Tuning String Instruments
String instruments naturally go out of tune often due to changes in temperature, especially in the winter! This can be frustrating for students because their instrument and therefore music may not sound "right" to them. Your child's teacher tunes their instrument before every small and large group. However, sometimes instruments will go out of tune at home. If the instrument is slightly out, you may be able to fix it yourself.
How to Tune a String Instrument: Pegs vs Fine Tuners
There are two ways to tune a string instrument: the pegs or the fine tuners.
The 4 Pegs are on the top of the instrument also know as the scroll and are used to make drastic changes in pitch. These should only be used by your child's teacher and you should not try moving these unless you are a string player yourself! Pegs use friction to stay in place and children are not strong enough to get them to stay in place on their own. When using the pegs, you are in danger of breaking a the string, so move slowly and check the pitch often. Your orchestra teacher is also happy to set up a virtual meeting to help you through the process.
The Fine Tuners are closer to the bottom of the instrument and at the end of the strings. Most student instruments have 4 fine tuners, but some instruments have fewer. Fine tuners make smaller changes in pitch. These are easily for adults and kids to move you can definitely tune with fine tuners at home! When you use the fine tuners, remember righty tighty, lefty loosey. To raise the pitch, turn the fine tuner towards the right. You will feel the tuner and string get tighter. To lower the pitch, turn the fine tuner towards the left. You will feel the tuner and string get looser. Use a tuner or tuning app to help you know when you've reached the pitch. It is unlikely you will break a string using the fine tuners, but take your time. You can do it!
Watch this video for an explanation of how fine tuners and pegs work. Although this is a violin video, the concept is the same for viola and cello.
Tuning Pitches
When tuning, you need to know the name of the open strings to know what pitch to tune to. Here are the open strings for each instrument from highest to lowest. Your child can also help you know which string is which.
Violins
E
A
D
G
Violas/Cellos
A
D
G
C
Basses
G
D
A
E
Using a Tuner
Using a tuner will help you most accurately tune your child's instrument at home. Tuners can be purchased online or at music stores. We highly suggest clip on tuners that you attach to the scroll (violin/viola) or bridge (cello/bass) to pick up the sound of the string and tell you where you're at. At school, we use Snark tuners and we highly recommend them to families, although there are other similar brands out there.
There are also tuning apps you can download on your phone or i-Pad. TonalEnergy Tuner, Cleartune, and Tunable are the most accurate phone tuning apps.
On your computer, you can to to https://tuner.ninja/ for a free tuner. On Ninja Tuner, violin tuning should match E5, A4, D4, and G3. Viola should match A4, D4, G3, C3 and Cello should match A3, D3, G2, C2. Bass should match G2, D2, A1, E1. Basses may struggle to use this tuner on the two bottom strings!
This is what the display on a digital tuner might look like. When you play the string, you want a green light showing with the moving line in the middle (see green line above). If the moving line is to the right of the middle, the string is too high and you need to loosen the string. If the moving line is to the left of the middle, the string is too low and you need to tighten the string.
Need more help? Watch these videos for more information!