Guide To Tuning A Cello
Because of Covid, I’ve been unable to see my students or their instruments in person for a very long time now. Originally, I planned to send them all a guide to tuning their cellos via email over Christmas, but I thought I could put it up on here instead as it might benefit other people! So here it is…
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I hope you find this guide useful! It’s rubbish not to see people in person, meaning I can’t help with cello tuning at the moment, but if you follow these steps you should be well on your way.
The first thing to say is this: responsible adults - please help your children to tune their cello. Turning the large pegs on the cello can be very tricky and risky, and a lot of strength is needed. Children should learn to use the small pegs (called adjusters) at the bottom of the cello themselves. More experienced and older students might wish to try turning the large tuning pegs at the top themselves, but every precaution should be taken (more on this later). Having said that, one you’ve put in a bit of practise everything should be fine!
Why do we need a cello that’s in tune? Well, it might seem a bit much to do when you’re only playing on your own, but making sure that every string is the same distance in pitch away from the ones next to it is vitally important, as it means that when you play, you’ll be able to hear whether or not you are playing in tune. Playing in tune is a really important skill, and only when your strings are in tune can you start to adjust where your fingers are going so that you are honing that skill. Also, if I am teaching a lesson over video call, if the student’s cello is in tune with mine it means I am more easily able to help with this. If you are playing to a backing track or with somebody else, being in tune is vitally important so that it sounds right.
First, you need something to compare notes to. You can either use a piano (if it’s in tune), a tuning fork, a pitch pipe or an app. Apps can be useful, as they will actually show you what note a string is making, and whether it is too high or low. This is what I’d recommend - you can get free apps on most devices that will do this. I have InsTuner on iPhone, which works well.
If you don’t have an app, when you tune by comparing a note to something else, try and make sure the pitches are exactly the same. Sometimes, when the cello is nearly but not quite in tune, you will hear what is known as ‘beating’ - a slightly wobbly sound that pulses very slowly. This is a sign that you’re nearly there, but need to make small adjustments.
The pitches of the cello strings should be A (the A just below middle C on a piano), the D below that, the G below that, and finally the C below that (which is a very low note). Make sure that you are tuning the strings to the correct A, D, G or C - if you’re trying to do one that’s too high, the string could break, and if you are aiming for one that’s too low, the string will be too loose and could come off.
When you are playing the cello to hear the pitches as you tune, use the bow and play a very long note at a medium volume. Believe it or not, how loud you play can affect the pitch slightly, and plucking or playing short notes doesn’t give you (or the tuning app) enough time to actually hear the note properly.
If you need to make quite a big change to the pitch of the string, you will need to use the pegs at the top. If you have a look at them, you can see which peg is attached to which string. Here are some very important things to remember about using the pegs:
You must push the peg inwards with about 80% of your strength, and turn gently in the right direction (tightening by turning back towards you will make the pitch higher) with about 20% of your strength. If you don’t push in this much, the peg will become loose and when you let go, the string could unravel. This is the bit that really does take a lot of strength.
When you are doing this - ALWAYS point the cello away from your face (and make sure there isn’t anybody or any pets in front of the cello as you do it). This is a precaution in case the string snaps - which can be very dangerous if someone is in front of it. Sometimes strings just snap, and it isn’t the fault of the person tuning it, although the following step will help minimise the risk.
Turn the pegs very slowly - it minimises the risk of snapping, and with these pegs, a little goes a long way and can make a big difference to the pitch of the string.
Don’t try to get it perfect - adjusters can be used for this, so stop when you are near the note needed, not necessarily on it.
If the pegs are too slippy or too stiff to move, you can purchase and apply something called peg paste - put this around the peg at the area it goes into the cello. It should provide grip for the peg, but also allow it to move more smoothly.
Now, it’s time to use the adjusters (or this might be all you need to do if the cello was near enough to start with). From the perspective of the person sitting at the cello, anticlockwise turns will make the pitch slightly lower, clockwise means a slightly higher pitch. These might need a few turns in any given direction to make a difference to the pitch that you can hear. This is also where an app is really useful.
More experienced students might wish to practise tuning the cello without much help. It’s always useful to have something to compare your A string to - but after that, with enough practise you should be able to work out how the other strings should sound on your own. Every string should be a perfect 5th away from the one to the side of it. Playing with the bow at a medium volume with long notes will give you the best idea of how the note sounds. Playing two strings together (for example the A, which you should know is right, and the D below) will give you a strong sense of whether or not the bottom one is in tune. See if you can go from there until you’re happy.
Some people use harmonics to see whether their strings are in tune. This can be useful if you need to do it quickly (for example at the start of an orchestra rehearsal - but do take your time with situations like this too!), however harmonics are quite prone to being not exactly in tune, so comparing open strings or using a tuning app will give you a better result if you spend some time doing it.
I hope this has been useful - do try getting your cello in tune over the Christmas break if you can, it will help in lessons a lot when they resume. If you have any questions about this, please get in contact using the form on this website or by emailing contactbenjaminpjackson@gmail.com.
Have a lovely Christmas!