This online mandolin tuner listens through your microphone, recognizes the pair you played and shows the note, the cents and which way to turn the tuning machine. A mandolin has 8 strings in 4 pairs tuned in unison, with the same notes as a violin: G D A E (G3 D4 A4 E5), from low to high.
Whether you play an A-style or F-style mandolin in a bluegrass band, a mando at an Irish session or the Brazilian bandolim in a choro group, the tuning is the same. Nothing is installed or recorded.
How to use it
- Tap Turn on microphone and allow access.
- Mute one string of the pair with a fingertip and pick the other. Tune it, then swap.
- Needle to the left: the string is flat, so tighten. To the right: it's sharp, so loosen. In the green (±5 cents) it's in tune.
- Turn the tuning machine slowly, always coming up to the note. If you overshoot, go below it and come back up.
- At the end, play the pair together: in tune, the two strings sound like a single note, with no beating.
Unison pairs: tune string by string
If the two strings of a pair are a few cents apart, the sound beats and your tremolo gets muddy. When you play a pair together, the tuner reads an average and hides the difference, so tune each string alone and use the unison only to check. One wave per second on the A pair means about 4 cents of difference; on the G pair, more than 8.
Floating bridge and the 12th-fret octave
A mandolin bridge isn't glued: only string pressure holds it in place. If it shifts, fretted notes go out of tune even with the open strings right. After tuning, play each string at the 12th fret: it should give the same note an octave higher, with the same cents. If it's sharp, move the bridge toward the tailpiece; if it's flat, toward the neck.
Tips
- Change strings one at a time, never all at once, so the bridge stays put.
- New steel strings stretch on the first day; tune several times before taking the mandolin to a jam.
- In a band, agree on the A with the guitar, fiddle and banjo: everyone on the same 440 (or 442).
- A light pick stroke, letting the note ring, gives a steadier reading than tremolo.
Frequently asked questions
What are the mandolin string notes?
G, D, A and E (G3 D4 A4 E5), from the lowest pair to the highest, each pair in unison: 196, 294, 440 and 659 Hz with A = 440.
How do I tune a mandolin with 8 strings?
One string at a time: mute the other string of the pair with a fingertip, pick and tune; then swap. Finally, play the pair together and listen for the beating to disappear.
Is a mandolin tuned like a violin?
Yes, same notes and same octaves, which is why so many fiddlers double on mandolin. The violin tuner has its own page.
Can I use a guitar tuner for mandolin?
Only a chromatic one, since the mandolin's notes aren't the guitar's open strings. Use this page or the chromatic tuner.
Why do my mandolin string pairs sound out of tune together?
Usually the two strings of a pair are a few cents apart, even when each looks almost right. Tune each one separately until both sit within 2 or 3 cents of zero, then check the pair together. Old strings with worn spots also refuse to agree; replace them.
How often should I tune my mandolin?
Every time you play, and between songs at a jam if the room is warm. Steel strings and a floating bridge react quickly to temperature.
What about a 10-string mandolin or the Brazilian bandolim?
The Brazilian bandolim is a mandolin, usually with a flat back, tuned the same G D A E. The 10-string version adds a low C pair (C3) below the G: tune the top four pairs here and the C with the chromatic tuner.