and make sure the tone of the sixth string matches it.

Lastly, play a chord that you know on your electric guitar and make sure all the notes sound right.