Tune your violin — free and online
Allow the microphone, play an open string and bring the needle to the middle. Or skip the microphone entirely: listen to the reference note for each string and tune by ear.
How to tune your violin
G – D – A – E, tuned in fifths
The violin has four strings: G, D, A and E from lowest to highest, each a fifth above the last. Many players start with the A string, because it carries concert A at 440 Hz. Every string pulls on the others across the bridge, so it is worth going around all four a second time.
Fine tuners first, pegs only when needed
Violin pegs sit tight and like to slip back the moment you let go, so small corrections belong to the fine tuners on the tailpiece. Many violins carry only one, on the E string; if yours has four, all the better. Reach for a peg only once the fine tuner has run out of travel — and press it gently into the pegbox as you turn.
The E string does not forgive overshooting
The E string is the thinnest and the one most likely to break if you turn past the note, so go slowly and listen as you turn. If the needle sits left, the string is flat and needs tightening; to the right it is sharp. Below about five cents even a trained ear hears no difference — that is plenty for practice.
Frequently asked questions
What order do I tune the violin strings in?
Most players start with the A string, because it carries concert A at 440 Hz and is what an ensemble tunes to. D, G and E follow, each a fifth away. Since the strings pull on one another across the bridge, go around all four once more at the end.
Can I tune a violin without a tuner?
Yes, with a reference note. This page plays the matching pitch for each open string, and you tune until the beating between the two stops. That works without a microphone as well — your ear decides instead of the needle.
How often does a violin need tuning?
Before every practice session. Temperature, humidity and even the trip to your lesson move the pitch. Fresh strings need a few days to settle and want tightening more often during that time; a string that sags mid-piece is normal, not a fault.
Related pages
In tune — what now?
Notegleam shows every note as a dot running toward the fingerboard — the number inside is the finger, 0 is an open string. Listen mode hears you through the microphone and waits until the note is in tune.