Jam Jam
Levers down, pick the key
Tune with all levers down. The Jam Jam preset covers 34 strings from C2 to A6 in C major; two other presets give the targets for a harp set up in E flat major (three semitones higher) or G major (F strings raised to F♯). Landmarks in C major: C2 65.41 Hz, C3 130.81 Hz, C4 261.63 Hz, A4 440 Hz, C5 523.25 Hz, C6 1046.5 Hz, A6 1760 Hz. The full table of all 34 strings is on the harp tuner page.
From the bass up, one string at a time
Pluck each open string from the lowest to the highest. The tuner locks the nearest string and shows its target; turn the tuning key until the needle sits in the green band, ±5 cents. The bass strings are read a little slower than the trebles: pluck them clearly and wait for the needle to settle before turning.
Go round twice
Tension on a harp is shared across the whole frame. After a first pass, the first strings you tuned have moved a little. A second, quicker pass from the bass up fixes that. New strings will need a few extra passes over the first days.
Harp tuning FAQ
Should I tune a harp with the levers up or down?
Levers down. The tuner expects open strings; a raised lever adds a semitone. Then check the levers: raised, each one should lift its string by an exact semitone.
How many strings does the harp tuner cover?
34 strings, from C2 to A6 in C major, and the same 34 strings transposed for the E flat major and G major presets. A smaller harp simply uses the part of the list that matches its strings.
Why do two neighbouring strings sometimes get mixed up?
On a diatonic harp, E-F and B-C are only a semitone apart. The harp tuner narrows its reading window to ±50 cents and keeps the string it has locked as long as it stays plausible. Pluck one string at a time and damp its neighbours.
Tune it now with the free online tuner: