Online mandolin tuner

Mandolin string notes

Frequencies are calculated with the reference A at 440 Hz. If your group tunes to a different reference, such as 442 Hz, adjust it with the − and + buttons next to “A = 440 Hz” and the tuner shifts every note.

The eight steel strings form four pairs, and the two strings in each pair are tuned to the same note. When they don't quite match, you hear a wavering (called beating); as you bring them together, the wavering slows down until it disappears.

Tuned in fifths, like the violin

G3, D4, A4 and E5 are exactly the violin's notes, a perfect fifth apart. Violinists recognize the left-hand positions right away; the difference is that the mandolin has frets and is played with a pick. For the same reason, much of the violin repertoire can be read on the mandolin.

Mandolin, mandola and bandola

For the mandola and mandocello, use the viola and cello tuners; for the bandola, the Andean bandola tuner.

How to tune your mandolin with this tuner

1. Tap Enable microphone and accept the browser's permission request. The sound is analyzed on your device: it isn't recorded or sent anywhere.
2. Leave the tuner on Auto so it recognizes which string you're playing, or tap a note to lock it (tap it again to go back to Auto). Strings that sound exactly the same share a button; octave strings get their own.
3. Play a single open string with medium force and let it ring. Mute the other strings in the course with your hand so the microphone hears just one.
4. If the needle is to the left, the note is flat: tune up. If it's to the right, tune down. Anywhere between −5 and +5 cents counts as in tune.
5. Once a string stays in tune for a moment, its button gets a green check mark. Keep going until every string has one.
6. Use the speaker icon under each note to hear the reference and train your ear.
7. Go over every string again at the end: the tension of some strings shifts the others slightly.

Tips for tuning your mandolin

• Tune the two strings of each course separately, muting the other with a finger, then play them together to hear whether any wavering is left.
• On many mandolins the bridge isn't glued to the top: it's held in place by string pressure. If you change all the strings at once, mark its position first.
• Use a light pick attack when tuning; a hard stroke pushes the note sharp for the first instant.
• The 1st-course strings (E5) are the thinnest and tightest: tune up slowly and don't overshoot the note.

Common tuning problems

• The needle jumps between notes: play a single string, a little more softly, and wait for the sound to settle. The first instant of every note always sounds slightly sharp.
• It doesn't pick up the low strings: phone microphones struggle with low frequencies. Hold your phone closer to the instrument or play the harmonic at the middle of the string (12th fret): the tuner recognizes it as the same string and tells you it sounds an octave higher.
• The open strings are in tune, but what you play sounds off: check that no string is in the wrong octave and that your strings aren't old. If it still sounds wrong, ask your teacher or a luthier to check the instrument's intonation.
• It goes out of tune right away: new strings keep stretching for several days, and changes in temperature and humidity shift the tuning. Tune in the same place where you're going to play.
• The browser doesn't ask for the microphone: check the site permissions in your browser settings and make sure no other app is using the microphone.

Frequently asked questions