French Horn Tuner
This French horn tuner shows your note the way a horn player reads it, in F, and tells you if it is flat or sharp. Use it to tune the main slide first, then the F and B♭ sides of a double horn.
Play a tuning note
The microphone is only used while the tuner runs. Sound is analysed on your device and never recorded or sent anywhere.
French Horn tuning notes
The French horn is a transposing instrument, so the note you read is not the concert pitch the band tunes to. These are the usual tuning notes as you read them and as the tuner hears them, at A = 440 Hz.
| Written (Double horn (F/B♭)) | Concert pitch | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| C5 | F4 | 349.23 Hz |
| F4 | B♭3 | 233.08 Hz |
Not sure of a fingering? The French horn fingering chart shows every note and plays it at the right pitch.
How to tune a French horn
- Warm up and settle your right hand in the bell exactly as you play.
- Play written C or F in the middle of the staff and hold it steady.
- Main tuning slide first. Most horns have a main slide that affects both sides. Needle left (flat): push in. Needle right (sharp): pull out.
- Then each side. On a double horn, play the note without the thumb and adjust the F slide, then with the thumb and adjust the B♭ slide.
- Fine-tune the valve slides if notes using one valve are always off: each valve has a slide on both the F and B♭ sides.
Why the hand matters
The right hand is part of the instrument. A more closed hand lowers the pitch and darkens the sound; a more open hand raises it. If your hand position changes from day to day, your tuning will too, so build a consistent shape first and tune around it.
Reading the tuner as a horn player
The big letter is your written note in F. The line underneath shows concert pitch and frequency, which helps when your director tunes the band to concert B♭ or concert F.
French Horn Tuner FAQ
What note does a French horn tune to?
When the band tunes to concert B♭, horns play written F (first space), which sounds concert B♭. Many horn players also check written C (third space), which sounds concert F. This tuner shows the written notes.
How do I tune a double horn?
Tune the main slide first on an open note. Then play the same note on the F side (no thumb) and adjust the F slide, and on the B♭ side (thumb down) and adjust the B♭ slide, until both match the tuner.
Does my right hand change the pitch?
Yes. Covering more of the bell with your right hand makes the horn flatter; opening it makes it sharper. Keep your hand in the same position you play with while you tune, or the slides will be set wrong.
Why does a regular tuner show B♭ when I play F on horn?
The horn in F sounds a perfect fifth lower than written, so written F sounds concert B♭. This tuner is set to F horn, so it shows the note you read. Switch to concert pitch in the menu if you need the sounding note.
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