This flute tuner listens through your microphone and shows the nearest note, a needle and the distance in cents, so you can see at a glance whether your flute is flat or sharp. The concert flute is a C instrument: the note you play is the note you read, so the page opens with the transposition set to C (concert pitch).
It runs in the browser on a phone or a laptop, with nothing to install and no audio sent anywhere. If your orchestra tunes higher, switch the Reference A to 442 Hz.
How to use it
- Warm up for a minute or two first: a cold flute plays flat.
- Tap Turn on microphone, then play a steady, medium-loud long tone, usually the A or B♭ your director tunes to.
- Needle left (flat): push the headjoint in. Needle right (sharp): pull it out, a millimeter or two at a time.
- Check a low note and the same note an octave up; if both agree within a few cents, you are set.
Headjoint, embouchure and cork
The headjoint is the flute's only tuning slide: pull it out to lower every note, push it in to raise them. Your embouchure matters as much: rolling in or blowing slower lowers the pitch, rolling out raises it. Find a centered sound first, then set the headjoint. Never twist the crown to tune; it moves the cork, which sets the scale.
Tips
- Tune with the dynamic you play most; flutes go sharp when loud and flat when soft.
- Mark the headjoint position with a thin pencil line once it is right.
- Retune after a long rest: the flute cools down and drops in pitch.
Frequently asked questions
Is the flute a transposing instrument?
No. The concert flute is in C, so the tuner shows exactly what you read. The piccolo is read in C too, an octave below how it sounds.
Which note should I tune my flute on?
Usually A in orchestras and concert B♭ in bands, which flutists simply read as B♭. Then check a low and a high note.
Do I push the headjoint in or pull it out?
Flat: push in. Sharp: pull out. Most flutes play in tune with the headjoint pulled out a few millimeters, not all the way in.
Why does my flute start flat and end up sharp?
Warm breath raises the pitch, so a cold flute starts flat and climbs. Tune after warming up.
Can I tune other band instruments?
Yes: the clarinet tuner and the alto sax tuner open with their transposition set.