Performance is always an exhibition of what you do behind the curtains. You can choose to call it training, process, or whatever verb that gets you going. But one thing is constant. You can’t master the art without going through that process.
If you are playing a string instrument, tuning is integral to your training.
Tuning a violin is even more complex, but once you get the hang of it, the process keeps getting more comfortable and more manageable. Tuning a violin right has its upsides. You start to understand the variables of the instrument better. You organically begin to recognize the pattern of violin tuning notes, which helps you understand your notes better.
Role of a Tuner
If you are using a chromatic tuner or digital violin tuner at the start, it’s perfectly alright. It’s usually a natural progression for any violin player. But as you start to understand your intonations well, this is the time you should begin to tune your violin yourself.
If you are yet to reach that stage, you can take the help of free violin tuning apps. The likes of Pano Tuner, Martin Tuner, gStrings, and Pitchlab are good enough to do the job.
The Tuning Notes
As the violin is an integral member of the string family, violin tuning notes’ progression goes on the same path as other string instruments. Adjusting the device to a perfect fifth is the way to choose. The conventional technique is still the most efficient tool to tune a string instrument.
The violin string tuning order goes like G, D, A, and E and is usually tuned from low to high. And yes, to perfect fifth. Are you someone new to the string jargon like perfect fifth? Well, it implies the lines and gaps you see above the lower note of the instrument.
Standard Tuning
It includes tuning a string instrument from low to high. You will first need a starting pitch of your violin to implement standard violin tuning.
A pitch that perfectly matches your A string. Matching with A is nothing but setting the vibration of A at four hundred and forty per second. The standard violin tuning has a German connection; traditional German pipe organs would vibrate at more or less the same rate.
Now the magic number 440 also has scientific validation. It uses Hz as a unit, ensuring the standard remains the same everywhere in the world. That’s the reason it’s called standard tuning.
Stepwise Procedure to Tune your Violin String
If you are starting violin training sessions, the probabilities are very high that you will hear much uproar about the difficulty of tuning. The noise is louder when it comes to tuning with violin tuning pegs. But it would help if you call it sub art to your core art, which is playing the violin.
So, try to learn it with the mindset that it’s just one of those mandatory steps you need to master your favorite instrument. The whole thing would seem a lot easier.
The order mentioned below is the easiest way to go about it. Just try to follow it as accurately as possible, and you will get there.
Step 1: Get to the required pitch and fine-tuner using a fork or pitch pipe.
Step 2: Carry your violin upright; keeping it in your lap is the most ideal. Nevertheless, you can choose your comfortable handling, but make sure the instrument remains upright.
Step 3: Hold the pegs between your index finger and thumb. Keep the base of the violin firm; hold it tightly.
Step 4: Turn the peg about one-fourth. It will lower the tension, don’t move ahead without tightening it again.
Step 5: Start plucking with your right hand and keep plucking until you get the correct pitch. This plucking gives you a good idea about how close you are to reaching your desired tune.
Step 6: Turn the peg 360 degrees, and keep pushing it to the pegbox. As you start to feel the peg tightening, stop all the pushing and turning when you get your anticipated pitch.
You can follow a similar process if you are doing a six-string violin tuning, as the pegs work similarly. Nothing changes with an additional string.
Scordatura
Scordatura includes the alternative violin tuning method. This technique has an Italian origin, where the word ‘Scordatura’ originally means mistuning. This unconventional tuning style allows you to use special effects and timbres.
Final Thoughts
When you pick up a violin for the first time, the most organic question that comes to mind is – what is the tuning of a violin? Well, it is a simple process wherein you adjust the pegs to get desired tunes. The tuning process may look complex. But if you gather the information correctly and keep your learning simple, you can learn the art of tuning easily and quickly.
