5 pairs of strings · GCEAE

Charango tuner.

Tune a charango: G C E A E, at any A4.

Tuner · Any tuning

Tune your charango.

Pluck a string and the meter shows how far off it is. Tap any string to hear it at its true pitch and tune by ear.

  • Pick any instrument and tuning
  • Shift it down or up by half steps
  • Set A to anything: 440, 432, 442…

G C E A E

The sound never leaves your device.

Keys: Space start or stop · ← → half step · ↑ ↓ A (Shift: bigger steps) · 1–9 string · M mode · R hear · − + volume · L copy link · Esc done

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Tap Start, then pluck any string.

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Strings · tap to hear

Standard tuning

Charango tuning

The charango has five pairs of strings tuned G4 C5 E4 A4 E5. It is re-entrant: the middle course (E4) is the lowest note.

On many charangos one string of the middle pair is tuned an octave higher (E5).

Tip. Tune the middle E course first, then work outwards. Pluck single strings, not pairs, for a clean reading.

G C E A E

Standard tuning: notes and frequencies

Charango, GCEAE: notes and frequencies in Hz at three common A4 references
StringNoteA = 440A = 432A = 442
5G4392.00384.87393.78
4C5523.25513.74525.63
3E4329.63323.63331.13
2A4440.00432.00442.00
1E5659.26647.27662.25

Measured

How the tuner hears a charango

Every charango string, E4 (329.63 Hz) to E5 (659.26 Hz), sits above the range where phone mics fade. In our phone-mic test the charango range read within about 1 ¢, and clean test tones within 0.2 ¢.

error through a phone-mic model your charango strings

How the tuner listens →

Shift the whole tuning

The tuner can move all five pairs of strings together, from an octave down to an octave up, and add fine cents on top. Each step keeps every chord shape the same.

  1. A D F♯ B F♯All pairs 2 half steps higher. Notes: A D F sharp B F sharp
  2. A♭ D♭ F B♭ FAll pairs 1 half step higher. Notes: A flat D flat F B flat F
  3. GCEAEThis pageThe usual charango tuning. Notes: G C E A E
  4. F♯ B D♯ G♯ D♯All pairs 1 half step lower. Notes: F sharp B D sharp G sharp D sharp
  5. F B♭ D G DAll pairs 2 half steps lower. Notes: F B flat D G D

Questions

What are the standard charango notes?

From String 5 to String 1: G4 C5 E4 A4 E5 (GCEAE). At A4 = 440 Hz they are 392.00, 523.25, 329.63, 440.00, 659.26 Hz.

Why is the middle string the lowest?

That is the charango's re-entrant tuning. It keeps chords bright and close together on such a small instrument.

Can I tune my charango lower or higher?

Yes. Use the ◂ ▸ arrows on the tuning chip to move every string by a half step. One half step down takes about 11% of the tension off; one half step up adds about 12% (approx.).