Cello · 4 STRINGS
Cello Standard Tuning
The reference tuning for the cello: C G D A, low to high.
How to tune
Getting into Standard
Work down the list in order — each string's tension moves the ones already set.
Allow microphone access
Asked once. Detection runs on your device; nothing is uploaded.
Play one string at a time
Let it ring open. A strummed chord gives the detector several pitches.
Centre the needle
Sharp means loosen, flat means tighten. Inside three cents is in tune.
Work up from string 4, one at a time
The lowest string carries the most tension, so setting it first means the rest hold. The panel below lists every target in that order.
Run through every string once more
Setting one string drifts the rest; the second pass makes it hold.
Strings
Every string at standard pitch
This is the reference every other cello tuning is measured against.
Select a string in Note Locking above to hold the tuner on it while you turn the peg.
About this tuning
About Standard Tuning
Cello Standard tuning sets the 4 strings to C2 G2 D3 A3, listed from the lowest-pitched string up.
This is the standard reference tuning for the cello, so every other tuning on this site is described relative to it.
Also known as
- CGDA tuning
Note frequencies
Standard string frequencies
The 4 open strings of Cello Standard, lowest first, at A4 = 440 Hz. Each one is the pitch the tuner is listening for — C2 is C in octave 2.
| Note | Also | Solfège | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| C2 | — | Do | 65.41 Hz |
| G2 | — | Sol | 98.00 Hz |
| D3 | — | Re | 146.83 Hz |
| A3 | — | La | 220.00 Hz |
Sharps and flats share a pitch on a tuner: C♯ and D♭ are the same frequency, and which name you use depends on the key you are in, not on what the meter reads.
Questions
Standard tuning, answered
The reference tuning for the cello: C G D A, low to high. The 4 strings are tuned C2 G2 D3 A3, from the lowest-pitched string up.
Yes. The tuner on this page listens through your device microphone and compares what it hears against the exact frequencies for C2 G2 D3 A3. Play one string at a time in a quiet room, and let the note ring rather than strumming.
No. This Standard tuner runs in your browser — there is nothing to download, nothing to install and no account to create. Allow microphone access when the browser asks and the tuner starts listening. It works the same way on a phone, a tablet and a desktop.
Related tunings
Where to go from Standard
Each one is described as the move from Standard, so you can see how far away it is before you commit to turning a peg.
Guitar
Standard
The guitar version, 6 strings
The reference every other guitar tuning is described against: fourths between the strings, with one major third between the third and second.
E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4
7-String Guitar
Standard
The 7-string guitar version, 7 strings
The reference tuning for the 7-string guitar: B E A D G B E, low to high.
B1 E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4
Bass Guitar
Standard
The bass guitar version, 4 strings
The reference tuning for the bass guitar: E A D G, low to high.
E1 A1 D2 G2
5-String Bass Guitar
Standard
The 5-string bass guitar version, 5 strings
The reference tuning for the 5-string bass guitar: B E A D G, low to high.
B0 E1 A1 D2 G2