Tuning Your Violin

Proper tuning is key for your violin's sound.

The Basics: Tuning your Violin

A violin has four strings which are tuned to the sounds of g, d, a, and e — in this order, from left to right.

There are several ways to check whether your violin is tuned correctly. First, you could use a tuner — mechanical tuning device –, which is the most convenient and most surefire way to tune your violin. The device will indicate if your violin is tuned too high, too low or just right. Second, you can also use a tuning fork to check whether your violin is in tune. But then you have to check with your own ears — this is where a perfect pitch comes in handy — whether or not the violin is tuned too high or low. Third, if you do not have either a tuner nor a tuning fork, you can also download the four notes from the internet.

TUNING MADE EASY

To tune your violin, you can either turn the tuning pegs on the neck of the violin to the correct setting, or — if available — you can set your fine tuning screw towards the body of the violin. You need to be careful, though, you do not want to tighten your strings too much, otherwise they might rip. Be careful when you are using the pegs to tighten your strings, as the pegs might loosen too much upon frequent use and completely relax the string. To avoid this, simply push the peg in a little bit while you turn it. And always turn slowly, just a small turn can make a huge difference in the note.

Tuning a violin is a cumbersome but absolutely necessary work. Keep your violin as perfectly tuned as possible. Only with a perfectly tuned violin can you produce beautiful sound.