Classical Guitar Tuner

Your classical guitar tunes like any other guitar: E-A-D-G-B-E, from the sixth string to the first. It is the same standard tuning an electric or a steel-string acoustic uses. What changes is not the notes but the string: nylon behaves differently, and that is why this page exists.

And there is no app to download. The tuner above works from your browser with the microphone on your phone or your computer, and it is free.

The six strings of a classical guitar

From the lowest to the highest:

String Note Hz
String 6 E2 82.41 Hz
String 5 A2 110.00 Hz
String 4 D3 146.83 Hz
String 3 G3 196.00 Hz
String 2 B3 246.94 Hz
String 1 E4 329.63 Hz

The first and the sixth are both E, two octaves apart. If they ring cleanly together open, those two are done.

Nylon vs steel: what actually differs

The tuning is identical. Almost everything else about the string is not.

Tension. A normal-tension nylon set pulls far less on the top than a steel set does: we measured a real classical guitar at around 86 pounds of load, where a light acoustic set is roughly double that. That is why the two are not interchangeable, and why a steel set on a classical guitar is a repair bill rather than an experiment.

Settling time. Nylon keeps stretching for days after it goes on. A new steel set settles within a few hours; a new nylon set has you retuning every time you pick the guitar up for the first two days.

Attack and sustain. Nylon has a softer attack and fewer high harmonics, so the note reaches the microphone with less body. If the tuner is slow to settle on a reading, pluck a little more firmly and bring the microphone closer. It does not need to be loud, it needs to be clean and sustained.

Feel. Nylon sits under the fingers at lower tension and wider spacing, which is why a classical guitar is often the gentler instrument to start on even though it is the harder one to amplify.

How to tune a classical guitar, step by step

  1. Allow microphone access when the browser asks. The audio never leaves your device: it is processed in the browser and sent nowhere.
  2. Start with the sixth string, the thickest one. Play it open, without fretting anything.
  3. Watch the needle: to the left the string is flat and needs tightening, to the right it is sharp and needs loosening.
  4. Always tune upwards. If you overshoot, drop below the note and come back up. That seats the string at the peg and it holds better.
  5. Repeat with the other five.
  6. Go round a second time. Tightening some strings changes the pull on the neck slightly, so the first ones will have moved. On a nylon guitar with new strings, go round a third time.

How to tune a classical guitar without a tuner

You can, and it is worth knowing. The fifth-fret method works the same on nylon:

What the method does not give you: the guitar ends up in tune with itself, but not necessarily at concert pitch. To play with someone else, or along to a recording, you need an external reference — a tuner, a tuning fork or a piano.

Which strings to buy

Nylon strings are sold by tension rather than by gauge: normal, medium or hard.

If you are starting out, or unsure, take normal or medium tension. Hard tension gives more volume and projection but is harder to press and asks more of the top.

The one thing never to do is fit steel strings to a classical guitar. It is not built for that load, and the damage to the top or the neck is not cheap to undo.

Tuning a classical guitar for the first time

Two things surprise most beginners, and neither is a fault with the instrument.

It will not hold its tuning at first. Nylon stretches, so a new set drifts flat for several days. Retune before you play and it settles on its own within the first week.

The weather moves it. Nylon reacts to changes in temperature and humidity sooner than steel does, so a guitar kept by a window or a radiator needs checking more often than one that lives in its case.

Frequently asked questions

How do you tune a classical guitar?

A classical guitar tunes to standard E-A-D-G-B-E, from the sixth string to the first. Play each open string into the tuner above and adjust until it reads in tune, starting with the sixth and going round a second time when you reach the end.

Is a classical guitar tuned the same as an acoustic?

Yes. Classical, steel-string acoustic and electric guitars all use standard E-A-D-G-B-E tuning. The string material and the feel differ; the notes do not.

Do I need to download an app to tune a classical guitar?

No. The tuner on this page runs in your browser using the microphone on your phone or computer. Nothing to install, no sign-up, and free.

How do you tune a classical guitar without a tuner?

Use the fifth-fret method: the fifth fret of each string should match the next string played open, with the exception of the third string, where it is the fourth fret. That leaves the guitar in tune with itself, though not necessarily at concert pitch.

Why does my classical guitar keep going out of tune?

If the strings are new, that is normal: nylon stretches for the first few days and needs retuning often until it settles. If they have been on a while, it is usually temperature or humidity, which move nylon sooner than they move steel.

Can you put steel strings on a classical guitar?

No. A classical guitar is built for the much lower tension of nylon, and steel strings can damage the top or the neck irreversibly.

How long do new nylon strings take to settle?

Several days. For the first two you will be retuning every time you pick the guitar up, and it stabilises over the first week. Playing them in, and stretching them gently by hand, speeds it up.

Should I tune to 440 or 432 Hz?

440 Hz is the standard and is what to use unless someone asks you for something else. The tuner lets you change the reference if you need to.

Where to go next

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