Thanks for trying out our new tuner on Play! Listening tuners can be tricky to use, so if you are having trouble please read through the article below for some helpful tips and tricks. If you’d like to give us feedback to help us improve the tuner please submit a ticket here, and under “Choose an Issue” select “Play Tuner Feedback”.
Where can I find the tuner in Play?
You can access the tuner by going to the Fender Play website and clicking on the tuning fork icon in the top right, next to your Streak count. To dismiss the tuner and go back to your lesson, simply click the “X” in the upper right corner. This icon appears on any screen, so use it whenever you need to get in tune!
Please note that right now the tuner is not available on the mobile app (yet!). If you’d like a mobile app tuner, please check out our tuning app Fender Tune on iOS and Android.
How do I use the tuner?
Use the tuner at any point in your Play session to get back into tune. Follow the steps below to ensure a great tuning experience!
- Before Tuning
- If using an electric instrument, make sure you are amplified, as this will vastly help the tuner register the correct note. If you are using an acoustic instrument, just make sure to pluck the string at a reasonable volume.
- Make sure you are in a quiet location if possible, as competing noise from fans, TVs, etc. can interfere with the tuner’s ability to pick up a note.
- Using The Tuner
- After opening the tuner in Play, make sure to click the “Turn Microphone On” button to begin; this should pop up a message up from your browser asking you to allow microphone access. If you do not allow permissions, the microphone will not work. If you are having trouble with this step, see the tips below.
- When tuning, make sure to let a note ring out so the tuner can accurately give feedback. If a note is not being picked up correctly by the tuner, try another string and come back later.
- Always tune up or down in small increments, then check the note again. For further tips on how to tune and use tuning apps, see https://playapp.fender.com/guitar/collections/troubleshoot-your-playing/course/troubleshooting-tuning.
- Recommended Browsers:
- For optimal performance, we recommend using Chrome or Safari browsers.
- Due to software limitations, if you are using Firefox on Windows, you may experience difficulty using the tuner. If you do not want to use Chrome or Safari, we recommend downloading our free tuning app Fender Tune on your phone.
I didn’t see the microphone access prompt and the tuner is not working.
When you launch the tuner and click the “Turn Microphone On” button, this should prompt your browser to ask you to allow microphone permission; make sure to select “allow” when this message appears. However if this does not occur you can do this manually:
- Chrome users: click on “settings”, and then click on “privacy and security”. At the bottom of the list click on “site settings”. From there, click on “microphone”, and make sure you see “playapp.fender.com” on the list of “allowed to use your microphone”. Also ensure that you don’t have “don’t allow sites to use your microphone” selected.
- Safari: Click “safari” in the menu, then “settings”. Once in settings, click on the “websites” tab, and then click “microphone” on the list on the left. Ensure that the “ask” option is selected on the bottom right.
I did all the above and I’m still having trouble using the tuner.
Unfortunately listening tuners can be tricky, as they rely on many various factors to work properly, and certain frequencies (particularly lower bass frequencies) can be hard to detect. We will be continuing to refine the tuner, but in the meantime please try out our free tuning app Fender Tune (available on iOS and Android), or check out some of our digital tuners that may provide a more reliable reading.