| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | C3 | 130.81 Hz |
| 3 | G3 | 196.00 Hz |
| 2 | D4 | 293.66 Hz |
| 1 | A4 | 440.00 Hz |
Tuning a viola
The viola’s A is its top string, so it is the one to settle first: draw a long, even stroke on it. The tuner shows A4 and the cents off; bring it into the green band with the fine tuner, or with the peg if it is far off. Continue with D, G and finally C. Each string button keeps a coloured dot for its last steady reading: green within ±3 cents, amber within ±10, red beyond.
The low C’s sound takes a moment to settle under the bow. Hold the stroke and read the needle once it stops moving rather than at the first contact.
Reading the needle on a viola
The needle covers ±50 cents, half a semitone. Tune up 8¢ means the string is a little flat: tighten it slightly. A string far from its note reads in semitones instead: after a peg slips, the C string may show Tune up 2 semitones. A string that is badly off can sit nearer a neighbour’s note (G3 is 7 semitones above C3), and Auto then names the neighbour: tap the C3 button to lock the tuner to the C and read how far it really is.
Fifths by ear
When all four strings read green, bow pairs of neighbouring strings: C–G, G–D, D–A. An in-tune fifth sounds calm and steady, without a slow wobble. The tuner targets equal-tempered fifths from A, under two cents narrower than pure ones, which is inside its in-tune band. The violin tuner covers the G D A E instrument, and Play sounds any string’s note if you tune by ear.