How to Tune a Violin

A violin is one of the hardest instruments to tune. You must have a trained ear for music and pitch or you will not be able to tune a violin on your own. Tightening the strings too much will cause the strings to wear or even break. If the violin is not perfectly tuned, the music will never sound quite right.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Violin
• Tuner or piano
• Bow
• Rosin

1. Purchase a tuner if you do not have one. Find one that will make sounds for all four strings which are E, A, D and G. You can use a piano or keyboard to get those notes but they may be slightly off, especially a piano if it has not been tuned properly in awhile.

2. Rosin the bow to make sure the bow will bring out a good clear tone. If this is not done properly, it will make tuning the violin that much harder.

3. Tune the "A" string first. Play the note on the tuner or piano. Match the sound with your violin. Use the pegs to get as close as possible and then use the fine tuner to get it exact.

4. Repeat this process for the other three strings or, if you have a trained ear, use the harmony of fifths to perfectly tune the violin. To tune using the harmony of fifths, tune a string by playing it at the same time as the "A" string. Adjust the string being tuned until the vibrations disappear and the strings are in perfect harmony.

Tips & Warnings

• Always tune the violin before you start playing each session. It does not take much for a violin to go out of tune. Humidity, bumps, faulty strings and many other things will cause strings to fall out of tune even while playing.
• Never tighten the strings too much. Once a string is stretched too far, it takes away from the quality of the string and is essentially ruined.

[tommatthey]

on 7/13/2009 The E string is the thinnest.

[ehowmem]

on 3/17/2008 I found an online tuner, you can click on each string to hear the correct note. Just tune each string to the note you hear: www.onlinemusictuner.com Just click on the "violin tuner" link.