Tune the Strings

Euphonium Tuner

Tune your euphonium or baritone horn with your microphone, in bass-clef concert pitch or treble-clef B♭ — whichever your music is written in.

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Press Start and allow the microphone. Audio stays on your device.

Euphonium tuning notes

Tuning noteTreble clef B♭ readsConcert pitchFrequency (A4 = 440)
Open B♭ (tuning note)C4B♭2116.54 Hz
Open FG4F3174.61 Hz
Open B♭, octave upC5B♭3233.08 Hz
Orchestra tuning noteB4A3220.00 Hz

Concert pitch vs written pitch

Euphonium parts come in two forms. Bass clef parts are at concert pitch. Treble clef parts (common in brass bands and for players who started on trumpet) are written in B♭, a major ninth above the sounding note, so open B♭ appears as written C. Choose the setting that matches your music.

How to tune a euphonium with this tuner

  1. Warm up, press Start tuner and allow the microphone.
  2. Play a steady open B♭ (written C in treble clef) at mezzo-forte.
  3. If you are flat, push the main tuning slide in; if sharp, pull it out.
  4. Check F, then notes using each valve, and adjust the valve slides if one is consistently off.

Euphonium tuning tips

Compensating euphoniums

Compensating four-valve instruments fix the sharpness of low valve combinations; on a non-compensating horn, lip low C and B down or use alternate fingerings.

Baritone horn

The baritone horn uses the same pitch and the same tuning notes as the euphonium.

Tune by ear with reference notes

No microphone? Press a reference note above to hear it for three seconds and match it, listening for the "beats" (a wobble) to slow down and disappear. The buttons are labelled with the note you read in the selected setting, with the concert pitch underneath.

FAQ

What note does a euphonium tune to?

Concert B♭ (open, no valves) and concert F. In treble clef, those are written C and G.

Is the euphonium a transposing instrument?

It depends on the part: bass-clef parts are in concert pitch; treble-clef parts are written in B♭, a major ninth higher than they sound.

Does this work for baritone horn?

Yes. The baritone horn is pitched in B♭ like the euphonium and reads the same parts.

Other tuners