Online tuner with microphone

How to tune with this tuner

1. Tap Enable microphone and accept the browser's permission request.
2. Play one string or note at a time, close to the microphone and somewhere quiet.
3. Watch the needle: to the left you're flat (tune up), to the right you're sharp (tune down).
4. When the needle settles in the green zone in the middle, the note is in tune.
5. If you play a string instrument, open its tuner: there you'll see each string with its note, the tuner marks the ones already in tune with a green check, and you can listen to the reference note.

What the note, the needle and the cents tell you

At the top you'll see the note name in letter notation with its octave: for example, A4 is the A at 440 Hz, the one used as the tuning reference. The needle measures how far you are from that note in cents. A half step (semitone), the distance between two neighboring frets on the guitar or two neighboring keys on the piano, is divided into 100 cents.

If the needle reads −20, you're 20 cents flat: tune up little by little. Between −5 and +5 cents, the note counts as in tune for practice. When two instruments play together, even small differences can be heard as a wavering in the sound, so it's worth taking your time to tune before playing with others.

Musical note frequencies (A = 440 Hz)

Each note corresponds to a frequency, measured in hertz (vibrations per second). Going up an octave doubles the frequency: A4 vibrates at 440 Hz, A3 at 220 Hz and A5 at 880 Hz. This table covers the range of most string instruments and of the voice.

For reference: the guitar's 6th string is E2 (82.41 Hz), middle C on the piano is C4 (261.63 Hz) and the violin's highest string is E5 (659.26 Hz).

A = 440, 442 or 432 Hz?

The international standard ISO 16 sets A4 at 440 Hz, and that's this tuner's reference. Some orchestras and groups tune slightly higher, at 441 or 442 Hz; if you play with them, raise it with the + button next to “A = 440 Hz” and every note adjusts. You'll also come across 432 Hz: it isn't a standard, so only use it if your group or a recording calls for it. What matters is that everyone playing together uses the same reference.

Tips for a stable tuning

• Tune in the same place where you'll play: temperature changes the tuning.
• Tune up to the note; if you overshoot, go a little below it and come back up.
• Go over every string again at the end: the tension of some strings shifts the others.
• For your voice, sing an open vowel (ah) and hold the note without vibrato.

Common problems

• The note jumps around or shows up an octave higher: play more softly and let the sound settle. On low strings, the microphone sometimes picks up the harmonic more than the fundamental.
• It doesn't respond: check the microphone permission in your browser and make sure no other app is using it. If you're wearing headphones with a mic, the browser may be listening to the headphones' microphone.
• There's a lot of noise: find a quiet spot and hold your phone close to the instrument; the tuner ignores very faint sounds.

Singing in tune

The tuner also helps you sing in tune: sing a long note on an open vowel and watch whether the needle stays in the center. If you want to know which notes feel comfortable for you, take the voice type test.

Frequently asked questions