Online Clarinet Tuner: The Complete Guide
The clarinet is a transposing instrument, which means the note printed on your sheet music isn't the pitch that actually comes out of the instrument. This tuner is built around that fact: it detects the true sounding pitch from your microphone, then shows you both what you'd read on your part and what's actually sounding, side by side, so tuning never gets confusing about which note is "correct."
How does this clarinet tuner work?
This tuner uses the Web Audio API built into modern browsers to capture a short sample of sound from your microphone, then runs it through an autocorrelation algorithm. Autocorrelation compares a sound wave against slightly delayed copies of itself to find the point where the pattern repeats — that repeat rate is the true, physical sounding frequency of the note being played. From that concert pitch, the tuner applies your selected clarinet's transposition interval to calculate the written note name you'd see on a part, while all tuning accuracy (the cents reading) is always based on the real, physically measured concert pitch.
How to Use the Clarinet Tuner
- Select your clarinet type — Bb, Eb, A, or Bass — from the chips below the readout.
- Find a quiet space and tap "Start Tuner," allowing microphone access when your browser asks.
- Play a long tone and let it settle rather than tonguing short, clipped notes.
- Read the written note shown large at the top — this matches what you'd see on your part — with the true sounding concert pitch shown just below it.
- Watch the needle and cents reading, which are always based on the actual sounding pitch, to adjust your embouchure or barrel until the note reads in tune.
Transposition by Clarinet Type
"Transposition" describes the fixed interval between a written note and the pitch that actually sounds on a given instrument. These are the transpositions this tuner applies for each clarinet type:
| Clarinet | Transposition | Written C Sounds As |
|---|---|---|
| Bb Clarinet (soprano) | Down a major 2nd | Bb |
| Eb Clarinet | Up a minor 3rd | Eb |
| A Clarinet | Down a minor 3rd | A |
| Bass Clarinet (in Bb) | Down a major 9th | Bb, one octave lower |
Why Show Both Written and Concert Pitch?
A clarinetist reading a part thinks in written pitch — that's the note they're fingering and the note a conductor or fellow musician will usually reference. But the physical sound waves the tuner measures are the concert (sounding) pitch, which is what actually needs to match a reference like a piano or another instrument in tune. Showing both prevents the common confusion of a tuner "disagreeing" with a piano simply because one is reading written pitch and the other concert pitch — here, both are visible at once, correctly related to each other.
Common Clarinet Tuning Problems (and How to Fix Them)
The tuner won't detect any sound
This almost always comes down to one of three things: microphone permission was denied, the page isn't loaded over a secure (https) connection, or your input volume is too low. Check your browser's site settings to confirm microphone access is allowed, and make sure no other tab or app is already using the microphone.
The clarinet reads consistently sharp or flat across the whole range
This is a classic sign the instrument needs a barrel adjustment rather than an embouchure fix — pulling the barrel out slightly flattens the whole instrument, while pushing it in sharpens it. If individual notes are inconsistent rather than the whole range, that's more likely an embouchure, reed, or fingering issue specific to those notes.
The reading is unstable or jumps around
Reed condition, air support, and background noise all affect how cleanly a clarinet's tone comes through to a pitch detector. A worn or overly soft reed in particular can produce a less stable fundamental frequency, which shows up as a wavering reading even when the pitch is genuinely close.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this online clarinet tuner free to use?
Yes. This clarinet tuner is completely free, runs in your browser, and does not require an account, download, or app install.
Why does the clarinet tuner show two different note names?
The clarinet is a transposing instrument, so the note printed on your sheet music is not the same as the pitch that actually sounds. This tuner shows the written note, matching what you'd read on your part, alongside the concert pitch, which is the true sounding note measured directly from the audio.
What is the difference between a Bb, Eb, and A clarinet?
These names describe how far each instrument's sounding pitch differs from its written pitch. A Bb clarinet sounds a whole step lower than written, an Eb clarinet sounds a minor third higher than written, and an A clarinet sounds a minor third lower than written. The Bb soprano clarinet is by far the most common in bands and orchestras.
Why won't my clarinet tuner detect sound?
Most commonly this happens because microphone permission was denied, the page is loaded over an insecure http connection instead of https, or background noise is too loud for the pitch detector to lock onto a single note.
Pitch detection runs entirely on your device — audio from your microphone is never recorded, stored, or sent to a server.