Violin tuning

January 31, 2026, 5:15 PM · The machine may hear differently than you do. Tune in fifths, and then goose the G until it sounds right. Casals used to do something like that with his C string.

Edited: January 31, 2026, 5:38 PM · After agreeing on an A and tuning the open strings in perfect fifths the G string will naturally be flat, the open C even more so. I'd say "tweak" it rather than "goose" it.

January 31, 2026, 6:13 PM · Just because someone is using an app on their phone does not mean they are using equal temperament. Many apps have a "string instrument" setting that tunes perfect fifths starting from whatever you set for your A. Another vote for goosing the C. (Sorry, Steve!)

Edited: January 31, 2026, 10:55 PM · Paul, do you know the instrument app tunes in perfect Pythagorean 5ths, or do you merely assume it?
My phone app has violin tuning AND exact frequencies, and they tell me that the violin tuning and my d'Addario microtuner are ET, NOT Pythagorean perfect fifths! All they do is take a subset of the ET chromatic range.

Edited: February 1, 2026, 9:20 AM · I use a phone app tuner for violin and another one for ukulele. Theyre both dead on for tuning, except the E seems a bit off, so I just tune it to the A.. I can set my violin with it, go to my lesson, and be exact same as my teacher , and she doesn’t use it.
They’re from LikeTones.

February 1, 2026, 11:13 AM · A few thoughts on tuning:
-While we don’t tune or try to play in equal temperament, it is true that violins are subject to the same problems of tuning as pianos: you cannot tune all the notes with all the other notes. Math is math, whatever the instrument. Violinists try to play pure intervals whenever possible, and usually get away with it because we mostly play in a melodic, rather than chordal, manner.
-The narrowed 5ths of EQ are quite subtle. I rather doubt the OP was hearing the G string flat because he was tuning pure and others around him were tuning very slightly tighter5ths. The fact that they are using apps or tuners means to me that, lacking the skill level to tune by ear, there are gross errors in tuning that would swamp the subtle differences between pure and tempered 5ths.

In aural piano tuning, it can be very difficult to hear whether or not a perfect 5th is pure or properly narrowed. Instead, we use clever “checks” developed over 100 years ago to test the interval indirectly to prove that the interval is in fact narrow (or wide, for that matter). Same for octaves: you can be sure an octave is pure, but you have to test and prove it.

This is why I’m skeptical that’s just an issue of pure vs tempered. I think it’s just gross tuning error.

Edited: February 1, 2026, 12:11 PM · Tuning practice in the US may be different but I suspect orchestral string players in the UK tune in perfect fifths the way I was always taught. I've never come across an orchestra that uses apps. It's something that I've become used to because it nearly always happens - once we start to play actual music the violins' open G-strings tend to sound a bit "saggy". To correct it I usually give the fore-length in the headbox a bit of a squeeze. Violas and cellos? I'm not sure what they do but I sometimes notice cellists grabbing their C-peg in mid-flow.

A practice taught by the Alberni quartet was to deliberately tune the 5ths slightly close and then check that the violas' and cellos' C-strings harmonised with the violins' E strings

Edited: February 1, 2026, 2:44 PM · My string orchestra is intermediate and the floor under the seats is littered with Korgs!

I don't recall saying my G was grossly flat, Scott.