Drone Note Online (Pitch Drone)
A drone note is a pitch that never stops: it keeps sounding while you play or sing over it and acts as a ruler for your ear. It is what the tanpura does in Indian music, what the bagpipe drones do, and what a violin's open string does when a player tunes by fifths. This page generates that sound in your browser: choose the note (C1 to C6) and the octave, press play, and the reference stays there, seamless, for as long as you need. Nothing is recorded or uploaded; the sound is made on your device.
How to use it
- Tap Play: the drone fades in over half a second on the note shown in large type, with its frequency in Hz underneath. Tap again (or press Esc) to stop.
- Choose the note with the chips for common tuning notes (A, D, G, C, E, B♭, F), with the note and octave selectors, or with the −1 and +1 buttons, which transpose by a semitone. On a computer the arrow keys do the same and the space bar starts and stops.
- Tick add the fifth to hear the note with its perfect fifth (3:2 ratio) and add the octave below for a supporting bass. Both together recall a bagpipe or tanpura drone.
- Switch the tone to suit the task: sine for tuning without interference, triangle for a more present sound, tanpura for Indian or Irish music practice, organ for singing over.
- Set the volume and the reference A (440, 442 or 432 Hz, among others) and leave it running: the timer shows how long the note has been sounding, and the screen stays awake while it plays if the browser allows it.
Help and explanations
On top of the main note you can add the perfect fifth (like two violin strings bowed together) and the octave below, which makes the drone fuller for interval practice. The tones go from a pure sine, which masks nothing, to a tanpura-style tone (a harmonic-rich wave softened by a filter to recall the Indian instrument) and an organ tone with a touch of the 2nd and 3rd harmonics.
What a drone note is for
Tuning by ear means comparing: the ear easily hears two notes beating or locking into a pure interval, but struggles to judge a single note on its own. That is why drones are so widely used by violinists, violists and cellists (playing each string and each position against the drone shows at once whether you are sharp or flat), by singers who practice scales and leaps without a piano, and by anyone working on intervals: with the drone on C, singing E, F or G and feeling the interval lock in is direct training in just intonation.
In Indian classical music the tanpura plays Sa (the tonic) and the fifth the whole time, and it is over that bed that a raga is learned. In Irish and Scottish music the bagpipe drones and the modes played over a fixed note create the same effect. In both cases this page stands in for the drone instrument in everyday practice: choose the tonic, switch on the fifth and play.
How the sound is generated
The main note, the fifth and the octave are separate oscillators summed into a master volume that rises over 0.5 s when you start and falls over 0.5 s when you stop, so nothing clicks. The fifth is a perfect fifth, 1.5 times the frequency of the note (not the piano's tempered fifth, which is 2 cents lower), because the pure fifth is what strings and voices tune to. The tanpura tone is a sawtooth wave through a low-pass filter that follows the note; the organ tone adds the 2nd and 3rd harmonics to the fundamental at a lower level. When you change the note while the sound is on, the frequency glides over a few milliseconds with no gap.
The frequency shown follows the reference A you choose: with A4 = 440 Hz, A3 is 220 Hz and D4 is 293.66 Hz; at 442 or 432 Hz everything moves together. The page remembers your last note, tone, volume and layers for next time.
Drone, tanpura or shruti box: which to pick
If you only want a clean reference for tuning, use the sine tone, which has no harmonics to confuse the ear. For raga practice or bansuri, the tanpura tone with the fifth switched on comes closest to a shruti box; for a lower Sa, tick the octave below as well. For singing over, the organ tone supports the voice better. In every case headphones or a small speaker help: a phone speaker cuts the bass below roughly 150 Hz, so notes around C2 or D2 sound weak on it.
Tips
- Violin and viola: leave the drone on A and tune the strings by fifths, two at a time; then play first-position scales listening to each note against the drone.
- Singers: start with the tonic in a comfortable octave, sing up the scale and hold each degree until you feel the interval stop beating.
- To practice modes (Dorian, Mixolydian), keep only the tonic and the fifth: the drone has no third, so the colour of the mode is up to you.
- In long sessions keep the volume low: the drone should sit behind your instrument, not in front of it.
Frequently asked questions
What is a drone note?
A continuous note with no rhythm or melody, used as a reference for tuning and practice. The word comes from the humming (drone) of instruments such as the bagpipe and the tanpura; in classical theory it is also called a pedal note.
Which note should I choose for tuning?
The note your instrument uses as a reference: A for violin, viola, cello and orchestra; E or A for guitar; D or G for flute and bagpipes. For singing, pick the tonic of the song.
Why does the fifth sound different from the piano's?
The drone uses the perfect fifth (3:2 ratio, 702 cents), which is what strings, winds and voices aim for when tuning by ear. On the piano it is tempered, 2 cents lower, so that every key fits the keyboard.
Does the sound keep playing with the screen locked?
It depends on the browser: Chrome on Android usually keeps playing; Safari on iPhone may pause. With the page open, the drone asks the screen to stay awake, and with headphones the battery lasts a whole session.
Can I use it at 432 Hz or 442 Hz?
Yes. The reference A goes from 415 to 466 Hz; the chosen note and its frequency in Hz are recalculated instantly, even while the sound is playing.
Does it work as an online tanpura?
It works as a synthesized Sa and Pa drone: choose the tonic, switch on the fifth and pick the tanpura tone. It is not a recording of a tanpura; the jawari (the characteristic buzz of the strings) is not reproduced.
Do I need to install anything, and is there a time limit?
No. It is a free page that runs in your phone or computer browser, with no sign-up and no limit: the timer only counts how long the note has been playing.