How often should you tune your guitar, bass, or ukulele?

If you want the honest answer: tune every time you play. Not because you are doing something wrong, but because strings drift. Temperature changes, string stretch, and your playing style all move pitch.

The good news: a tune-up can take under a minute if you do it the same way every time.

Quick CTA:

• Open the tuner: Online tuner
• Jump to a preset page:
  • Guitar standard tuning
  • Bass standard tuning
  • Ukulele standard tuning

The simple rule that works for most players

• Before you start playing: tune.
• After big changes: tune again.
• During practice: retune only if something sounds off.

"Big changes" includes:

• putting on new strings
• changing to a different tuning (Drop D, Open G, etc.)
• moving from a cold car to a warm room
• using a tremolo a lot
• heavy bending, aggressive picking, or loud rehearsal volume where you cannot hear pitch well

The 45-second tune check (what to do before every session)

Open the tuner and check each string once. If a string is close, do not chase perfection.

1. Open your tuner preset (standard is fine for most sessions):
   • Guitar standard tuning
   • Bass standard tuning
   • Ukulele standard tuning
2. Pluck one string cleanly and let it ring.
3. If you are more than a few cents off, adjust until the needle centers.
4. Move to the next string.
5. When you finish, do one quick pass again from low to high.

Two fast tips that keep the tuner reading stable:

• Mute the other strings with your picking hand.
• Pluck with a steady attack, not a huge hit.

When you should retune during a session

If you are practicing alone, you can get away with fewer tune checks. If you are playing with other people, tuning stability matters more.

Retune if:

• chords start to sound sour
• your open strings sound fine, but fretted chords suddenly sound off (check intonation)
• you changed a capo position
• you bent a lot on new strings and they are still settling
• you used a tremolo and the guitar did not return to pitch

If you are not sure whether it is tuning or technique, check open strings first. That separates "out of tune" from "pressing too hard" fast.

What makes instruments drift out of tune

You can play perfectly and still drift. These are the usual causes.

New strings stretching

New strings stretch. Nylon and fluorocarbon (common on ukulele) stretch even more than steel.

Fix:

• Tune up.
• Play for 2 minutes.
• Retune.
• Repeat a few times on day one.

Temperature and humidity

Wood moves with humidity. Metal expands with heat. That changes tension and pitch.

Fix:

• Give your instrument 10 minutes to acclimate after you move locations.
• Tune after it settles.

Friction at the nut (guitar and bass)

If strings "stick" in the nut slots, tuning jumps around. You may hear a ping while tuning.

Fix:

• Tune up to pitch (approach from below).
• If the problem repeats, a tech can smooth the nut slots.

Tremolo systems (guitar)

Floating trems trade stability for expression. If you use the bar often, retune more often.

Fix:

• Tune in small steps across all strings, then repeat.
• Consider a setup that fits your playing (decked trem, more springs, etc.).

If you want a deeper troubleshooting checklist:

Why your guitar won't stay in tune

Instrument-specific tuning habits that save time

Guitar

• Tune before every session, and again after you change tunings.
• If you play hard bends, check tuning after your warm-up.
• If chords sound wrong high up the neck, check intonation:
  • Guitar intonation check

Bass

• Tune before rehearsal, even if you tuned yesterday.
• If you play with a pick and hit hard, the low string can go sharp on attack. Pluck evenly while tuning.
• If you are not sure which tuning you need, start with this guide:
  • Bass tuning basics

Ukulele

• Expect new strings to slip and stretch for a few days.
• If you have friction pegs, small peg moves change pitch a lot. Go slow.
• Use the right preset for your uke:
  • Ukulele standard (g C E A)
  • Ukulele low G

A tuning routine that also improves your ear

If you always use a tuner, your ear can stay lazy. If you never use a tuner, your ear can drift.

Use both:

1. Tune each open string with the tuner.
2. Strum a familiar chord slowly and listen for wobble.
3. If it sounds odd, check the string that stands out.
4. Once a week, try tuning one string by ear to a reference tone, then verify with the tuner.

If you want a clear by-ear method, start here:

How to tune a guitar by ear

FAQs: how often to tune

Do professionals tune every time they play?

Yes. They also tune between songs, especially if they bend hard, use tremolo, or play under hot stage lights.

Should I tune again after I warm up?

If you have new strings, yes. If you have stable strings and your guitar holds pitch, a quick check is enough.

How accurate does tuning need to be?

Close and stable beats perfect and shaky. If your open strings read close to center and your chords sound clean, stop chasing decimals.

What reference pitch should I use?

Most music uses A = 440 Hz. If you are playing with a recording, match it. If a track is tuned slightly off, tune to the track, not to a number.

Why do my open strings look in tune, but chords still sound wrong?

That is often intonation or technique. Start with an intonation check:

Guitar intonation check

Next step: keep it simple and stay in tune

Pick the preset for your instrument and do the 45-second check before you play:

• Guitar standard tuning
• Bass standard tuning
• Ukulele standard tuning

If you want to explore an alternate tuning next, Open G is a fun starting point:

Open G tuning on guitar