How do I tune my guitar online?
Press Start tuning, allow the microphone and play one string at a time. The needle shows how flat or sharp you are and the display turns green when you're in tune. MusoKit's chromatic tuner is free, accurate to about ±1 cent, works for guitar, bass, ukulele, violin and any instrument, and processes audio only on your device.
Keyboard
How to use the tuner
- Pick your instrumentTap the instrument button to choose a preset such as Guitar · Standard, Drop D, Bass 5-string, Ukulele or Violin — or Chromatic for any note.
- Start and play one stringPress Start tuning and allow the microphone. With Auto detect on, the tuner finds the nearest string; turn it off to tune one chosen string.
- Follow the needleLeft of centre means too low (tune up), right means too high (tune down). Hold it in the middle until the display turns green: that's within ±3 cents.
- Set the reference pitchUse the A4 stepper for 432 Hz, 442 Hz, Baroque 415 Hz or anything from 415 to 466 Hz. When the tuner isn't listening, tap a string to hear its target note.
How a chromatic tuner works
A chromatic tuner detects the dominant pitch in your input and shows you which of the 12 chromatic notes is closest, plus how far off in cents (a cent is one hundredth of a half-step, so ±50 cents takes you halfway to the next note). Most clip-on guitar tuners only listen for the six guitar-standard pitches; a chromatic tuner listens for all 12, which means it works for any instrument.
This tool uses the McLeod pitch method, a normalised autocorrelation: it compares the sound wave with shifted copies of itself, finds the shift where they line up best, and turns that period into a frequency in Hz. Normalising each comparison keeps low notes — like a bass's low E at 41 Hz — as accurate as high ones. The whole pipeline runs locally in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
For best results: play a single note at a time (chords confuse pitch detection), keep the mic close to the instrument, and avoid noisy environments. If the readout shows "—" it means the tool isn't confident enough about the pitch — try playing louder or moving closer to the mic.
Tuning guides
Step-by-step notes and tips for each tuning: Bass (EADG), Cello (CGDA), DADGAD, Drop D, Half-step down, Standard guitar (EADGBE), Open D, Open G, Ukulele (GCEA), Violin (GDAE).
Further reading
Questions
Why is my tuner showing different notes than my guitar headstock tuner?
A few possible reasons. Most clip-on tuners default to A=440; check whether yours is set to a different reference (some default to 442 for orchestral instruments). Also, clip-on tuners detect vibration through the wood, while this tuner detects sound waves through your mic — both are accurate, but mic tuners pick up overtones that can occasionally pull the reading. If you see a one-octave difference, it's almost certainly an octave detection issue with very low or very high notes.
Can I tune to 432 Hz?
Yes — set the A4 reference to 432 Hz with the − and + buttons. Every note shifts accordingly. The same control covers 442 Hz (orchestral standard in some regions), Baroque 415 Hz and anything between 415 and 466 Hz.
Why does it say "—"?
The tuner uses a confidence threshold — when the input is too quiet, too noisy, or polyphonic (multiple notes), the algorithm returns low confidence and we display "—" rather than misleading you. Play louder, get closer to the mic, or play one note at a time.
Does it work for woodwind, brass, vocals?
Yes. In Chromatic mode it detects anything from about 27 Hz (the low B on a 5-string bass) up to around 4 kHz. Brass and woodwind work great. Vocals work well for sustained notes; vibrato and consonants can throw the reading temporarily but the steady-state pitch will lock in.
Why can't the tuner hear me?
Your browser needs permission to use the microphone. Tap the lock or site-settings icon next to the address bar, set Microphone to Allow, then press Start tuning again. On a Mac, also check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone for your browser. In the MusoKit app, allow the microphone when Android asks.
Is my audio uploaded anywhere?
No. The microphone audio is processed entirely in your browser using the Web Audio API. Nothing leaves your device. There are no analytics events tied to the audio either.