Free online violin tuner

String players tune every time they pick up the instrument, and in an orchestra they tune together to one note, the A. A tuner gives you that A at home and checks the other three strings against it. Below is what each string of the violin, viola and cello should read and the order to tune in. Then come the pegs and fine tuners, and how to check the fifths by ear once the tuner has done its part.

Standard violin tuning: G D A E

The violin is tuned in perfect fifths. From the lowest string to the highest: G3, D4, A4 and E5. At the standard reference pitch, A = 440 Hz, the frequencies are:

The A string sits at exactly 440 Hz, which is why it is the string every other one is tuned from. The G string is the G just below middle C on a piano.

Viola and cello

The viola and the cello share four note names, C G D A, also in fifths. The viola is tuned C3, G3, D4 and A4: it has the violin’s G, D and A strings and a low C in place of the E. The cello is tuned C2, G2, D3 and A3, the same notes as the viola an octave lower. Choose Viola or Cello in the Tuning menu so the tuner aims at the right octave.

The order to tune in

1. Tune the A string first. It is the reference for everything else, and it is the note an orchestra or a teacher gives.
2. Tune the D string, the next one down.
3. Tune the G string (the C string on viola and cello).
4. Tune the E string last on the violin, or the remaining string on viola and cello.
5. Check the A again. Turning the other three moves the bridge and the tension slightly.

Bow each open string with a slow, even stroke and hold it while you watch the reading. A bowed note is steady, so the tuner settles quickly. A plucked note works too, but it fades within a second or two, so you may need to pluck a few times.

Fine tuners and pegs

Most violins have a fine tuner on the E string, and student violins often have one on every string. Fine tuners are the small screws on the tailpiece; a turn clockwise raises the pitch and a turn anticlockwise lowers it. Use them for anything up to about a quarter tone. When a string is further out, or has no fine tuner, use the peg. Turn it a little at a time while pushing it gently into the pegbox so it holds, and bring the string up to pitch from below. A peg that slips back needs pushing in more firmly, and a peg that sticks may need peg compound, which a teacher or a violin shop can apply.

Check the fifths by ear

Once the tuner has set each string, play two neighbouring open strings together: G and D, D and A, A and E. When two strings are a pure fifth apart, the sound is still and open. When one is slightly off, you hear a slow beating, a pulse in the volume, and it speeds up the further apart they are. Adjust the second string until the beating stops. Training the ear on these fifths is how string players learn to tune without a device, and to hear a string drift during a piece.

Tuning to A = 442 or another A

This tuner uses the standard A = 440 Hz. Many orchestras in Europe tune a little higher, to A = 442, and baroque ensembles often play at A = 415. To tune to one of those, set the A tuning drone to that reference pitch, match your A string to it by ear, and tune the other strings in fifths from there.

When a string won’t stay in tune

• New strings. Synthetic and gut strings stretch for several days and keep going flat. Retune often until they settle.
• Weather. Dry air and temperature changes move the wood and the pegs. A violin taken out into the cold, or into a heated room, needs a few minutes before it holds.
• A leaning bridge. Tuning pulls the top of the bridge toward the fingerboard. If it starts to lean, ask a teacher to straighten it before it warps.
• Fine tuner at the end of its thread. If the screw is turned all the way in or out, set it to the middle and make the change with the peg.

After tuning

With the strings in tune, the list of violin songs for beginners has the first pieces to learn, each linked to its sheet music on MuseScore. A steady drone note is also one of the best ways to practice intonation: the tuning drone holds any note while you play scales against it.