This online viola tuner hears your viola through the microphone and shows which string you played, the note, the cents and which way to turn. The viola is tuned C G D A (C3 G3 D4 A4): its top three strings are the bottom three of the violin, and a low C takes the place of the E.
Use A = 440 Hz for practice or 442 Hz if your orchestra asks for it, and tap any string to hear its reference tone and tune by ear. Everything is processed on your device, with no app and no sign-up.
How to use it
- Tap Turn on microphone and allow access. Keep the phone near the viola, facing the top.
- Play the open string with a full, steady bow stroke, or pizzicato.
- 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.
- Make small adjustments with the fine tuners on the tailpiece; for bigger ones use the peg, turning slowly while pushing it in.
- Tune the A first, then D, G and C, and check everything again at the end.
Viola, violin and cello: a family tuned in fifths
The violin family is tuned in perfect fifths. The viola sits a fifth below the violin (it loses the E and gains a C) and an octave above the cello, which has the same four note names. Violas come in different sizes (15, 16, 16½ inches and more), but they all tune the same.
440 or 442, and the C from pure fifths
For practice, use 440 Hz; in an orchestra, the group's A, often 442 Hz. Set the A with the tuner and the other strings by fifths, playing two strings together until the beating disappears.
A pure fifth is about 2 cents wider than the tuner's, so as you work down from the A the difference adds up and the C lands about 6 cents below zero. That sounds right in a string section; with piano, keep the C closer to zero.
Tips
- If the phone won't pick up the low C, bring it closer to the f-holes and bow near the bridge with a firm stroke.
- After a lot of tuning, check that the bridge is still upright, perpendicular to the top.
- A peg that slips or sticks needs peg compound or a luthier, not force.
- New strings stretch for a few days: tune before practice and again after ten minutes of playing.
Frequently asked questions
What are the viola string notes?
From lowest to highest: C, G, D and A (C3 G3 D4 A4), at 131, 196, 294 and 440 Hz with A = 440.
How is a viola tuned differently from a violin?
The viola is tuned a fifth lower: C G D A instead of G D A E. It shares the G, D and A strings with the violin and swaps the high E for a low C. It's also bigger and darker in tone. For violin, use the violin tuner.
Which string should I tune first on a viola?
The A, because it's the orchestra's reference. Then tune D, G and C, either with the tuner or by fifths against the string above.
Should I use the pegs or the fine tuners?
Fine tuners for corrections of a few cents, pegs when the string is far off or the fine tuner has run out of travel. Many violas only have a fine tuner on the A string.
Why is my low C string hard to tune?
The fundamental of C3 (131 Hz) comes out weak on the viola, and a phone mic mostly hears the overtones. Move closer, use a firm bow stroke and let the note ring.
Can I use a violin tuner for viola?
Only if it is chromatic, since a violin preset has no C string. This page is already set to the viola's C G D A, and the chromatic tuner reads any note.
Why is viola music written in alto clef?
Because its range falls between the violin's and the cello's: in alto clef, with C on the middle line, almost everything fits on the staff without ledger lines. High passages switch to treble clef.