How to tune an octavina

An octavina looks like a guitar, but it is not tuned like one

The octavina is the guitar-shaped member of the Filipino rondalla. It has a guitar-like body, a shorter neck and a round sound hole. According to the UP Alumni and Friends Rondalla, it is tuned exactly like the laud, one octave below the bandurria, and the two instruments can replace each other in the group. Both play the lower parts: accompaniment, counter-melodies and lines in unison with the bass.

Because of its shape, many guitar players pick up an octavina and try to tune it like a guitar. That does not work. A guitar is tuned E A D G B E, with one major third between the G and B strings. The octavina is tuned F♯ B E A D G, and every course is a perfect fourth above the one below. The string count is also different: 14 metal strings, not 6.

The quickest way to get it right is to open the octavina tuner, which already has these notes in the correct octaves, and follow the steps in this guide.

Six courses, 14 strings

The 14 strings are grouped in six courses. A course is a set of strings that you pluck together as if it were one string. The UP Alumni and Friends Rondalla lists the courses like this:

• 1st course (G): 3 strings
• 2nd course (D): 3 strings
• 3rd course (A): 3 strings
• 4th course (E): 2 strings
• 5th course (B): 2 strings
• 6th course (F♯): 1 string

All the strings of one course are tuned to the same note in the same octave. There are no octave strings, as on a 12-string guitar. The courses are numbered from the highest note, so the 1st course is the thin G strings and the 6th course is the single bass F♯.

The same source lists the gauges for one octavina set. The G and D courses are plain steel (.010 and .012 inch). The A, E, B and F♯ courses are copper-wound steel (.018, .032, .040 and .048 inch). The scale length, from nut to bridge, is 19¾ inches (about 50 cm). Thicker wound strings change pitch more slowly when you turn the peg, so expect more turns on the low courses.

Octavina notes and frequencies

From the lowest course to the highest, standard octavina tuning is F♯2 B2 E3 A3 D4 G4. With A4 = 440 Hz, the range of the open strings goes from 92.50 Hz to 392.00 Hz. The UP Alumni and Friends Rondalla places the 1st course on the first G above middle C, which is G4. The Atlas of Plucked Instruments gives the same layout and the same octave for the laud and the octavina.

For guitar players, two comparisons help. The octavina's bass F♯2 is the same pitch as a guitar's low E string at the 2nd fret. The octavina's top G4 is one octave above the guitar's open G string (G3, 196 Hz). If you tune the 1st course to the guitar's open G, it will be an octave too low and sound loose and weak.

The bandurria uses the same note names one octave higher: F♯3 B3 E4 A4 D5 G5. The octavina and the bandurria can share music, but never the same octave numbers.

Set up the tuner

Choose a quiet room. Place the phone or computer about 20–30 cm from the sound hole. The low F♯2 is a deep note, and a phone microphone hears it better when it is close and the room is calm.

1. Open the Lalatone octavina tuner and tap Turn on microphone. Allow access when the browser asks.
2. The tuner opens on 14-string standard (F♯ B E A D G), the only tuning it offers, so there is nothing to choose.
3. You see six buttons with the notes and frequencies, from #6 (F♯2, 92.5 Hz) to the 1st course (G4, 392.0 Hz). The screen labels the other five buttons as Pair 5 to Pair 1, even for the courses that have three strings. Just follow the note and the Hz on each button.
4. Tap a button to lock the tuner on that course. Tap Play to hear the reference note before you pluck.
5. If you prefer, open Settings and use Auto: the tuner detects which course you played. In Settings you can also check Reference A (440 Hz by default) and switch Note names to Do Re Mi.

Step by step: tune all 14 strings

Work from the 6th course to the 1st, and tune one string at a time. If you strum a whole course, the tuner hears two or three slightly different notes and the needle cannot settle.

1. Select #6 and pluck the single F♯ string with your pick. Use the same force you use to play.
2. Wait a moment. A hard pick stroke makes a metal string sound a little sharp at first. Read the note, the Hz and the needle when the sound is stable.
3. Follow the message on the screen. flat: tighten means turn the peg to raise the pitch. sharp: loosen means lower it. Stop when the needle is in the center and the screen says in tune.
4. If you went too high, go below the note and come up to it again. A string tuned upward holds its pitch better.
5. Select the B course. Mute one string with a light fingertip and tune the other. Then swap. Do the same with the E course.
6. On the A, D and G courses, mute two strings and tune the third. Repeat until all three strings of the course read in tune.
7. Go back to #6 and check every course again. The pull of 14 strings changes the neck and the top a little while you tune.

Check each course as a unison

When each string reads in tune, pluck the whole course. It should sound like one full note. A slow wobble, like “wah-wah”, means two strings are close but not equal. The slower the wobble, the closer they are. Mute one string at a time to find the one that is off, then turn its peg very slightly until the wobble stops.

Check by ear

Since every course is a fourth above the one below, the 5th fret of each course gives the open note of the next higher course:

• F♯ course at the 5th fret = B2 = open B course
• B course at the 5th fret = E3 = open E course
• E course at the 5th fret = A3 = open A course
• A course at the 5th fret = D4 = open D course
• D course at the 5th fret = G4 = open G course

Play the fretted note and the open course one after the other, then together, and listen for a wobble. This test only shows that the courses agree with each other. To play in a rondalla, at least one course must match the group's reference. A good method is to tune the A course to 220 Hz first, then use the 5th-fret test up and down.

In a rehearsal you can also check against other instruments. A bandurria course sounds one octave above the same octavina course, so your 12th fret should match the bandurria's open string. A laud has exactly the same notes as the octavina, so open courses should match directly. You can tune a laud with the laud tuner.

Common problems and how to fix them

New strings will not stay in tune

New strings stretch for several days, especially the wound ones. After the first tuning, pull each string gently away from the fretboard, near the middle, a few times. Tune again and repeat. In the first week, retune at the start of every practice.

The 1st course breaks or sounds thin

Check the octave number. If someone tunes the 1st course to G5 (784 Hz), the bandurria's note, the string must carry four times the tension, and plain steel at .010 inch will break first. If the G course reads G3 (196 Hz), it is an octave too low and feels loose. The target is G4, 392 Hz. The same check works for every course: compare the Hz with the table.

The tuner does not react to the bass F♯

Low notes are harder for small microphones. Move the phone closer to the sound hole, pluck a bit firmer and let the string ring. Mute the other courses, because a ringing higher string can take over the reading.

The bridge moved while changing strings

If the bridge of your octavina is held in place only by the strings, change one course at a time, so the other strings keep the bridge in place. After a full restring, check the 12th fret: the fretted note should be exactly one octave above the open course.

The group uses another A

If the director tunes the rondalla to A = 442 Hz, change Reference A in Settings. Every target moves together and the note names stay the same.

Quick answers

How many strings does an octavina have?

14 strings in six courses: one F♯, two B, two E, three A, three D and three G.

Is the octavina tuned like the laud or the bandurria?

Exactly like the laud: F♯2 B2 E3 A3 D4 G4. The bandurria has the same note names one octave higher.

What are the notes in Do Re Mi?

From the 6th course to the 1st: Fa♯, Ti, Mi, La, Re, Sol. Switch Note names in the octavina tuner to see them on screen.