Tuning Tips!
This page is to help guide you through tuning your instrument when "peg" tuning is necessary.
What do you already know about tuning? Here's a review of what we practice in class:
Tuners should be set to 440. Free chromatic tuning apps are available for your personal devices.
If your pitch is flat, turn your fine tuner to the right to tighten your string. Tightening the string raises the sound of the pitch.
If your pitch is sharp, turn your fine tuner to the left to loosen the string. Loosening the string lowers the sound of the pitch.
Remember "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey"
Tuners should be set to 440. Free chromatic tuning apps are available for your personal devices.
If your pitch is flat, turn your fine tuner to the right to tighten your string. Tightening the string raises the sound of the pitch.
If your pitch is sharp, turn your fine tuner to the left to loosen the string. Loosening the string lowers the sound of the pitch.
Remember "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey"
Peg Tuning...
Keep in mind that strings break when they are stretched too quickly OR too far above a pitch ( for example: going too far above a D when tuning the D string will break the string.) Therefore, you want to know the pitch you are tuning to before you begin.
To find the correct pitch of your string, please click on the link below for your instrument. Select the open string pitch you would like to hear. Your goal is to match this pitch when tuning.
violin: https://www.violinonline.com/tuning.html
viola: https://www.violaonline.com/tuning-viola.htm
cello: https://www.celloonline.com/tuning-cello.htm
bass: https://www.stringbassonline.com//tuning.htm
Bass students: Your main tuners are like fine tuners. The instructions below do not apply to you. Use the above bass link to hear the needed pitch. Use your bow to play the tone and match the pitch as best you can. When you are close to the pitch, you may then use a tuning app to help you.
For Violin, Viola, and Cello students, once you have a pitch to match:
~ Face the front of your instrument.
~ Find the peg of the string that you need to tune. If the peg is on the right side of the instrument, use your right hand to turn the peg. If the peg is on the left side of the instrument, use your left hand to turn the peg.
~ Hold the neck of your instrument with the opposite hand and use that thumb to pluck the string continuously. (You need to hear the pitch of your instrument so that you do not go above the recorded pitch that you are trying to match.)
~ If the string is flat, you will turn the right peg ever-so-slowly AWAY from you to tighten the string. Pluck the string the entire time you are turning the peg. You do NOT want the pitch of the string to go higher than the given note as this could potentially break the string. If the string is sharp (or above the given pitch), turn the peg slowly towards you.
Think SLOW, and ALWAYS pluck.
~ As you are turning the peg, plucking the string, and listening, (because that's not enough to do already!) you need to push the peg into the peg box while turning it. Pegs are a wedge. They will stick when you push them into the peg box. You might need to push the peg into the peg box harder than you think.
Sometimes pegs are sticky to begin with. If that is the case, turn the peg slightly towards you. This should be enough to loosen the peg so that you can then begin to tighten it once again.
~ Once your pitch is close to the given pitch, you may then use your "fine tuner" to complete the tuning process.
Other things to keep in mind...
Sometimes OTHER pegs will slip when you are turning a peg. Yup. It's true. This is frustrating but it is what it is. You are going to be SO GOOD at tuning once you get all of this practice!
Sometimes your fine tuner is too low or too high, meaning you can't turn it any more because it is all the way down or all the way up. You will need to first adjust your fine tuner so that it is about half way up or down, then use your peg to get the pitch close. You will then once again be able to use your fine tuner.
Keep in mind that strings break when they are stretched too quickly OR too far above a pitch ( for example: going too far above a D when tuning the D string will break the string.) Therefore, you want to know the pitch you are tuning to before you begin.
To find the correct pitch of your string, please click on the link below for your instrument. Select the open string pitch you would like to hear. Your goal is to match this pitch when tuning.
violin: https://www.violinonline.com/tuning.html
viola: https://www.violaonline.com/tuning-viola.htm
cello: https://www.celloonline.com/tuning-cello.htm
bass: https://www.stringbassonline.com//tuning.htm
Bass students: Your main tuners are like fine tuners. The instructions below do not apply to you. Use the above bass link to hear the needed pitch. Use your bow to play the tone and match the pitch as best you can. When you are close to the pitch, you may then use a tuning app to help you.
For Violin, Viola, and Cello students, once you have a pitch to match:
~ Face the front of your instrument.
~ Find the peg of the string that you need to tune. If the peg is on the right side of the instrument, use your right hand to turn the peg. If the peg is on the left side of the instrument, use your left hand to turn the peg.
~ Hold the neck of your instrument with the opposite hand and use that thumb to pluck the string continuously. (You need to hear the pitch of your instrument so that you do not go above the recorded pitch that you are trying to match.)
~ If the string is flat, you will turn the right peg ever-so-slowly AWAY from you to tighten the string. Pluck the string the entire time you are turning the peg. You do NOT want the pitch of the string to go higher than the given note as this could potentially break the string. If the string is sharp (or above the given pitch), turn the peg slowly towards you.
Think SLOW, and ALWAYS pluck.
~ As you are turning the peg, plucking the string, and listening, (because that's not enough to do already!) you need to push the peg into the peg box while turning it. Pegs are a wedge. They will stick when you push them into the peg box. You might need to push the peg into the peg box harder than you think.
Sometimes pegs are sticky to begin with. If that is the case, turn the peg slightly towards you. This should be enough to loosen the peg so that you can then begin to tighten it once again.
~ Once your pitch is close to the given pitch, you may then use your "fine tuner" to complete the tuning process.
Other things to keep in mind...
Sometimes OTHER pegs will slip when you are turning a peg. Yup. It's true. This is frustrating but it is what it is. You are going to be SO GOOD at tuning once you get all of this practice!
Sometimes your fine tuner is too low or too high, meaning you can't turn it any more because it is all the way down or all the way up. You will need to first adjust your fine tuner so that it is about half way up or down, then use your peg to get the pitch close. You will then once again be able to use your fine tuner.