Tool

Online guitar tuner

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreInputConfig is completely free on the Mac App Store.

Press the button, allow the microphone, and play one string. You'll see the note it's closest to and which way to turn the peg.

Not listening.
Play a string and let it ring.

Standard guitar tuning, thickest string first: E2, A2, D3, G3, B3, E4.

Tune each string

  1. Play the thickest string by itself and let it ring.
  2. Read the note. If it is not E, turn the peg until it is.
  3. Watch the needle. Left of the middle is flat, so tighten the string. Right of the middle is sharp, so loosen it.
  4. Stop when the needle turns green, then do the next string: A, D, G, B and the thin E.

Tune up to the note, because a string that was tightened into pitch holds it better than one that was loosened.

If the note jumps around

Climb this ladder, smallest step first:

  1. Play one string. Rest your hand on the others so they stay quiet.
  2. Move closer. Hold the guitar near the microphone, in a quiet room.
  3. Pluck softly. A hard pluck starts sharp and settles, so read the note after a second.
  4. Check the microphone. The mic test shows whether it is hearing you.

How this fits with InputConfig

These pages are for practice in the browser. InputConfig adds the Mac side: a MIDI keyboard or pad can press shortcuts and turn pages, and a game controller can play MIDI notes and CC into GarageBand or Logic Pro.

Gamepad Synth preset in the editor with note rows on the face buttons and CC rows on the triggers.
The Gamepad Synth preset in InputConfig plays MIDI notes from the face buttons and CC from the triggers.

Play a game controller as a MIDI instrument shows it step by step. InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store.

More music practice

Questions

How do I tune a guitar with an online tuner?

Press Start the tuner and allow the microphone. Play one string and let it ring. The page shows the nearest note and whether the string is flat or sharp. Turn the peg until the needle sits in the middle.

What notes are the six guitar strings?

From the thickest string to the thinnest: E, A, D, G, B and E. That is standard tuning.

Can I tune a bass or a ukulele with it?

Yes. It names whatever note it hears, so it works for any instrument. A bass is E, A, D, G, and a ukulele is G, C, E, A.

Is the sound sent anywhere?

No. The microphone is read in this page on your device and nothing is recorded.

Related

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreCompletely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.

Updated