Tuning the violin

One of the main areas of learning to play violin is learning to properly tune it...and, this in itself, can take many years of study...you'll want to attune the ear over time to differentiate pitches for one...and, this can be facilitated by using an electronic tuner...

Turning the pegs requires a skill in itself...for, once you get the string up to relative pitch, you'll want to push the peg into the peghead so that the peg will not slip from the tension of the string...and, after getting it close to pitch, then you'll want to tune the other three strings up to relative pitch...the reason you would do this is to evenly distribute the tension on the neck and body...otherwise, bringing only one string up to relative pitch, and then fine tuning it would be a waste of time...since after bringing the other three strings up to pitch, you would have to still fine tune this very same string further...due to the tension change after bringing all of the other strings up to pitch.

The pegs are turned counterclockwise on the G and D strings to bring up to pitch...and clockwise to lower in pitch...and the A and E strings are tuned the opposite...on the other side of the peghead...counterclockwise to lower pitch and clockwise to tune up the pitch...

Now, let's discuss the importance of ensuring that the pegs are not slipping...this can be one of the biggest frustrations of all...and you'll want to make sure that once you do bring your pegs up to pitch, and have pushed them into the peghead for tightness, they will not slip and cause the string to go flat...to prevent this, I highly recommend that you invest in a product called Peg Drops...this product only needs to be applied once every few months and will lessen the frustration of peg slippage.

Another consideration are the fine tuners...as a beginner, learning to tune is quite a bit easier with fine tuners. Most all violins come equipped with at least a fine tuner on the E string...even the most proficient classical soloist will many times have a fine tuner on the E string...now, for most of us utility players, having all 4 fine tuners is essential...You can use an integrated tailpiece called the Dr. Thomastik...this means that all 4 fine tuners are built in to the tailpiece itself. Most fine tuners are separate mechanisms from the bridge...and if not fitted properly, can cause damage to the top...and find that you have far more control in bringing each string up to perfect pitch...you first tune each wooden peg up to relative pitch on each string...then you tune each individual string up to the final pitch...You then use the open strings played in unison fifths to double-check tuning.