Viola Tuner
A free viola tuner for the four strings C, G, D and A: bow a string and the needle shows how far it is from the note.
Your microphone is analysed on this device and is never recorded or sent.
Keyboard: Space starts and stops the tuner.
How to use the viola tuner
This viola tuner online follows the four open strings, C, G, D and A. Press Start tuner, let the browser use the microphone and bow one string with an even speed. Your microphone is analysed on this device and is never recorded or sent.
The viola tuner picks out the string on its own (Auto) and shows whether to raise or lower it. Each string button sounds a sustained tone at the viola's own pitch, including the low C that a violin tuner lacks, and pins the tuner to that string. Keyboard: 1 is the A string, 4 the C, A goes back to Auto and Space starts or stops. The low C can take a second to register, so let it sound before you judge the needle. The needle itself is explained on the chromatic tuner page.
Viola tuning: C G D A
Standard viola tuning puts the four strings a fifth apart, with the lowest C an octave below middle C. That is exactly a fifth below the violin, so the two share three strings: G, D and A.
| String | Note | Frequency at A4 = 440 Hz | Written in the alto clef |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | C3 | 130.81 Hz | Space below the first ledger line |
| 3 | G3 | 196.00 Hz | Bottom space |
| 2 | D4 | 293.66 Hz | Space above the middle line |
| 1 | A4 | 440.00 Hz | Space above the top line |
Viola music is written mainly in the alto clef, where the middle line is middle C, and the viola does not transpose, so the tuner's letter is the written letter. The viola notes chart shows every note on each string in that clef.
Pegs, adjusters and tuning order
Each string is wound round a peg near the scroll, and most violas also have adjusters, the fine tuners on the tailpiece. Begin on the A string against the A4 reference, then go down: D, G and last the C. Pegs for big moves, adjusters for the last few cents. After a large change, play the string for a few seconds, since it keeps settling, then read it again.
Violists often finish by ear, bowing neighboring strings together until the fifth is still. The C then lands a little under the needle's center; the fifths section on the chromatic tuner explains why, and either result is fine.
Why the viola sounds deeper
A full-size viola body is between 38 and 46 cm (15 to 18 inches) long, about 41 cm on average, so there is no single standard size the way there is for the violin. It is strung with thicker strings than a violin. Together with the larger body and lower range, that gives the darker, mellower tone. For the tuner it means the C string starts a little slower than the others: a firm, steady bow helps.
Playing with others
Most groups tune to A4 = 440 Hz; if yours uses a different A, set the A4 box to match. The violin tuner and cello tuner read the same setting on this device, so a string section can share one laptop. A viola tuned next to a violin should agree with it exactly on G, D and A. For practice after tuning, open the metronome.
More for viola: Viola Notes
Questions
What are the notes of the viola strings?
C3 G3 D4 A4 from the thickest string to the thinnest. String 1 is A and string 4 is C.
Is a viola tuned like a violin?
Nearly. Viola tuning is a fifth lower: it shares the violin's G, D and A strings, but has a low C string instead of the E.
Can I tune a viola with a violin tuner?
Only three strings, because a violin tuner has no C string. This viola tuner has all four, and the chromatic tuner reads any note.
Why is my C string hard to read?
It is the lowest string, at about 131 Hz. Bow it steadily, get the microphone close to the instrument, and let the note ring for a moment.