Tuning In
The arrival of spring always brings a certain thrill of excitement. Finally, time to enjoy the sunshine accompanied by the gentle sounds of birdsong and....strings detuning.
Unlike us, stringed instruments do not enjoy changes in climate. The expansion or contraction of the wood often results in strings losing their tension and their pitch.
As a new beginner or a parent, tuning strings can be daunting. However, our step-by-step guide will walk you through the process.
Something Is Wrong, But I Don't Know What!
Step one is to diagnose the problem. If a string seems slack, the first thing to establish is whether it is still in one piece or not.
If it is intact, it will just require some tuning. However if you can see a break or a fray (look closely at the peg box end of the string) it will need to be replaced (see separate guide to replacing strings).
If the string only requires tuning, this can be done at home by a careful adult.
How Is It Supposed To Sound?
When setting off on any journey we need to know the destination. Therefore, the next step is to establish which string has the issue. From thickest to thinnest, the strings on each instrument are: violin G D A E, viola C G D A, and cello C G D A.
Next you will need something to produce the desired note - either a tuning fork, pitch pipe, digital tuner or an online tuning application.
For tuning novices the digital options are recommended as they often visually indicate how close the pitch of your instrument is to the desired note as you tune - a bit like a SatNav.
Big Pegs Or Small Pegs?
All student instruments from Stringers have two means of tuning - pegs and fine tuners.
Pegs - the chunky wooden tuners at the scroll end - change the string's pitch significantly.
Fine tuners or adjusters - the small screws on the instrument's tailpiece - create less dramatic changes in pitch.
Which you use will depend on how much adjustment the string requires. If the string is very slack you will need to use the pegs, however if it still has tension but is just a little out of tune the fine tuners should suffice.
Which Way Should I Turn Them?
In the next stage of diagnosing the problem, you must work out if the string is sounding lower or higher than the desired pitch. In most cases the string will be looser than it should be, meaning the pitch will be lower than desired.
To remedy this using the fine tuners, remember the old rhyme righty tighty, lefty loosey! In other words, turn the fine tuner screw clockwise to raise the string's pitch, and anti-clockwise to lower it.
If the string requires larger adjustment you must use the pegs. Before launching into this step, two important health and safety tips:
Only turn the pegs a small amount at a time
Turn slowly. Otherwise you risk snapping the string (and having to read a whole other article!)
With the instrument facing you, turning the peg away from you will tighten the string and raise the pitch, towards you will loosen it and lower the pitch.
Why Are The Pegs So Difficult To Turn?
Tuning with the pegs is a lot harder than using fine tuners. Each peg has a slightly tapered shape, which stops it from slipping. Because of this design, you need to not only turn the peg, but also push it in as you turn. This will force the peg deeper into it’s hole thus wedging it in place, preventing it from coming loose when you let go.
If, after using this technique, you still encounter problems with the pegs such as stiffness or slipping, they may need some minor maintenance work. For this we suggest you bring the instrument into the store so one of our workshop technicians can take a look.
Hopefully, if you have been following the above steps, your tuner should soon be indicating that you have arrived at your destination and the rogue string is once again at its correct pitch!
However, this does take a little practice. If you run into difficulties, remember that our instrument specialists are available to advise and assist you in learning how to maintain your instrument.
Good luck!