Tuning identifier

Guitar Tuning Identifier

Play each string, read the note your tuner shows, and enter it below. The tool compares your notes against 63 tunings across 9instrument families and names the tuning you are closest to, string by string.

Your strings

Six strings, standard scale. 36 tunings from Standard EADGBE to Drop G.

Note shown for each string

Enter the note name only; the optional cents field takes the plus or minus reading from your tuner.

Closest tuning

Your result appears here: the matched tuning, its exact notes from the lowest string up, and how far each string is from that target.

How the tuning identifier works

  1. Pick the instrument. The string count follows the instrument, so a four-string bass is never compared against six-string guitar tunings.
  2. Enter one note per string. Play a string on its own, read the note name on your tuner, and choose it in the row for that string. Leave a row on “Not sure” if you have not checked it yet.
  3. Add the cents reading if you have it. A tuner that showsE2 -12 means twelve cents flat; type that number next to the note for a finer comparison.
  4. Read the closest tuning. The result lists the matched tuning, its target note for every string, and the difference between what you played and that target. Equally close tunings are listed together instead of hidden.

What the difference column means

Each difference is measured from the tuning’s target note to the note you entered. “120 cents flat” means your string sounds about a semitone and a fifth of a semitone below the target; “exactly in tune” means the note names match and no cents offset was entered. One semitone is 100 cents, so the numbers convert directly if you prefer one unit over the other.

Worked example

You play the six strings and your tuner reads D, A, D, G, A, D from the lowest string up. Standard EADGBE is two semitones away on the lowest string and one semitone away on the third, while DADGAD matches every note exactly. The tool returns DADGAD at zero difference, then shows Open D and DADEAD as the next closest shapes.

Limits worth knowing

  • Matching compares note names, not absolute octaves. Reentrant and low-G ukulele tunings, or standard and Nashville guitar tuning, share the same note names and are listed together as a tie.
  • A note is matched to the nearest target within six semitones. That is the useful window for identifying a tuning, but it will not tell you that a string is a full octave out.
  • The identifier names a tuning. It does not listen to your instrument and it does not replace a tuner: use the matched target notes as the reference for tuning each string.
  • Everything runs in your browser. The notes you enter are compared in the page and are never sent anywhere or stored.

Questions

Do I need a microphone for this?

No. You read the notes from any tuner you already use, then type them in. The identifier itself never requests microphone access.

What if two tunings use the same notes?

They are shown as a tie with the same difference, because note names alone cannot separate them. Check the octave of the lowest string to choose between them.

Can it identify a tuning I invented myself?

It matches against the 63 tunings in its library. A custom layout that is not close to any of them will still return the nearest preset, with the per-string differences showing how far off it is.

Does entering fewer strings still work?

Yes, two or more strings are enough to rank the tunings. Fewer entered strings means more ties, and the result will say the match is based on the strings you filled in.

Once you know the tuning