The Tuning Journal
Practical guides on keeping guitars, ukuleles, violins — and everything else with strings — perfectly in tune. Written to be read, with tools you can play.
Why Your Kalimba Buzzes — and the Fixes That Actually Work
The pitch is right and it still sounds like a bee in a tin. Six causes in diagnostic order, the reseat trick that fixes most of them, and when the paper shim is the wrong answer.
Read the guide →Retuning a Kalimba: C to G, F, D Major — and the Key That Costs Nothing
Key signatures tell you the price of a retune in advance: one sharp means two tines. Plus the change most guides miss — your C kalimba is already in A minor.
Read the guide →17-Key vs 21-Key Kalimba: What the Four Extra Tines Actually Give You
Four extra bass tines, an identical treble, and one catch: the centre tine moves, so your muscle memory is off by two positions.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Harmonica — and When a Flat Reed Means Stop
A brand-new harmonica reads out of tune on any chromatic dial, and that is the design. How to tell the design from drift, drift from a cracked reed, and both from a gap problem.
Read the guide →How to Tune an Erhu (二胡): D–A, the Qianjin, and Why It Drifts
Only two strings to tune, and then the hardest intonation of any bowed instrument — because there is no fingerboard. Pegs, qianjin, snakeskin and the A=442 question.
Read the guide →How to Tune a 7-String Guitar (B Standard, Drop A, and the Floppy Low B)
Six of the seven strings tune exactly like a guitar. The seventh is the whole story — why it goes floppy, what gauge actually fixes it, and how to tell tuning from setup.
Read the guide →How to Tune an 8-String Guitar (F♯ Standard, Drop E and Fanned Frets)
One number explains the whole instrument: 46.25 Hz on a guitar-length neck. Scale length, gauge, fanned frets and why Drop E makes the problem worse.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Baritone Guitar (B, A and C Standard Explained)
Same six strings, same chord shapes, longer neck. Why detuning a normal guitar isn’t the same thing, and how to choose between B, A and C standard.
Read the guide →How to Tune an Oboe (and Why the Orchestra Tunes to You)
No barrel, no slide — the reed is the whole story. Why reeds are cut for a pitch standard, what a 0.1mm scrape actually does, and the real reason everyone tunes to you.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Double Bass (Upright Bass): Full Guide + C Extension vs. 5-String
Same pitches as an electric bass, completely different tuning mechanics. The full routine, plus an honest comparison of C extensions vs. 5-string basses for reaching the low notes.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Trumpet (Main Slide, Valve Slides and Why 1-2-3 Runs Sharp)
One slide calibrates the whole horn; two more exist because valve combinations don’t quite add up. The full tuning routine and why the 1-2-3 fingering always runs sharp.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Cello: Pegs, Fine Tuners and the Endpin Nobody Blames
The pegs and fine tuners are only half the story — the endpin planted on the floor is the part that actually keeps a cello in tune mid-piece. The full routine and the wolf-tone false alarm.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Saxophone (Alto, Tenor, Soprano and Baritone)
One mechanical adjustment, the mouthpiece on the neck cork, and everything else is reed and air. The full tuning routine, reed strength explained, and why alto and tenor share a tuning note.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Mountain Dulcimer: DAD and DAA Explained
D and A stay put; the melody string names the tuning. Why DAD became the standard, when DAA is still the right answer, and the routine that gets both in tune.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Harp (Lyre Harps and Lever Harps)
Lyre harps arrive out of tune and new strings stretch for weeks — both are normal. The full routine, playable note maps for 7, 16 and 19-string lyres, and why lever harps live in E♭.
Read the guide →How to Tune an Accordion Yourself (Full DIY Reed Guide)
No pegs, no pins: accordion pitch lives in hundreds of steel reeds, changed only with a file. What you can safely measure and fix yourself — and when to call a technician.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Kalimba (17-Key, 21-Key, 10-Key and 7-Note)
Tap down to flatten, tap up to sharpen: kalimba tuning is delightfully simple once you know the zigzag note map. Step-by-step routine, buzz fixes, and reference tones for every tine — 21-key down to 7-note.
Read the guide →How to Tune a 12-String Guitar (Octave Pairs Explained)
Octave pairs on the bottom four courses, unisons on top, and a high G string that snaps if you rush it. The full 12-string map with playable reference tones — in E standard and E♭.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Guitar by Ear (3 Methods That Actually Work)
No tuner, no problem. Learn the fifth-fret method, the harmonics trick and how to hear “beats” — plus the one string that breaks the rules and trips everyone up.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Guitar with a Chromatic Tuner
What the needle and cents really mean, the exact note for every string, and a step-by-step routine that gets you in tune fast — with reference tones you can play right on this page.
Read the guide →How Many Cents Are in an Octave? 1,200 — Cents in Music Explained
100 cents to a semitone, 1,200 to an octave. What the numbers on your tuner mean, why pitch needs a logarithmic ruler, and a listening lab to find your own threshold.
Read the guide →Standard Guitar Tuning vs. Drop D: A Beginner’s Guide
One string, one whole step — and a very different guitar. Learn what Drop D changes, hear both tunings side by side, and follow the 30-second routine to switch safely.
Read the guide →Half-Step Down Tuning (E♭ Standard): Why and How
E♭–A♭–D♭–G♭–B♭–E♭: the tuning behind countless classic records. What it does for tone, bends and singers, and how to read the confusing flat names on your tuner.
Read the guide →How to Use an Online Tuner for Ukulele and Violin
GCEA, GDAE, reentrant strings and fine tuners explained. A practical walkthrough for tuning ukulele and violin by microphone, with playable reference tones for every string.
Read the guide →How to Tune a Bass Guitar (4-String and 5-String)
E1 is 41 Hz — low enough to confuse tuners and vanish on phone speakers. Learn the frequencies, the harmonic trick for a rock-steady reading, and 5-string low-B tips.
Read the guide →Why Is My Guitar Not Staying in Tune? (Common Fixes)
Eight causes, eight fixes. Diagnose whether it’s your strings, your nut, your tuners or your technique — and stop re-tuning every five minutes.
Read the guide →Open G vs Open D: Which Open Tuning Should You Learn First?
Three strings versus four, riff machine versus slide voice. How Open G and Open D differ, what to play first in each, and which one to learn first.
Read the guide →What Is 440 Hz vs 432 Hz in Instrument Tuning?
A short history of concert pitch, the real math behind the eight-hertz gap, and an interactive lab where you can hear 440 and 432 side by side and judge for yourself.
Read the guide →Mandolin and Banjo Tuning Explained (GDAE and Open G)
Mandolins double every string; banjos hang a high drone above everything. How to tune GDAE courses and open-G banjo without chasing your own tail.
Read the guide →Does a Capo Mess Up Your Tuning? (Capo Guide)
Why chords sound sour the moment the capo goes on, how to fix it in ten seconds, and a complete chart of what key you’re really playing in at every fret.
Read the guide →How Does a Guitar Tuner Actually Work?
A look inside the box: how thousands of microphone samples per second become one note name and a cents reading — and why low strings make tuners sweat.
Read the guide →