GuitarTuna: Tuner Chords Tabs Reviews

by A New Soul

The idea for this tuning app is a great one! The only thing is, it is not accessible to those of us who are blind. That’s why I don’t pay for a subscription. Not even the free version works that well!! And I have tried to talk to the developers with no results. I have done research and found out that I am not the only blind person who has tried to talk to the developers. Every time I use GuitarTuna , the tuner stops working and I have to wait anywhere from a few minutes to three days before I get the screen that says allow access to microphone. Even then, it is not guaranteed I will get to the guitar tuner choice on the screen. It is frustrating and annoying I keep deleting it and starting over, still it doesn’t work!!! I use voiceover and I have an iPhone eight. Not only can I not use the tuner properly, but there are many things on GuitarTuna that are not accessible!! The reason I bring up the iPhone is because my sister has an iPhone 11 and GuitarTuna seems to work on her phone just fine. At least I know she can get to the tuning part of it. I don’t know about the rest, because she doesn’t use it.

by Rainy.sun

The latest update has made GuitarTuna less convenient to use. The change to the tuning part of GuitarTuna has made it more difficult to see if you are tuning your guitar just right. The fact that the tuning area is smaller makes it harder to see in general. The red line in the middle is gone, so now you can’t easily see where you’re trying to put the needle while tuning. The circle doesn’t change its color subtly anymore while tuning, which also makes tuning less convenient. In addition, GuitarTuna has been buggy. It won’t even let me use the tuner section. Nothing happens when I play my strings or click on the letters. And in my personal opinion, the redesign is just not pleasant to look at. The smaller letters and icons are difficult to see from afar, and the new guitar pictures are a step backward compared to the old ones. In general, GuitarTuna now looks and feels cheap since the latest update.

by Shadow3c3

Let me preface this by saying the tuner DOES work, but ONLY if you are tuning your instrument to the standard tuning.
I may have shot myself in the foot because of how heavily I utilize my clip on tuners, whether I just have awful pitch memory or I’m straight lazy I can’t tell, but my tuner was lost in the move, sweet. My new town is small and doesn’t have any music stores with clip on tuners for guitars, so an app seemed like the best filler option. Gave this a go and immediately found it useless. Not many songs I play, if any, are in standard tuning. GuitarTuna will only let you use the standard tuning, any other tunings and you have to pay a subscription. I understand all the features they offer but I’m not new to playing guitar, I don’t need the extra features when I have better resources for practice. Great stuff for beginners, awful for anyone at a comfortable level of playing. $5 a MONTH to tune your instrument, you better be changing tunings every half hour to make it worth your while.
I highly recommend Fender Tune if you’re looking for a tuning app. The only downside is if you’re like me and own a guitar that isn’t a 6 string as they only offer 6 string tunings, but you get many more tuning options for free. Not too difficult to get a chromatic tuner and tune the 7th or 8th string yourself.

by Cameron0208

I’ve been using GuitarTuna for a few years now and it’s been great. Never had any issues until now. Within the last couple of weeks, I noticed the tuning didn’t seem accurate. Thought I must have been hearing it wrong, so I pulled out my standalone tuner. Sure enough—the reading from GuitarTuna wasn’t accurate! Another issue is that GuitarTuna can’t seem to make up its mind! The dial fluctuates between flat and sharp constantly. -2 (flat), barely tune it up, then it reads +3 (sharp). Just now, despite my g string (lulz) being just a bit flat, GuitarTuna was reading e4 +9! Had to tune it by ear because GuitarTuna refused to acknowledge that it was a G. Opened App Store to see that the latest update was 2 weeks ago, which is exactly when I started experiencing issues. I don’t know what the dev(s) did, but they screwed something up and it needs to be fixed!

by Charles Bailey ~

The tuner provides great visual feedback during the tuning process, and is rapidly responsive. It is a bit sensitive to environmental noise, even using a contact microphone, so works best in a relatively quiet setting: people in the room are fine, but several instruments tuning near each other is a problem. I'm guessing the iOS sound input system has a lot to do with this; perhaps the best GuitarTuna can do is try to focus hard on the pitch with highest amplitude.

In terms of design, the tuner is very informative. Being tied to an instrument profile allows it to give clear direction, though it may mean that you need to purchase one of the profile sets to get the data for your instrument. The only thing I miss for this function is a chromatic tuner, since it's sometimes nice to place a pitch you're hearing. The chord library is very rich, if you play a guitar. The metronome is handy as well. I don't use the games or song exchange. The topics look interesting, though.

Overall, if you're willing to make the modest investment in the expanded tuning profiles and don't absolutely need the ability to display an arbitrary pitch, it's an excellent choice as a tuning and reference utility.

by Bobbypickin

I have loved this tuner since the first time I tried it maybe six or more years ago. I mostly use it for acoustic guitar and lately for ukulele. Obviously the free version (which is what I have only used) has ads and other irritations (and locked functionality) that would undoubtedly disappear for the pay version. But you generally do get what you pay for and for me when my clip on and other three dimensional tuners either have no power, dead battery or I lose trust in their accuracy or my own ears this is my main go to. As with any of the tuners using built in microphones for input, as long as you can have relative silence when tuning this tuna is tops. Great visuals too - reminds me of kicking the football straight through the exact center of the goal posts to score a field goal or extra point after a touchdown. Except a bell like tone rings in E and both posts light up when you are exactly in tune. Kinda like when the football referee signals a touchdown - holding both arms straight up above him clearly letting the crowd know the team scored - and your specific string is now in tune. Get the free app.

by Katieyouoldfool

Before anything else, let me say GuitarTuna is still 100% worth getting and I use it pretty much every day. It’s not just a tuner, it’s everything you need when practicing on your own. BUT there are a couple minor problems that got pretty annoying the more I used GuitarTuna .

The chord library interface is really bad. I love that they have so many chords and alternate fingerings, but really I wish there was just a button for each chord, instead of having to slowly scroll a dial through every note and variation to find the one I need.

Also, I think the tuning calibration might be off. In settings, it says it’s automatically calibrated to to 440hz. But, whenever I play something already tuned properly to 440, like a digital keyboard, it reads as a 2-3 semitones too high. I’ve tried this with multiple instruments and used GuitarTuna on several different devices and it happens every time. You can easily get around this by just changing the calibration to 443hz in settings, but it’s something to keep in mind, especially if you play in a group with other people.

Again, I still recommend GuitarTuna, flaws and all. There are just a couple things I’d love to see improved in future updates.

by Thebanjitarninja

Lemme start with the one flaw: WAY too many ads for Yousician. I've heard great things about Yousician, don't get me wrong, but it just seems a little silly to have a whole section in the toolbar devoted to a different app.
Now that my complaint is outta the way, I have to thank the devs. Like, seriously. Thank you guys. I am by no means an avid musician (I just picked up banjitar a month ago, and the only other musical knowledge I have is choral), and this lil app right here has helped so much. The tuner itself, the initial reason I got this app, is phenomenally precise, even in my old iPhone 5c. I'd swear by it. There's also the super extensive chord library, which I will never have the expertise to fully delve into. this app has helped this awkward, musically naïve teenage dude begin his journey down the road of banjitar enlightenment. This is one app that will always have a place very close to my heart: in my phone.

by Shorty0979

I've never personally tuned a guitar,- I've always had to have someone tune it for me when I briefly owned several guitars many years ago. At the time, I had bought them for my (now) ex husband so he was the one who always tuned them. But unfortunately, when I eventually left him- He got rid of them all instead of giving them to me since I paid for all of them. So needless to say, I've never really had the chance to learn how to play much at all. Recently, I was given another guitar from my sister, & knew I needed to learn how to tune it so I downloaded GuitarTuna. I find it extremely easy to use & very helpful. Now I can tune my guitar (& maybe??) FINALLY learn how to play like I've always wanted too!! I LOVE Music & have to listen to it daily, it's my "Escape" from the world, my life, & all the problems or stresses that I might face daily. I've always wanted to learn how to play for as long as I can remember, so that I could eventually learn to play (at least some??) of the songs I love to listen to everyday or maybe even some that I grew up listening to as a kid. I'm thankful for GuitarTuna so I can begin my journey towards reaching my goal/dream of learning how to play guitar & music. Thank you for making GuitarTuna so very easy!! I Love It!!

by SevinStorey

As a young boy (in my early 20’s) I picked up my first hand me down flat top and bought a chord chart poster from Walmart and self taught myself how to strum chords enough to eventually start playing parties and small bars. I never did learn how to tune however but I can definitely tell when she’s out. I would always have to ask a friend or count on a small tuner that was easy to misplace or lose but now I can do it on my phone which I always have in my pocket and its extremely accurate as I’ve checked it on tuners and with class act guitar players including myself. There’s no bothersome pop ups (thank God) and it never asks me to buy anything,(again thank God) or I would drop it from my phone. Great deal for anybody out there.

by Blue Beowolf

I’ve never used the extra features but from what I’ve seen they seem to work really well though I don’t pay the subscription for any of the extra stuff. They don’t bar any of the base functions behind a pay wall instead they have extra completely optional features that you can pay to get and they still take good care of the base app. It’s really useful for someone who just needs to tune their guitar really quick and is a lot less tedious than carrying around a tuner. Not to mention a physical tuner provides no more benefits than GuitarTuna. I recommend all guitar players have this in their back pocket. The only thing it can’t do with the base app that I don’t like is that it can’t tune the strings in notes other than standard tuning. Though even so considering it’s free it’s still a really good tool to have considering the convenience it offers since you’ll have your phone on you most of the time anyway.

by TheTenthDoctorIsSexy

My friend introduced me to GuitarTuna and since then, GuitarTuna has been a blessing in my life. With it, I am able to tune my ukulele, violin, guitar, and my best friend's cello. It is so easy to use and is very precise. Even with the free version (which is what I have) there is so much you can do. Not only can you tune your instrument with GuitarTuna, but you can also use the tools in GuitarTuna such as the metronome or the chords tool where it shows you the fingering for different chords on the ukulele and guitar. It also has an option in the chords tool where you can listen to the chord to make sure you are playing it correctly.
Overall: I rate this a 6/5. This is probably the most useful app I have downloaded on my phone and it is so easy to use. Love love love it!!!

by Mxshroomgirl12

Okay so I love GuitarTuna for plenty of reasons.

I had gotten a ukulele for my birthday but didn’t know how to tune it so I tuned it based off of hearing so it wasn’t good, but then my grandma tried tuning it for me but it just made it sound worse. So I never touched it again till months later. I decided to give it another go so I went on GuitarTuna Store in search of an app that would work, the first to didn’t work but then I got this one. It works so well! You press the chord name, for example A chord, and then you play the string on the ukulele and it will listen to it to figure out if it needs to be tuned up or down! It doesn’t only work for ukulele but also guitar, bass , and even violin!
Definitely recommend it’s amazing!!

by MLGsniperclanminecrafter

When I started playing Ukulele, I could never keep it in tune, it was a pain, and I had no idea where to start, so when I started learning guitar, I was even more overwhelmed. When I was playing one night with my horrendous sounding guitar, a friend told me about GuitarTuna. I downloaded it, and almost instantly, my guitar and ukulele were sounding great. A year later, GuitarTuna is still my go-to tuner, and although I do know how to tune without an app or tuner, GuitarTuna truly helps me when I’m not quite sure.
I recommend this to any guitarist, whether you’re a beginner, an amateur, or a pro. Even if you have a clip on tuner, GuitarTuna is great for when you leave it at home, or can’t find it. 10/10 would download again.

by Lazy Crative

Have you ever taken a class where the instructor not only allowed smart phones but insisted you download a specific app? Last year at my college I took a guitar class for non music major with no previous experience in guitar. It is called guitar class. So there were other students in it. It was 1 credit hour & I got an A. If you pass that with at least a C you can only take it once. I'm currently in what os called guitar elective. That is a one on one lesson in his office. Elective guitar can be taken as many times as the student wants. The pendulum is crucial to learning & the tuning is crucial to just using a guitar. This music teacher could teach a rhesus monkey to play the ukulele. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in the guitar whether they are a beginner or a pro stadium musician.

by Joshua Of Oregon

From all of the tunner apps on the market I’m only reviewing the ones that are free.

Being a real musician, and currently having zero to no money, when I type into google ‘tuner apps for free’ I’m assuming the results are going to be representative of free tuner apps.....not apps that are free until you want to tune with them....

Apparently that’s what most app development people assuming is going to work. What they don’t understand is that when I go through all of the effort of finding your app, downloading your app, installing your app, opening your app, and learning how to use your app....only to be greeted with “you must purchase GuitarTuna in order to get it to work…They not only have lost a customer… They’ve made an enemy for life… I actually have a special spot in my password black book it’s labeled poison… In on this page or only the names of the developers who have wasted my time by misrepresenting their free app…

GuitarTuna, is a breathe of fresh air.

You can actually use GuitarTuna to tune your guitar for free…

If you pay additional amount it’ll do a lot more cool stuff for you, but if you don’t have the money to pay for the upgrades, it still functions fantastically as a tuner …
Four stars…
A+ plus…

Way to go guys you’re the best

by Kt :3

GuitarTuna has helped me many times and I have to tune my instruments a lot. I play the Ukulele and Guitar and I never have a problem tuning it.I don’t have the ability to tune and instrument by ear at all so I really needed this.

I downloaded a few tuning apps and all of them were about the same. There was chords and it had to listen to try and tell you when it is right. But that’s about it, and most of them had pretty poor audio. Than I decided to use GuitarTuna because I heard of it but I thought it would be the same and people just overreacted about a simple guitar tuner.

Soon after when I downloaded GuitarTuna my mind changed almost instantly. There were so many instruments to choose from and it has great audio and there is more than just tuning guitars. More musicians should discover this tuning app because GuitarTuna helped me a lot and without it I would still be having my half sister toon it by ear whenever she comes.

Thank you for this wonderful app it has helped me a lot and there is no way to say how good GuitarTuna is. It is amazing and I recommend this to anyone with an instrument or instruments that they play a lot and need a tuner for.

Honestly, this is amazing!
-Kt

by Alyssa P. J.

GuitarTuna has been amazing! Before I get into detail, GuitarTuna has helped me learn so much, and I’m so glad I downloaded it. It has been the easiest way for me to learn chords. I first downloaded GuitarTuna when I began playing guitar, to help keep it in tune. As I became more familiar with GuitarTuna and my guitar, I started using the “learn to play chords” feature. When I was ready to learn new chords I purchased the full version. One of the best purchases I could’ve made. All of the features expand for the guitar. But, not all of the features expand for the ukulele. This is pretty disappointing. GuitarTuna has been a foundation for me learning to play and I really wish they had the “learn to play chords” feature for the uke. Hopefully the developers are working on this! Honestly if you’re newer (or even experienced) to playing and are looking for an app to help you get your instrument in tune and learn new chords I’d recommend GuitarTuna.

by Xx_DonutEater_xX

Hello everyone reading this. This is an app that made my life so much easier. I started playing guitar 4 months ago and I didn’t know anything about the guitar. So I needed someone to tune my guitar for me or at least help me (My grandpa knows how to play and tune guitar. He was pretty young when he started playing on it. But I can’t always ask him to help me). So GuitarTuna was just perfect for me. It’s free. It shows you all the chords. It’s precise while tuning. And it has little mini-games as well (although if you want more games you need to pay. But it’s pretty reasonable price).
So the bottom line than. If you want the basics of the basics on guitar this is GuitarTuna that will provide you with anything. If you want to learn more you need to pay (But I think their Yousician app is much better if you wanna “master” the guitar).
And the best thing is that GuitarTuna is beautiful, it has a good tuner and all the chords you will probably ever need. (This was kinda too big of a bottom line 🤣)
Thank you for reading!

by Sputnik Stan

I have played guitar for over 20 years. I love GuitarTuna. It is a relatively accurate tuner that is always as close as your phone. I play guitar and bass, depending on what band I am playing with and my mood. I enjoy GuitarTuna because of the versatility of the tunings. Sometimes I play in standard, sometimes half a step down, sometimes in drop C, and open tunings. All of these and more are a simple menu away. I use my Korg strobe tuner with my rig and a needle tuner for setups, but I honestly use Guitar Tuna more often than any other tuner. Plus there are lots and lots of other features for actually learning to play the guitar and work on your skills that I haven’t even touched. Even the free version is great for standard tuning. Drop the money and get GuitarTuna . You will see that you get more than you pay for!

by Smhgamergal

It only gets 3 stars because they need to add a feature where you can play the chord practice games without a timer, Because it gets really annoying to have to keep restarting the game if you are a novice trying to learn the chords and can only get a couple before you have to stop and pickup your phone to restart the lesson. I was so stoked to see there was a feature that would teach you the chords and pick up if you were playing them correctly through the microphone and I paid for the full app only to find out how ridiculously obnoxious it is to have to restart every 45 seconds. seriously you need to add a feature where you can just play the games with no timer or with a custom timer. it's messed up the way it is now where you can only play each game for 45 seconds at a time.

by Sbpoodoo312

Making the switch to trying life as an all digital, all mobile, iPhone based guitar(enthus)i(a)st ... giving up tubes and pedals for simplicity’s sake. I am trying out many dozens of guitar apps as a result — including tuners — and this one definitely stands out. I wish alternate tunings came free, but its worth the (minimal) price if you need them.

Many of the apps i have used have tuners built in to them but — even when i am actively using just such an app — i still find myself switching to this one, and honestly i couldnt tell exactly quite why. Maybe its the fengshui of the layout but GuitarTuna just has that all around quality feeling that makes it rise above the rest. Yeah, its just a tuner, but it nails the execution.

by Yum~yum🗿

i got GuitarTuna when i FIRST started playing guitar and it did its job well, taught me all my major chords and tuned my guitar pretty well, but as i progressed (learned everything GuitarTuna had to offer) i realized i needed everything else GuitarTuna had to offer so i purchased the pro version and its 10x more useful. Basically what im trying to say is GuitarTuna is great for beginners (beginner myself) but you definitely need the pro version if you’re really gonna take guitar seriously and use it on a day to day basis to teach yourself guitar and progress, unless you’re going for in person lessons with a teacher of course. If you're not going for in person lessons don't worry GuitarTuna will take care of you.