TuneHaven Everything about tuning
Tuning tables for all 18 instruments, the theory worth knowing, and a straight explanation of what each part of TuneHaven does. Free to read, no app required.
Tune your instrument
- How to tune a guitar Standard tuning is E A D G B E, from the thickest string to the thinnest. Here are the exact pitches, the order to tune in, and the two mistakes that make a guitar sound wrong even when the tuner says it is right.
- Drop D and drop C tuning Drop D lowers only the sixth string, from E2 to D2. Drop C takes the whole guitar down a further whole step. The exact pitches for both, and what changes once you are in them.
- Open G, open D and DADGAD Three tunings where the open strings form a chord or a drone. Exact pitches for each, what they are used for, and which strings you actually have to move.
- How to tune a ukulele Standard ukulele tuning is g C E A, and the g is higher than the C, not lower. Pitches for standard, low-G and baritone, plus why that fourth string trips up every tuner that assumes strings go from low to high.
- How to tune a bass guitar Four-string bass is E A D G, an octave below the bottom four strings of a guitar. Exact pitches for four and five string, plus why bass is the instrument where a bad tuner does real damage.
- How to tune a violin Violin strings are G D A E, tuned in fifths, starting from A4 at 440 Hz. How to use the fine tuners rather than the pegs, and why bowing beats plucking when you are checking pitch.
- How to tune a viola and cello Both are tuned C G D A in fifths. The viola sits a fifth below the violin, the cello an octave below the viola. Exact pitches, and what changes when the C string gets low.
- How to tune a mandolin A mandolin has eight strings but only four pitches. G D A E in fifths, in unison pairs. How to tune a doubled course without chasing your own tail.
- How to tune a banjo Five-string banjo in open G is g D G B D, and the fifth string is the highest note on the instrument despite sitting closest to your thumb. Pitches for five-string and Irish tenor.
- Tuning reference for all 18 instruments Every tuning TuneHaven ships, with exact note names and frequencies at A440. Guitar, bass, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, the bowed family, and the ten instruments most tuners forget.
Understanding tuning
- Why your tuner keeps jumping to a different string You are tuning the A string and the display suddenly says D. That is not the tuner hearing better than you, it is the tuner guessing, and the guess is what sends you tuning the wrong string in the wrong direction.
- Octave errors, and why tuners misread low strings A tuner that tells you a low E is an octave flat will have you tightening toward a broken string. Here is the physics behind the mistake and how a detector avoids it.
- What cents mean, and when "in tune" is in tune A cent is a hundredth of a semitone. Here is how many of them you can actually hear, why ±5 is the usual target, and why a tuner that flashes green instantly is lying to you.
- What A440 means, and when to change it Concert pitch puts the A above middle C at 440 Hz, and everything else follows from it. When you would deliberately use 442, 415 or something else, and what happens if you get it wrong.
- Temperaments, and why pure fifths disagree with a piano Equal temperament makes every key equally usable by making every interval slightly wrong. Why that compromise exists, and when you would want a different one.
- Note names around the world C D E F G A B, do re mi, and the German H that is not a typo. Four naming systems for the same twelve notes, and why your tuner should speak yours.
Using TuneHaven
- What TuneHaven does A straight description of every part of the app: the tuner, the courses, the practice tools, and the design rules the whole thing is built around.
- What is free and what Pro adds The whole tuner is free, permanently, and that list is dated and versioned. Pro is a one-time unlock of extras. Exactly where the line sits and why it is written down.