Violin Tuner
Tune your instrument quickly and easily
Tap a pegto tune by ear
Or use your micto tune automatically
This online violin tuner listens through your microphone and shows how far each string is from the correct pitch, so you can tune your violin or fiddle in a few seconds. You can also play a reference tone for G, D, A or E and tune by ear. Open it on a phone, tablet or laptop; there is nothing to download and no sign-up.
How to tune a violin
Find a quiet spot
Rest the violin in playing position, or on your lap, with your device within arm's reach. Close the window if there is street noise.
Start the tuner
Start the tuner and allow microphone access when your browser asks.
Tune the A string
Bow the open A string with a light, steady stroke. Turn the peg until the tuner shows the string is in tune. A is the string most players tune first.
Tune D, G and E
Tune the D string, then the G string, then the E string the same way, one at a time.
Fine tuners and pegs
Use the fine tuners, the small screws on the tailpiece, for small corrections if your violin has them. Use a peg only for a bigger change, turning slowly and pushing gently into the peg box.
Check all four strings again
After you set the E string, check A again. The tension on the bridge shifts as each string tightens.
Violin tuning: G D A E (standard)
A violin has four strings tuned in perfect fifths: G3, D4, A4 and E5, from the lowest string to the highest. A fiddle is the same instrument, so fiddle tuning is the same G, D, A, E. The tuner also offers Open G (G D G B), which you can choose from the tunings menu.
Is a fiddle tuned differently from a violin?
No. Fiddle is the name often used for the violin in folk, bluegrass and country music. Most fiddlers use the same G, D, A, E tuning as classical players, although some folk styles use other tunings.
Tips for keeping your violin in tune
Take care with the E string
The E string is thin and can snap if you overtighten it. Turn in small steps and do not push it far above the note.
Slipping or sticking pegs
If a peg slips or sticks, a little violin peg compound or a visit to a luthier will fix it. Do not force it.
Tune before every practice
Violin strings are under high tension and drift with temperature and humidity, so check A first, even if you tuned yesterday.
Settling new strings
Violin strings, especially new ones, drift flat in the first week. Check the pitch each day until they stop moving.
Watch bridge tilt
Tuning pulls the strings forward, which can tilt the wooden bridge toward the fingerboard. Ensure your bridge stays perpendicular to the violin top.
Violin tuner FAQ
A violin has four strings: G, D, A and E, from the lowest and thickest to the highest and thinnest. Each string is a fifth above the one before it.
Press start, allow the microphone and bow the open A string. Turn the peg or fine tuner until the display shows it is in tune. Then tune D, G and E.
Yes. A fiddle and a violin are the same instrument. The name fiddle is usually used for folk, bluegrass and country music, and violin for classical music. Both are tuned G, D, A, E, so you can use this tuner for either.
Use the fine tuners for small changes and the pegs when a string is far from the right pitch. Many student violins have fine tuners on all four strings, and some players only use one on the E string.
Yes. An electric violin has the same four notes, G, D, A, E. If it is played through an amp, place your device near the speaker so the microphone hears it clearly.
A viola is tuned C, G, D, A, a fifth lower than a violin, so the notes on this page will not match. Use the viola tuner instead, which is set to the viola's strings.
Yes, in a quiet room. Bow each open string with a steady stroke and keep the device close. Room noise can make the reading flicker, so ask others to stop playing while you tune.
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