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Free online viola tuner
A tuner built for the viola's four strings in fifths, right in your browser.
The Jam Jam viola tuner listens through your microphone and tells you, in real time, which note is sounding and how far sharp or flat you are. The four strings are A4, D4, G3 and C3, tuned in fifths: the top three match a violin, and the C3 sits a fifth below the violin's G. On a fretless instrument the tuner is also your reference for intonation, not just for open strings. In-tune zone at ±5 cents, cents to the unit, frequency to a tenth of a hertz.
How to tune a viola
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Allow the microphone
Open the tuner, pick Viola and grant mic access: the audio is analysed on your device, nothing is uploaded.
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Tune the A first
Bow the A string lightly, open: it targets A4 (440 Hz). Get it green before touching the others.
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Go down in fifths
Then D4, G3 and finally C3. The tuner locks onto the nearest string by itself and shows the target.
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Fine-tune with the adjusters
Use the pegs for big moves and the fine tuners at the tailpiece for the last few cents; watch the needle settle before bowing again.
A tuner that knows the viola from the violin
The low C3, not a violin's G
Generic string tuners expect violin pitches. Jam Jam has a viola preset with the C3 where it belongs.
Bowed, sustained, precise
A bowed note holds long enough for the needle to settle: read it on the sustain, not on the attack.
Reference note in a viola voice
Every string plays its target note with a real viola timbre, so you can check a string by ear before touching the peg.
Auto, manual or chromatic
It locks the nearest string by itself; one tap freezes a string, another returns to auto. Chromatic mode covers anything outside the presets.
Why this viola tuner
- Standard C3, G3, D4, A4 in fifths
- ±5 cents to be in tune, cents to the unit and hertz to a tenth
- 100% free, in your browser, no sign-up and no ads
- Everything is computed on your side: nothing is uploaded
A single-purpose tuner site stops the moment you are in tune. Here the tuner is one tab among others in the Jam Jam notebook: import a song, transpose it, export it to PDF. Offline in the mobile app.
Open the tuner →More Jam Jam tools
Viola tuner FAQ
Is this viola tuner free?
Completely: no account, no ads, nothing to install. It all runs in your browser, and the microphone audio is analysed on the spot. It is never sent to a server.
What is the difference from a violin tuner?
A violin is G3, D4, A4, E5; a viola is C3, G3, D4, A4. They share three strings, but the viola swaps the high E for a low C. Pick Viola in Jam Jam so the lowest target is C3.
Should I bow or pluck to tune?
Bow lightly: a sustained note gives a stable reading. Plucking works too but decays quickly. Either way, wait for the needle to settle in the green band.