The Tuning Journal
Practical guides on keeping guitars, ukuleles, violins — and everything else with strings — perfectly in tune. Written to be read, with tools you can play.
How to Tune a Mountain Dulcimer: DAD and DAA Explained
D and A stay put; the melody string names the tuning. Why DAD became the standard, when DAA is still the right answer, and the routine that gets both in tune.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Harp (Lyre Harps and Lever Harps)
Lyre harps arrive out of tune and new strings stretch for weeks — both are normal. The full routine, playable note maps for 7, 16 and 19-string lyres, and why lever harps live in E♭.
Read the guide →How to Tune an Accordion Yourself (Full DIY Reed Guide)
No pegs, no pins: accordion pitch lives in hundreds of steel reeds, changed only with a file. What you can safely measure and fix yourself — and when to call a technician.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Kalimba (17-Key, 21-Key, 10-Key and 7-Note)
Tap down to flatten, tap up to sharpen: kalimba tuning is delightfully simple once you know the zigzag note map. Step-by-step routine, buzz fixes, and reference tones for every tine — 21-key down to 7-note.
Read the guide →How to Tune a 12-String Guitar (Octave Pairs Explained)
Octave pairs on the bottom four courses, unisons on top, and a high G string that snaps if you rush it. The full 12-string map with playable reference tones — in E standard and E♭.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Guitar by Ear (3 Methods That Actually Work)
No tuner, no problem. Learn the fifth-fret method, the harmonics trick and how to hear “beats” — plus the one string that breaks the rules and trips everyone up.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Guitar with a Chromatic Tuner
What the needle and cents really mean, the exact note for every string, and a step-by-step routine that gets you in tune fast — with reference tones you can play right on this page.
Read the guide →How Many Cents Are in an Octave? 1,200 — Cents in Music Explained
100 cents to a semitone, 1,200 to an octave. What the numbers on your tuner mean, why pitch needs a logarithmic ruler, and a listening lab to find your own threshold.
Read the guide →Standard Guitar Tuning vs. Drop D: A Beginner’s Guide
One string, one whole step — and a very different guitar. Learn what Drop D changes, hear both tunings side by side, and follow the 30-second routine to switch safely.
Read the guide →Half-Step Down Tuning (E♭ Standard): Why and How
E♭–A♭–D♭–G♭–B♭–E♭: the tuning behind countless classic records. What it does for tone, bends and singers, and how to read the confusing flat names on your tuner.
Read the guide →How to Use an Online Tuner for Ukulele and Violin
GCEA, GDAE, reentrant strings and fine tuners explained. A practical walkthrough for tuning ukulele and violin by microphone, with playable reference tones for every string.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Bass Guitar (4-String and 5-String)
E1 is 41 Hz — low enough to confuse tuners and vanish on phone speakers. Learn the frequencies, the harmonic trick for a rock-steady reading, and 5-string low-B tips.
Read the guide →Why Is My Guitar Not Staying in Tune? (Common Fixes)
Eight causes, eight fixes. Diagnose whether it’s your strings, your nut, your tuners or your technique — and stop re-tuning every five minutes.
Read the guide →Open G vs Open D: Which Open Tuning Should You Learn First?
Three strings versus four, riff machine versus slide voice. How Open G and Open D differ, what to play first in each, and which one to learn first.
Read the guide →What Is 440 Hz vs 432 Hz in Instrument Tuning?
A short history of concert pitch, the real math behind the eight-hertz gap, and an interactive lab where you can hear 440 and 432 side by side and judge for yourself.
Read the guide →Mandolin and Banjo Tuning Explained (GDAE and Open G)
Mandolins double every string; banjos hang a high drone above everything. How to tune GDAE courses and open-G banjo without chasing your own tail.
Read the guide →Does a Capo Mess Up Your Tuning? (Capo Guide)
Why chords sound sour the moment the capo goes on, how to fix it in ten seconds, and a complete chart of what key you’re really playing in at every fret.
Read the guide →How Does a Guitar Tuner Actually Work?
A look inside the box: how thousands of microphone samples per second become one note name and a cents reading — and why low strings make tuners sweat.
Read the guide →