Online Pitch Pipe
Pick your instrument, tap a string's note and it holds steady while you tune to it. No microphone, no permissions.
Standard tuning, low to high: E A D G B E. Match each string to its note. Laptop and phone speakers reproduce the low E (82 Hz) poorly; if you cannot hear it, use headphones or tune the string to the same E an octave higher.
How to Use the Pitch Pipe
- Choose your instrument from the row at the top.
- Tap the note for the string you want to tune. It sounds until you tap it again or tap another note.
- Pluck the open string and listen for the two sounds beating against each other.
- Turn the peg slowly until the beating slows to nothing. Always approach the note from below — tune up to it — so the string settles and stays.
Notes and Frequencies
Every note here is calculated from A4 = 440 Hz in equal temperament, the same targets the guitar tuner listens for.
| Instrument | Notes (low to high) | Frequencies |
|---|---|---|
| Guitar | E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4 | 82.4 · 110.0 · 146.8 · 196.0 · 246.9 · 329.6 Hz |
| Drop D | D2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4 | 73.4 · 110.0 · 146.8 · 196.0 · 246.9 · 329.6 Hz |
| Bass | E1 A1 D2 G2 | 41.2 · 55.0 · 73.4 · 98.0 Hz |
| Ukulele | G4 C4 E4 A4 | 392.0 · 261.6 · 329.6 · 440.0 Hz |
| Violin | G3 D4 A4 E5 | 196.0 · 293.7 · 440.0 · 659.3 Hz |
The chromatic set runs C4 to B4, every semitone of one octave, for any other instrument or for finding a starting note for a song.
Why Tuning by Ear Is Worth Learning
A tuner tells you where the string is; your ear tells you whether it sounds right with the others. Players who tune by ear notice when a chord is slightly off and can fix it in seconds, without a device. A reference note is the fastest way to build that skill, because the beating between two close pitches is obvious once you know to listen for it. The ear training tools take it further, and the tuning fork offers a purer, shorter reference.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a pitch pipe?
A pitch pipe is a small handheld reed instrument that sounds one reference note at a time. Choir directors use it to give singers a starting note, and string players use it to tune by ear. This online version does the same job from your speaker, with a note for every string of the common instruments.
How do I tune a guitar with a pitch pipe?
Sound the note for a string — say the A — and play that open string at the same time. When the two are not quite the same pitch you will hear a slow wobble, called beating. Turn the tuning peg until the wobble slows and disappears; the two sounds merge into one. Repeat for each string, starting with the low E.
Why can I hardly hear the low notes?
Small speakers cannot move enough air to reproduce frequencies below about 100 Hz, which includes the low E of a guitar (82 Hz) and every bass string. Use headphones, or tune to the same note an octave higher — a string tuned to its E at 164 Hz is the same pitch class and the octave above is easy to hear.
What is the difference between a pitch pipe and a tuner?
A tuner listens to your instrument and tells you how far off it is. A pitch pipe plays the target and lets your ear judge. The pipe works in a noisy room only if you can still hear it, but it needs no microphone and trains your ear — most players use both. The main tuner is at the top of the site.
What does the A4 setting change?
It sets the concert pitch every note is measured from. 440 Hz is the standard. 442 and 443 are used by some orchestras and 432 by players who prefer a warmer sound. If you are playing along with a recording or another instrument, match their pitch; otherwise leave it at 440.