Violin tuner – Cross Tuning (AEAE)
A-E-A-E · Alternative
Also known as High Bass Prep, Old-time A
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 Violin 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.
Cross tuning, AEAE, is the best known of the old-time fiddle retunings. Raising the G and D strings a tone gives the fiddle two pairs of octaves and turns the open strings into a constant drone under the tune.
Tunes in A – "Bonaparte's Retreat", "Old Sledge" and much of the Appalachian repertoire – were played this way long before anyone wrote them down. The fiddle rings and sustains in a way it simply cannot in standard tuning.
History
Where the Cross Tuning (AEAE) tuning comes from
A-E-A-E is the cross tuning of old-time and Appalachian fiddling, in which the open strings resonate with tunes in A. Classical composers also used retuned strings for effect: in Saint-Saëns's Danse macabre (1874) the solo violin's E string is lowered to E♭.
Other Violin tunings
Standard
How do I tune my Violin 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 Violin 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.