Buzuq tuner online
The buzuq (Arabic بزق) is the long-necked, fretted lute of Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan. It has metal strings played with a plectrum and tied nylon frets that can be moved, and its body is smaller than an oud's. This buzuq tuner listens through your phone or computer microphone and shows the note, the cents and which way to turn the tuning key, with no app to install.
Open-string notes and frequencies
Buzuq, three courses: C3 G3 C4. Equal-tempered frequencies at A4 = 440 Hz; the live targets follow the selected A reference.
| Course | Sounding note | Frequency (Hz) |
|---|---|---|
| Course 3 · low C | C3 (thin partner, if fitted: C4) | 130.81 (261.63) |
| Course 2 · G | G3 | 196.00 |
| Course 1 · high C | C4 | 261.63 |
ATLAS of Plucked Instruments — Middle East; Maqam World — The Buzuq
How to use it
- Tap Turn on microphone, allow access and hold the phone close to the soundboard.
- Choose the three-course or the two-course preset, then pick the high C course on its own.
- Mute the other strings of the course with a finger and tune one string until the needle turns green; repeat for each string in that course.
- Move on to G and then low C, and finish by playing both C courses together: they should form a clean octave with no beating.
Help and explanations
The page opens on the modern three-course tuning: low C, G and high C, C3–G3–C4 (130.81, 196.00 and 261.63 Hz at A4 = 440 Hz), called دو قرار، صول، دو جواب in Arabic. The list also offers the traditional two-course buzuq, with a triple G3 course and a double C4 course. The buzuq is related to the Turkish saz and the Greek bouzouki, but it is a separate instrument with its own tuning.
How the low C course is strung
The target pitches are well documented, but the way each course is strung varies from one buzuq to another. Some have a unison pair C3+C3 on the low course, some a single C3 string, and several commercial string sets combine one or two thin strings at C4 with a thicker wound or silk bass string at C3. The rule for the tuner is simple: the thick string of the low course goes to C3, and any thin string in that same course goes to C4. That is why the low-course button shows both C3 and C4.
The G and high C courses are usually unison pairs, sometimes triples, and every string in them goes to the same pitch, G3 or C4. Buzuqs with four courses also exist, but they have no standardised tuning: use the chromatic tuner with the notes your teacher or maker gives you.
Quarter-tone frets and maqam
The tuner sets the open strings. The tied frets include quarter-tone positions for the maqamat, and on a 12-tone tuner those notes read roughly halfway between two semitones, around 50 cents off. That is expected: the exact position depends on the maqam and the player, and buzuq players nudge the frets for fine adjustment. Tune the open strings first, then slide a fret toward the bridge to raise its note or toward the nut to lower it.
To play in another key, move all three courses together and keep the C–G–C shape. Going down is safer than going up, because raising the high course above C4 adds a lot of tension to steel strings. For the fretless Arabic lute, open the oud tuner.
Tips
- Pick with moderate force and read the tuner after the attack: a steel string sounds slightly sharp right after a hard stroke.
- Don't borrow Greek bouzouki or Turkish saz settings: the bouzouki trichordo is D–A–D and the saz bozuk düzen is G–D–A.
- New steel strings stretch. Retune several times during the first days.
Frequently asked questions
What is the standard buzuq tuning?
C3–G3–C4 (low C, G, high C) on the three-course buzuq: 130.81, 196.00 and 261.63 Hz with A4 = 440 Hz. The two C courses are an octave apart.
How was the old two-course buzuq tuned?
With a triple course on G3 and a double course on C4, a perfect fourth apart. A third course was added later to extend the range.
Should both strings of the low C course be C3?
It depends on how your buzuq is strung. A thick bass or wound string goes to C3 and a thin string in the same course goes to C4. If the course is a unison pair of bass strings, both go to C3.
Can I tune the quarter-tone frets with this tuner?
You can measure them in cents, but don't force them to the nearest semitone. Quarter-tone frets sit about halfway between semitones, and their exact spot depends on the maqam.