If you’re looking for an instrument tuner that’s easy to use and goes everywhere with you: check out the free app, gStrings. Its description is as follows: “gStrings is a chromatic tuner application for android. It will let you tune any musical instrument, such as the violin, viola, violoncello, bass, guitar, piano and wind instruments.”

Version 1.0.1 is the latest version. When you load the app it brings you to the tuner screen. Notes are scrollable along the top, and there are three options along to the bottom to “Sound” “Tune” and “Tune Auto”. Once you select a note from the top, you can select “Sound” and it will play a loud tone in that key. “Tune” to that note lets you watch as you tune the instrument to get to your desired note. Tune auto lets you auto tune. This is actually pretty easy, even for a beginner. I had never tuned a guitar, but with this app I’ve got it nearly pitch perfect.

Settings let you adjust Microphone Sensitivity and Optimize frequency range for a variety of instruments (i.e. Violin, viola, guitar, etc). Advanced settings give you an option for Orchestra Tuning, apply HPS (harmonic Product Spectrum), set the number of evaluated harmonics in HPS Depth option, FFT Rounding, Tampering Function. There is an option under GUI to select Markers @13.7 (display markers 13.7 cents from target). 

There is also an option in the app to change the skins from the default grey to bluish, greenish, apricot (IMO makes the numbers difficult to read), red, blue, and redtint.

There is also a paid version of gStrings for 3,00 € ($4.46, £2.72).

Use your Barcode Scanner on your Android Phone to download this app using this QR code.