There are lots of queries in the minds of violin users to tune the violins. Especially, beginners face difficulties in tuning violin strings. So, there is no need to be worried. Here, I will discuss some usable and best methods to tune a viola.
Why violin gets untuned?
There are multiple reasons due to which the strings of the violin get untuned. The main reason is the slipping of pegs in the holes of the pegs box, which may loosen or tights the violin’s strings. The humidity level in climate shrinks or swells the wood of the pegs box. Shrinking or swelling in the woods of pegs box unstable the position of pegs and result violin gets untuned.
And the second one is shrinking or expanding of strings in cold or hot temperatures. This may also become a cause of untuning of the violin. Strings with steel core are the best compared to other material strings (Nylon strings or catgut strings) to survive in extreme conditions.
And the third one is when we put a new string in the violin; you would have to tune it according to others already put strings.
How to tune a violin with pegs and fine tuners?
First of all. You would have to untune all the strings of the violin before tuning it.
We tune a violin with pegs and fine tuners. Pegs are the primary tools that play an essential role in tuning the violins. Every violin contains four pegs that are present after the violin’s neck and are adjusted in the pegs box. Strings are wound on pegs. So, the pegs are used to tune the violins by tightening or loosing them.
When your violin’s string produces a sound with higher pitch frequency, you would have to loose it by rotating the string peg in an Anti-clockwise direction, and came here when your violin’s string produces a sound with lower pitch frequency; you would have to tight it by rotating string peg in the clockwise direction.
Four fine tuners are present at the top of the tailpiece and play a minor role in tuning strings. Significantly, the E string is tuned by a rotating fine tuner. Fine tuners are used to tight or loose the strings lightly. We can tune our violins with pegs and fine tuners by using these devices.
How to tune a viola?
There are different methods to tune a viola. Most violinists tune their violins by using electrical/chromatic tuners. They place an electrical tuner near and produce sounds/notes with different frequency pitches by using four strings alternatively.
After that, we match the frequency of notes produced by strings one by one to the given frequency by electrical tuners according to strings. When the pitch frequency of sounds produced by different strings matches with the given frequency by the electrical tuner according to strings, then your violin gets tuned. Use this process two to three times to tune violins because when you tune one string, it affects the other string.
Four fine tuners on the violin are present at the top of the tailpiece and play a minor role in tuning strings. Significantly, the E string is tuned by a rotating fine tuner. Fine tuners are used to tight or loose the strings lightly. We can tune our violins with pegs and fine tuners by using these devices.
How to tune a violin without a tuner?
We can tune violin without a tuner by using different mobile applications readily available on the play store. And the second is if you are a professional or advance violin player, you can tune violin strings by noticing the pitch frequency of the notes by ears.
How do we tune violin strings by using mobile phones Application?
Numbers of violin tuning mobile applications are available on the play store and apple store to tune a violin online. Such as “Da tuner” is a mobile application used to tune your four different strings according to the frequency of notes. Let’s start the tuning process…
To tune strings properly, first, you would start to tune the G string. Firstly, you always tune it with your pegs.
How to tune G string?
- When your violin’s G string produces a sound with a higher pitch frequency, you would have to loose it by rotating string pegs in an Anti-clockwise direction until the sound frequency match with the given frequency by mobile Application.
- Same here, when your violin’s G string produces a sound with lower pitch frequency, you would have to tight it by rotating string pegs in the clockwise direction.
- When the frequency of the sound produced by the G string will be matched with the given frequency for the G string by mobile Application, it will be tuned.
How to tune D string?
- When your violin’s D string produces a sound with a higher pitch frequency, you would have to loose it by rotating string pegs in an Anti-clockwise direction until the sound frequency match with the given frequency by mobile Application.
- Same here, when your violin’s D string produces a sound with lower pitch frequency, you would have to tight it by rotating string pegs in the clockwise direction.
- When the sound produced by the D string will be matched with the given frequency for the D string by mobile Application, it will be tuned.
How to tune A string?
- When your violin’s A string produces a sound with a higher pitch frequency, you would have to loose it by rotating string pegs in an Anti-clockwise direction until the sound frequency match with the given frequency by mobile Application.
- Same here, when your violin’s A string produces a sound with lower pitch frequency, you would have to tight it by rotating string pegs in the clockwise direction.
- When the sound produced by A string will be matched with the given frequency for A string by mobile Application, it will be tuned.
How to tune E string?
- E has the lowest diameter, and you can tune it easily with a fine tuner of string E.
- You will have to rotate the fine-tuner of string E to loose or tight it according to the given frequency of notes by mobile Application.
- When the frequency of the sound produced by the E string will be matched with the given frequency for the E string by mobile Application, it will be tuned.
It is always the thing that whenever you tune one string, the other string gets untuned because the wood is slightly bent due to string pull. So to tackle this problem, you would have to tune each string two to three times during the tuning process.
How to tune violin with ears?
If you are a professional or advance violin player, you can tune violin strings by noticing the pitch frequency of the notes produced by the violin’s string by ears and can change it according to your need.