Classical Viola

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Tuning Classical Viola, Viola D’Amore & Lira Da Braccio
Peterson tuners are highly accurate, precise and simple to use, you can tune your viola to perfection if you’ve ever used a tuner of any type before. Many of the world’s top musicians are avid Peterson users, so you’ll be in good company!

Like violinists, Violists have a love/hate relationship with electronic tuners for good reason, up to now most electronic tuners made are not suitable for tuning a viola, the interval spacing between the strings of a viola is slightly wider than electronic tuners indicate, this is astonishingly true even for tuners which are marketed specifically to violists!

The viola, which many believe to have predated the violin, is tuned to the notes C G D A with the lowest open string pitch being C and the highest pitch being A. The intervals C to G, G to D and D to A on a correctly tuned viola are all Perfect Fifth intervals. The interval C to G, G to D and D to A on an electronic tuner are Equally Tempered Fifths, so what does that mean?

The notes that make a perfect fifth interval are in total consonance with one another, there is no oscillation or beating heard when played together. The notes that make up an equally tempered fifth are not in consonance with one another and a slight oscillation or beating will be heard when played together. Equally Tempered fifths are 1.9 cents narrower than perfect fifths and the cumulative error caused by tuning using a tuner without a Viola Sweetener can be as much as eight cents in the case of a five string viola, a totally unacceptable result.

The result is that violists don’t like tuners, they tune by ear. Tuning by ear is not a problem when time and ambient noise allows. It is however a problem when working professionally in an orchestra pit, studio or live situation where time is tight, standards exacting and conditions less than optimal.

If you are someone who plays professionally, then tuning will be a consideration and a tuner that works professionally is what you need. Peterson tuners feature the correct interval tuning target displays for viola, just dial in the VLA Sweetener and let the tuner do the work for you!

Begin with the first string A, it’s located closest to the bow when holding the viola in the normal playing position.

  1. Use the bow to play notes when tuning, simply plucking the open strings does not take the weight of the bow into acount. Draw the bow across the 1st string. Observe the tuner display, check that the note “A” is displayed. Adjust the fine tuner to stop the strobe pattern image from moving contuously in any one direction, continue to adjust until the strobe pattern is motionless. If the note displayed is other than A, adjust the tuning peg until A is diplayed, then use the fine tuners to tune the string until the strobe pattern is motionless.
  2. Repeat the above for the D, G & C strings until all are tuned.
  3. Make a final check to counter changes in the tension of one string affecting the others, starting at the fourth string and ending with the first.
Checking Intonation
    Correct bridge placement is paramount, not only for tuning, but for the viola’s tone, even its structural integrity. The viola bridge feet should be placed on the median between the notches on the inner edge of the f-holes while standing perpendicular to the top, flat side facing the fine tuners, belly side facing the fingerboard.
= Standard Tuning
G4
= G in the 4th octave

Classical Viola

I Play This

Viola D’Amore

I Play This

Lira Da Braccio

I Play This

C3 G3 D4 A4

Standard Orchestral

A2 D3 A3 D4 F#4 A4 D5

D Major

D3 G3 D4 A4 E5

A#2 G3 D4 A4

Tertis/Elgar

A2 D3 A3 D4 F4 A4 D5

D Minor

C3 C4 G3 G4 D4 A4 E5

C#3 G#3 D#4 A#4

Mozart

G2 C3 G3 C4 E4 G4 C5

C Tuning

D3 G3 D4 A4

Classical Viola

I Play This

C3 G3 D4 A4

Standard Orchestral

A#2 G3 D4 A4

Tertis/Elgar

C#3 G#3 D#4 A#4

Mozart

D3 G3 D4 A4

Viola D’Amore

I Play This

A2 D3 A3 D4 F#4 A4 D5

D Major

A2 D3 A3 D4 F4 A4 D5

D Minor

G2 C3 G3 C4 E4 G4 C5

C Tuning

Lira Da Braccio

I Play This

D3 G3 D4 A4 E5

C3 C4 G3 G4 D4 A4 E5

Unlike other tuners which offer no alternative to generic Equal Temperament, Peterson Tuners contain many choices of “Sweetness“, in other words, several degrees of harmony or consonance in a tuning preset. The Sweetener feature is exclusive to Peterson Tuners and there is one for almost any musical instrument.
In the case of the Viola Sweetener (the preset is called VLA), these additional “tweaks” allow the instrument to sound as only an expertly tuned instrument can. Some call it “voicing” or optimizing the quality of tone produced by the instrument. Using a Sweetener is simple – your Peterson tuner does the work for you.

VLA
Peterson Viola Sweetener
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The StroboPLUS HDC’s 0. | Peterson Strobe Tuners

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Featuring the largest tuning display Peterson Tuners has ever incorporated into one of their pedal tuners, the StroboStomp HD boasts a high-definition, LCD screen that incorporates a variable color LED backlight. The user-selectable colors can be used to personalize the tuner or to increase display viewing quality in different levels of ambient lighting depending on the usage environment. The vibrant screen colors can also be assigned to stock or user presets to significantly reduce menu navigation time and increase on-stage tuning confidence at the gig. For tone purists, the StroboStomp HD provides a 100% silent, true-bypass operation mode to keep precious tone safe, as well as, eliminate the often annoying “pop” experienced when engaging such a feature in other products. It uses a unique series of timed relays incorporated within its circuitry to shunt the signal, draining the cause of the popping sound prior to breaking the connection, and effectively shutting the tuner down for direct play through without affecting tone quality. The StroboStomp HD also includes a long-time, user-requested buffered output operation mode that can be user engaged. The buffered mode can be used in or out of monitor mode. It is designed to boost instrument drive to overcome potential tone loss in signal chains that incorporate multiple low-impedance guitar pedals or those that utilize long cable runs. The buffered output modes preserve sonic quality all through the instrument range and keep prized core tone intact. The StroboStomp HD features over 100 exclusive Sweetened Tunings™, as well as, numbered guided tuning presets for a large variety of instruments and playing styles. Sweetened Tunings are exclusive to Peterson tuning products and are designed to help correct inherent tuning issues exhibited by many instruments. The new "Guided Tunings" mode allows the StroboStomp HD to display numeric string values instead of traditional note names making for sure-fire intuitive and rapid re-tuning to any number of open and alternative tunings. The Guided Tuning mode was instituted for beginners who want to experiment with popular alternate tunings, as well as, experienced players who employ multiple tunings in rapid succession. Numerically expressed scales are also included.
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Make sure to keep strings in good condition, wipe them down with a cloth after playing and replace them with new strings when they become old or worn. If you break a string while playing or tuning, it often means the strings are at the end of their useful life. Old strings will never hold a tuning. Replace all strings at the same time.

Keep an eye on fine tuners, ensure they are backed off enough to allow immediate adjustment at any time.

Check the tuning pegs to ensure a good friction is maintained between peg and pegbox to anchor the strings at pitch.

Peterson Tuners offer an unparalleled range of adjustability allowing for calibration to historic Early Music concert pitch right up to modern day standards and beyond.

Violas from the 16th, 17th and 18th century, particularly those made by the Brothers Amati, Jacob Stainer, Antonio Stradivarius and Guarneri Del Gesu are among the most iconic instruments ever made. Examples include the “Viola del Crocifisso” originally commissioned by the Medici family, built by the Amati brothers in 1595 and played by Luigi Alberto Bianchi, Guarneri’s “Earl of Harrington” built in 1697 and played by William Primrose, Stradivarius’ “Mendelssohn” built in 1731 and played by Paganini.

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