This online violin tuner hears the string through your microphone and shows which of the four you played, the note, the cents and which way to turn. The open strings are G D A E (G3 D4 A4 E5), from thickest to thinnest, a perfect fifth apart, and they're the same on 4/4, 3/4, 1/2 and smaller violins.
Use A = 440 Hz for practice, or 442 Hz, which many orchestras use. Fiddlers tune the same way, so it's a fiddle tuner too. The sound is analyzed on your device and nothing is recorded.
How to use it
- Tap Turn on microphone and allow access, with the phone a hand's width from the violin.
- Play an open string with a long bow stroke, or pizzicato. The screen highlights the nearest string.
- 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 tuner on the tailpiece (clockwise raises the pitch). For bigger changes use the peg, pushing it in as you turn.
- Tune the A first, then D, G and E, and go over all four once more at the end.
Tuning in fifths and the orchestra's A
In an orchestra the oboe gives the A; each player matches it and then tunes the other strings by playing two at a time until the fifth sounds clean. Use the tuner for the A and to check the rest.
A pure fifth tuned by ear is about 2 cents wider than the tuner's: working down from the A, the G ends up around 4 cents below zero. Both are correct; when you play with piano, aim for zero.
Pegs or fine tuners
A fine tuner moves the pitch only a few cents per turn and is the safe choice day to day. When it reaches the end of its travel, back it out to the middle and correct with the peg, turning slowly while pressing it in. A peg that slips or sticks needs peg compound or a visit to a luthier.
Tips
- The E string is thin steel: tune it almost only with the fine tuner. On the peg, the slightest turn raises it a half step.
- After a lot of tuning, check that the bridge is still standing straight: the strings tend to pull it toward the fingerboard.
- New strings stretch for a few days. Tune before you practice and again after ten minutes of playing.
- At a section rehearsal, hold the phone close and use pizzicato so it doesn't pick up your stand partner's violin.
Frequently asked questions
What are the violin string notes?
From lowest to highest: G, D, A and E (G3 D4 A4 E5), at 196, 294, 440 and 659 Hz with A = 440.
How do I tune a violin as a beginner?
Turn on the microphone, play the A string and adjust it with the fine tuner until it's green, then do D, G and E. If a string is way off, ask your teacher to help with the pegs the first few times.
Should I use the pegs or the fine tuners?
Fine tuners for small corrections of a few cents; pegs only when the string is far off or the fine tuner has run out of thread. Turn the fine tuner clockwise to raise the pitch, counterclockwise to lower it.
Should I tune my violin to 440 or 442 Hz?
For practice on your own, 440 Hz. With an orchestra, use the group's reference, often 442 Hz. The difference is about 8 cents: small but audible.
How do I tune a violin without breaking a string?
Pluck the string before you turn, to be sure which one you're moving: turning the wrong peg is the most common cause of snapped strings. Turn slowly while watching the tuner, and never go far above the target note.
Can I tune a violin by ear with reference notes?
Yes. Tap a string's button above the tuner to hear its reference note, then match it by ear, listening for the beating to slow down and disappear.
Is a fiddle tuned the same as a violin?
Yes, a fiddle is a violin, and standard tuning is G D A E. Old-time and folk fiddlers sometimes use cross tunings such as A E A E; for those, use the chromatic tuner.