- 1). Turn your tuner on. It may play an audible tone for you to match or use a light or needle to show you when you are in tune. Some tuners do both.
- 2). Play a middle-register C (concert B flat, third space on the staff) or an open G (no fingers down) to tune your clarinet. These are the standard notes used to tune B flat clarinets.
- 3). Listen to your sound and the tone from an audible tuner to determine if they match. You may notice a pulsing sound as you play the note. This pulse will be slow or absent if you are in tune.
- 4). Watch for the needle on your tuner to stay steady in the center. If your tuner uses lights, a green center light will stay lit up. If you are out of tune, the lights or needle will wobble or stay off center. If the needle is left of the center, your clarinet is flat. If it is right, you are playing sharp.
- 5). Push the barrel down toward the top joint if your clarinet sounds or reads flat according to your tuner. The barrel is the piece directly below the mouthpiece. Pull the barrel up away from the top joint if your clarinet reads or sounds sharp on the tuner.
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