20 focused lessons
Guitar tuning and fretboard notes
Learn standard and alternate guitar tunings with note charts and diagrams. Tune by ear, read fretboard notes, and troubleshoot tuning or intonation.
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Lesson 01How to Tune a Guitar with a Tuner: A Beginner Routine
Tune a six-string guitar with clear string targets, small peg adjustments, and a final listening check. Learn what to do when the display jumps.
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Standard Guitar Tuning: EADGBE Notes and String Order
Learn standard guitar tuning EADGBE, string numbers, octave labels, and open-string frequencies. Use original diagrams to check notes and the first five frets.
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Lesson 03Drop D Tuning: Notes, Setup, and First Power Chords
Tune to Drop D with the correct DADGBE notes. Learn the sixth-string change, octave checks, power chords, and what lower tension means for your guitar.
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Lesson 04Double Drop D Tuning: Change Both E Strings to D
Learn Double Drop D tuning DADGBD. Change both E strings, check the octaves, explore a drone exercise, and understand which familiar chord shapes change.
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Lesson 05Half-Step-Down Guitar Tuning: E-flat Standard
Tune your guitar a half step down to E-flat standard. Check every note, keep familiar chord shapes, and translate them into the correct sounding key.
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Lesson 06D Standard Tuning: Whole-Step-Down Notes and Chords
Learn D standard tuning DGCFAD. Lower all six strings a whole step, translate chord shapes, and check tension, capo use, and neighboring-string pitches.
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Lesson 07Drop C Tuning: CGCFAD Notes and Setup Checks
Tune to Drop C with the correct CGCFAD targets. Compare Drop C with D standard and Drop D, try power chords, and assess low-string tension and intonation.
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Lesson 08Open G Tuning: DGDGBD Notes and Chord Basics
Learn open G tuning DGDGBD with original note and fretboard diagrams. Tune three changed strings, understand the open chord, and play a first progression.
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Lesson 09Open D Tuning: DADF♯AD Notes and First Chords
Learn open D tuning DADF-sharpAD. Check the four changed strings, hear the major third, play movable major chords, and compare open D with DADGAD.
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Lesson 10DADGAD Tuning: Notes, Drones, and Suspended Harmony
Learn DADGAD tuning with accurate notes and diagrams. Check three changed strings, understand suspended harmony, and try simple drone and melody exercises.
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Lesson 11Seven-String Guitar Tuning: Standard BEADGBE
Tune a seven-string guitar to BEADGBE. Check the low B octave, mute the extra string in familiar chords, and understand how standard differs from Drop A.
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Lesson 12How to Tune a Guitar by Ear Using the Fifth-Fret Method
Learn the fifth-fret tuning method, its G-to-B exception, and how to use a reliable reference without accumulating avoidable errors.
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Tuning a Guitar with Harmonics: Method and Limitations
Use fifth-, seventh-, and twelfth-fret harmonics carefully. Learn why pure harmonic intervals do not exactly match equal-tempered guitar frets.
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Guitar Intonation: Why Fretted Notes Can Be Out of Tune
Check guitar intonation with open strings, twelfth-fret harmonics, and fretted notes. Separate setup problems from heavy fretting pressure.
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How a Capo Changes Guitar Tuning and Chord Pitch
Learn how each capo fret transposes guitar notes, check pitch after clamping, and distinguish chord shapes from sounding chord names.
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Guitar Won’t Stay in Tune? Causes and Checks
Find why your guitar won’t stay in tune after bends, new strings, or capo use. Separate tuning drift from intonation and check one cause at a time.
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How to Tune New Guitar Strings and Help Them Settle
Bring new guitar strings to pitch gradually, check their installation, and distinguish normal settling from slipping or binding.
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Guitar String Gauge and Tuning: Understanding Tension
Understand how pitch, scale length, and string mass affect tension. Choose a gauge for lower tunings without relying on a one-size-fits-all chart.
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Guitar Tuning Frequencies: String Hz Chart and Cents
Check standard guitar string frequencies from E2 to E4 at A4 = 440 Hz. Use the Hz chart, calculate cents, and adjust targets for another reference pitch.
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Guitar Fretboard Notes: First Five Frets and Octaves
Learn guitar fretboard notes through fret 5 with a labeled chart. Find matching pitches, the G-to-B exception, and octave landmarks for practice.
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