Preparation: You need the tools for the job. This includes a string winder, guitar tuner and wire cutters. Purchase a string winder. It will save you a great deal of time, well worth the dollar or two. Additionally, they are made to cleanly pull out the bridge pins on acoustic guitars.

Step 1 - Hold the guitar in your lap or on a padded table with the neck supported. The strings can be removed in any order, though starting at either the 1st or 6th string and working across keeps things organized. Loosen and remove the strings one at a time. Do not cut the string while it is under tension, as that is a jolt to the neck.

Step 2 - Insert the string into the bridge. For many electric guitars you will slide the guitar through the back. Pull the string through gently until you feel the ball end of the string seat in the bridge. For acoustics, put the bridge pin in while pulling upward. You should feel the ball slip into place as the pin is pushed down.

Step 3 - Feed the string through the corresponding tuning key. Allow enough slack for two to three windings around the tuning key. Winding the entire string will result in too many wraps causing the string to wrap upon itself and cause instability in tuning. Fewer than one complete wrap and the string may slip out.

After coming through the string hole, wind the string one-half way in the reverse direction around the tuning peg (clockwise when the tuning keys are on top; counterclockwise when the tuning keys are on the bottom). Kink the string to hold it in place. This will enable you to form a lock on the string to avoid slippage.

Step 4 - Wind the string with each wrap under the previous one, or closer to the base of the peg. This holds the strings in tune better and looks neater. You can help by keeping slack out of the string with your free hand and guiding the string downward. If your guitar has string trees on the headstock, have the string pass under the tree as you wind the string up to pitch.

Wind evenly, making sure that each wrap goes below the previous one. Each winding should be snug up against the previous one.

Step 5 - Tighten the string up to pitch. Don’t tighten so quickly that you break the string before you ever get to play on it! Next, stretch the string gently along its length. You should find that the string has gone flat. Retune the string. This stretching will minimize your retuning for the first days of your new strings. Trim off the excess string length with wire cutters. Repeat on each string.