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Free online balalaika tuner
A tuner built for the three strings of the balalaika, right in your browser.
- No account
- No ads
- Nothing to install
In short
To tune a prima balalaika online, allow the microphone, pick Balalaika and tune the two lower strings in unison to E4 (329.63 Hz), then the top string to A4 (440 Hz). Center the needle within ±5 cents. The one-tone-lower tuning and the folk "guitar" tuning are built in too.
- 3 tunings: academic E4 E4 A4, one tone lower (D4 D4 G4) and "guitar" (D4 F♯4 A4).
- Two strings in unison on E4, 329.63 Hz, in academic tuning.
- "Guitar" tuning: an open D major chord.
- In-tune zone of ±5 cents, free, no account.
The Jam Jam balalaika tuner listens through your microphone and tells you, in real time, which note is sounding and how far sharp or flat you are. Three presets for the prima: the academic tuning with two strings in unison on E4 and the first on A4, the same a whole tone lower (D4, D4, G4), and the folk guitar tuning in a third and a fourth (D4, F#4, A4). In-tune zone at ±5 cents, cents to the unit, frequency to a tenth of a hertz.
How to tune a balalaika
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Allow the microphone
Open the tuner, pick Balalaika and grant mic access: the audio is analysed on your device, nothing is uploaded.
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Tune the first string
Pluck the highest string open: A4 (440 Hz) in academic tuning, G4 a tone lower.
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Then the two E strings
Both target E4 in academic tuning. Tune one with the needle, then match the second to it by ear until the beating stops.
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Switch preset for folk tuning
For the guitar tuning, pick that preset: the middle string moves to F#4 and the third to D4.
How to tune a balalaika
- Tune the top string first, A4 (440 Hz) in academic tuning.
- Then tune both lower strings to E4, one at a time, muting the other.
- Play the two E strings together: a true unison sounds like a single string, with no beating.
- Check: an E string fretted at the 5th fret should match the top A string.
Balalaika tunings: notes and frequencies
| Tuning | String 1 | String 2 | String 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academic standard (E E A) | A4440.00 Hz | E4329.63 Hz | E4329.63 Hz |
| One tone lower | G4392.00 Hz | D4293.66 Hz | D4293.66 Hz |
| "Guitar" tuning (folk) | A4440.00 Hz | F♯4369.99 Hz | D4293.66 Hz |
A tuner that knows the balalaika's unison
Two strings on the same E
The academic tuning doubles E4: the tuner reads one at a time, so tune them in turn and finish by ear.
Three presets, not one
Academic, a tone lower, and the folk guitar tuning, so the instrument you actually own has its own targets.
Reference note in a balalaika voice
Every string plays its target note with a real balalaika 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 balalaika tuner
- Academic E4-E4-A4, a tone lower, and guitar tuning
- ±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 →Related guides
More Jam Jam tools
Balalaika tuner FAQ
Is this balalaika 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.
Why are two strings tuned to the same note?
That is the academic prima tuning: two E4 in unison plus A4. Tune one E with the needle, then bring the second onto it until you hear no beating.
What is the guitar tuning?
A folk tuning in a third and a fourth, D4, F#4, A4, that sounds a D major chord open. Jam Jam has it as a separate preset.