| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | C2 | 65.41 Hz |
| 3 | G2 | 98.00 Hz |
| 2 | D3 | 146.83 Hz |
| 1 | A3 | 220.00 Hz |
Tuning a cello string by string
Sit as you would to play, endpin set, and draw an unhurried stroke on the A string. The tuner names it A3 and shows the cents off: tighten if it says tune up, loosen if it says tune down, until the needle rests in the green zone. Then D, G and the low C. The low C vibrates about 65 times a second, so give it a second of steady bowing before you read the needle.
If a peg slips, the string can end up a whole step or more flat. The hint then counts semitones (Tune up 2 semitones) until the string is close enough for the needle, so you always know how far there is to go.
A reference to tune by ear
Play sounds the selected string’s note, filtered so it carries well on laptop speakers. Cellists often tune the A to the given note, then the lower strings in fifths by ear: bow two strings together and turn until the wobble between them stops. Readings pause while the reference tone plays, since the microphone hears it too.
Cello and viola
Cello and viola share their notes, C G D A, one octave apart. Choose Viola in the instrument menu, or open the viola tuner, for the smaller instrument. All three bowed instruments are tuned in fifths; the violin tuner shows the violin’s G D A E.