How to Tune Your Mandolin
A mandolin has eight strings in four pairs, called courses. Both strings of a pair are tuned to the same note, so there are four notes to tune: G3, D4, A4, and E5, the same as a violin.
- Tap Start Tuning and pick one string of a pair at a time. Rest a finger lightly on the other string of the pair to keep it quiet.
- Tune the first string of the pair, then tune the second to the same note.
- Play the pair together. When the two strings match, the note sounds clean. If they are slightly apart, you hear a slow wobble, called beating: adjust the second string until it stops.
- Tap a string's button to lock the tuner to that note and hear it.
Tune up to each note rather than down to it. If you go past, loosen the string below the note and come back up: the string holds its pitch better that way.
String Notes and Frequencies
At the standard reference pitch, A4 = 440 Hz. String 1 is the highest-pitched string.
| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | G3 | 196.00 Hz |
| 3 | D4 | 293.66 Hz |
| 2 | A4 | 440.00 Hz |
| 1 | E5 | 659.26 Hz |