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Free online violin tuner

Tune the four strings of your violin (E5 A4 D4 G3) through the microphone, to ±5 cents, in your browser.

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Jam Jam online violin tuner: tuning needle on the G D A E strings

In short

To tune a violin online, allow the microphone, pick Violin and start with A4 at 440 Hz. Then tune D4 (293.66 Hz), G3 (196 Hz) and E5 (659.26 Hz), checking each fifth by ear. The needle turns green within ±5 cents. Jam Jam offers one violin tuning: standard.

  • Standard tuning in fifths: G3 196 Hz, D4 293.66 Hz, A4 440 Hz, E5 659.26 Hz.
  • One built-in violin tuning; scordatura goes through the chromatic mode.
  • A 1.5-second reference note in a violin voice for every string.
  • In-tune zone of ±5 cents; viola and cello in the same picker.

The Jam Jam violin tuner listens through your microphone and names, in real time, the note you are playing: cents to the unit, frequency to a tenth of a hertz. Standard violin tuning is E5 A4 D4 G3: four strings a perfect fifth apart, which is exactly why a violin is not tuned string by string like a guitar. Set the A first (A4, 440 Hz), then take each fifth by ear with two strings sounding together and let the tuner arbitrate. Viola and cello sit in the same picker, and chromatic mode covers everything else. The tuner is one screen of Jam Jam, the app that finds your songs’ chords and keeps them in a notebook.

How to tune a violin online

  1. Allow the microphone

    Open the tuner, pick Violin and allow the mic: the sound is analysed on your device and nothing is uploaded.

  2. Start from the A

    Sound the A string alone (A4, 440 Hz) and centre the needle: everything else on a violin is tuned from that string.

  3. Work up the fifths

    Then D, G and finally E. Sound two strings together to hear the fifth, and let the tuner settle it when your ear hesitates.

  4. Go over all four again

    The pegs pull on each other, so it is the second pass over E A D G that actually holds the tuning.

How to tune a violin

  1. Check the bridge first: it should stand straight, at a right angle to the top. A leaning bridge throws the tuning off and can fall.
  2. Tune A4 (440 Hz) first. For a small gap, use the fine tuner on the tailpiece; for a large one, the peg, pushing it in towards the scroll so it holds.
  3. Then tune D4, G3 and E5. Bow two neighbouring strings together: a pure fifth sounds steady, with no beating.
  4. If a peg slips, loosen it slightly and push it back in as you turn. The thin E string is almost always tuned with its fine tuner.
  5. Go over all four strings a second time: pulling one string moves the others slightly.

Violin tuning: notes and frequencies

String 1 is the highest-pitched string. Frequencies in equal temperament, A4 = 440 Hz, rounded to 0.01 Hz.
TuningString 1String 2String 3String 4
Standard (G D A E)E5659.26 HzA4440.00 HzD4293.66 HzG3196.00 Hz

Built for four strings in fifths

The real violin tuning

E5 A4 D4 G3, the four open strings named at true pitch: with viola (A4 D4 G3 C3) and cello (A3 D3 G2 C2) in the same picker.

Pure fifths still read green

Targets follow equal temperament (A4 = 440 Hz), and the ±5-cent in-tune zone is wide enough that fifths set pure by ear stay inside it.

Auto string, or locked

It locks onto the nearest string on its own; one tap freezes a string, a second tap returns to auto. Chromatic mode spans 40 to 1600 Hz.

A reference note, in violin

Each string plays a 1.5-second reference note in a violin voice, not a beep: enough to match it by ear before you touch a peg.

Why this violin tuner

  • E5 A4 D4 G3 preset, four perfect fifths
  • ±5 cents in tune, ±50 cents full scale, cents to the unit
  • 100% free, in your browser, no sign-up and no ads
  • Viola and cello included, plus a chromatic mode

A violin has no frets, and Jam Jam knows it: the instrument is declared fretless, so its chord diagrams are coloured by note role rather than numbered by fret. That same violin is one of the 26 instruments with chord diagrams and one of the 18 that get tablature at their real tuning. Tuner, notebook and melody views all speak the same instrument. Tune your E, then read a melody on your own four strings; a single-tool tuner site stops at the needle.

Open the violin tuner →

Violin tuner FAQ

Is this online violin tuner free?

Yes: free, no sign-up, no ads. The pitch is worked out inside your browser, the microphone is requested with no noise suppression and no automatic gain (both would distort the reading), and no audio is ever uploaded.

What is the standard violin tuning?

E5 A4 D4 G3, from the thinnest string to the thickest: four perfect fifths. The classic method is to set the A at 440 Hz, then tune each fifth against it. Viola is A4 D4 G3 C3 and cello A3 D3 G2 C2.

Should I tune with the bow or pizzicato?

Both work. The bow gives a steadier reading; plucked, let one string ring at a time so a single pitch reaches the tuner. There is also a Jam Jam app for Android if you would rather tune offline.

Does my violin need any tuning other than G D A E?

Almost never: the violin is tuned G3, D4, A4, E5. Jam Jam only builds in that standard tuning. For a scordatura (a piece asking for a string tuned differently), switch to chromatic mode, which names any note from 40 to 1600 Hz.

Fine tuners or pegs: which should I turn?

The fine tuners on the tailpiece are for small corrections of a few cents. The pegs are for large gaps, for example after changing a string. On most violins only the E string has a built-in fine tuner.

How do I tune a violin without damaging it?

Turn slowly, in small moves, and never go far past the target note: an over-tight string can snap and the bridge can tip. Check that the bridge is still straight after tuning.