Fiddle tuner – Cross Tuning (AEAE)
A-E-A-E · Alternative
Press “Start tuner” – the browser will ask for microphone access. Sound is analysed on this device and never uploaded.
This free online tuner listens through your microphone and shows how close each string of your Fiddle is to Cross Tuning (AEAE) tuning (A-E-A-E). Play a string, watch the needle, and turn the peg until the meter glows green. If you prefer tuning by ear, tap any string card to hear its reference tone.
About Cross Tuning (AEAE) tuning
Compared with Standard (GDAE), Cross Tuning (AEAE) moves 2 strings. Every change is upward, the largest by 2 semitones, so the strings pull tighter than in Standard (GDAE).2 strings stay exactly where they were.
| String | Standard (GDAE) | Cross Tuning (AEAE) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G3 | A3 | up 2 semitones |
| 2 | D4 | E4 | up 2 semitones |
Played open, the strings sound A-E-A-E – from A3 at the bottom to E5 at the top, a span of 1 octave and 7 semitones. Step by step across the neck the intervals are a fifth, a fourth, a fifth, and that is what decides how chord shapes fall under the hand.
Strummed open, the strings spell A5 – root and fifth with no third, so the tuning stays neutral between major and minor.
AEAE is the cross tuning of old-time fiddling, and the reason so many Appalachian tunes are in A. With both pairs of strings an octave apart, any note of the tune has a drone ringing under it without extra effort from the bow arm.
Retuning back and forth strains strings and pegs, which is why fiddlers who play a lot of cross-tuned tunes often carry a second instrument already tuned this way.
History
Where the Cross Tuning (AEAE) tuning comes from
A-E-A-E is the cross-key tuning used for tunes in A in old-time music.
Other Fiddle tunings
Standard
Alternative
How do I tune my Fiddle to Cross Tuning (AEAE)?
Allow microphone access, pluck a string, and the tuner will detect it automatically. The needle shows whether the string is flat or sharp – adjust until the reading is within ±5 cents (A-E-A-E).
Which notes are used in Cross Tuning (AEAE) tuning?
Cross Tuning (AEAE) tuning for Fiddle uses the notes A-E-A-E, listed from the lowest string to the highest.
Can I tune without a microphone?
Yes. Every string card plays a reference tone – tap it and match your string to the sound by ear.