Make your life enjoyable, buy a decent chromatic tuner. Dont try to tune your guitar by ear or by using a pitch pipe. If you are new to the instrument use a tuner. For example a Korg CA-30 Chromatic Tuner

Using a chromatic tuner is quite easy. Plug the guitar into the tuner using a standard guitar cord as if you were going to plug into an amp. Turn the tuner on.

Starting with the Low E (thickest string on the guitar) strike the string and adjust the tightness of the string with the tuning peg until the green light shines. If the red arrow is pointing to the right the string is SHARP and needs to be loosen, and if a red arrow is pointing to the left then the string is FLAT and you need to tighten the string.

Work from the top thickest string to the bottom thinnest string. You should tune the string in standard tuning Low E, A, D, G, B, and High E.

Tuning by Ear

Tuning a guitar by ear requires time and experience. Using an electronic tuner is the best way to learn the correct tones, which will ultimately become part of you sonic library. Once youve achieved a basic understanding of the correct notes and sounds you are ready to start learning how to tune by ear.

The notes for standard tuning are E (thickest string) A, D, G, B, e (thinnest string). When naming notes you always start with the thickest string, and end on the thinnest. If you play the thickest string open you produce an E note. If you played the one next to that open, you produce an A note.

The 5th fret note of any string (except the G string) is the note of the string below it open. Take the Low E for example. The 5th fret is an A note, so is the string below it. The A strings 5th fret is a D note etc.

Assume the Low E is already tuned (based on reference note from a piano or tuner etc), the 5th fret of the Low E, is the same as the A string open. So to tune the A string, play the 5th fret of the Low E string, and the A string open at the same time (together with two fingers), then tighten or loosen the tuning pegs for the A string (the one you are not pressing) until it sounds exactly the same as the 5th fret of the Low E. You will notice a wobbly sound that changes until your are exactly in tune.

To tune the next string next to the A string of the 5th fret of the A string will be the same as the D string open. Play the 5th fret A string and the D string open. Adjust accordingly.

Continue this until the G string, where you match the B string with the 4th fret of the G string.

With the LOW E on the bottom and the high E on the top. Remember on the guitar the LOW E is the thickest TOP sting, so tablature is presented opposite of the direction the guitar strings are oriented.

Confused. Dont be, just keep working in conjunction with you tuner and your ear. Before you know it, it starts to become easier.