Dan nguyet (moon lute) tuner
The đàn nguyệt, called đàn kìm or đờn kìm in the south, has two open strings. This page starts on dây Bắc, a perfect fifth: low string C3 (130.81 Hz), high string G3 (196 Hz). In his 2016 thesis Cồ Huy Hùng writes that in chèo, ca Huế and cải lương the high string is taken at the G of the small octave, which is G3.
Open-string notes and frequencies of the đàn nguyệt
Đàn nguyệt: high string on G3 (the G of the small octave, Cồ Huy Hùng 2016); low string C3 in dây Bắc or D3 in dây Nam, derived from the interval. Equal-tempered frequencies at A4 = 440 Hz.
| Tuning · string | Note | Frequency (Hz) |
|---|---|---|
| Dây Bắc · low string | C3 | 130.81 |
| Dây Bắc · high string | G3 | 196.00 |
| Dây Nam · low string | D3 | 146.83 |
| Dây Nam · high string | G3 | 196.00 |
How to use it
- Tap Turn on microphone and choose Dây Bắc or Dây Nam.
- Pluck the high string (the thinner one, lower when you hold the instrument) without touching the frets, and bring it to G3.
- Select the low string and tune it to C3 for dây Bắc or D3 for dây Nam. The frets are very high and the lightest touch raises the pitch, so keep clear of them.
- Check with a fret: in dây Nam the low string at fret 2 should match the open high string; in dây Bắc use fret 3.
Help and explanations
The second preset is dây Nam (dây Oán or dây hò tư in the south, dây bằng in hát văn): a perfect fourth, with the high string still on G3 and the low string raised to D, which gives D3 a fourth below G3. The same thesis says most tài tử players use dây Nam today. Book names such as Fa–Đô or Sol–Đô are relative; the targets here are A440 conventions.
Low string, high string and their names
The low string is also called dây to, dây trong or dây tồn; the high string is dây nhỏ, dây ngoài or dây tang. Books number them differently, so this page simply says low and high. In relative solfège the high string is always Đô, and the low string is Fa in dây Bắc (a fifth), Sol in dây Nam (a fourth) and Rê in dây Tố Lan (a minor seventh). In the south, the names hò nhứt, hò nhì and hò tư tell you where Hò falls for a given voice; they are not fixed keys.
Hát văn, Tố Lan and pressed notes
Hát văn players usually tune lower than chèo or cải lương players, with heavier, slacker strings. That pitch is documented in a single thesis, so no separate preset is offered. Tố Lan (a minor seventh), Ly Tao (a major second) and the octave tuning are also described only as intervals. For these, tune the high string to the voice and use the chromatic tuner for the low string.
The frets follow a pentatonic layout with slightly flat or sharp degrees, and the nhấn technique deliberately pushes notes up. The tuner is therefore reliable on open strings; fretted and pressed notes are for your ear.
Tips
- Slack nylon strings stretch a lot: after restringing, retune several times and always approach the note from below.
- Do not squeeze the string between peg and nut while measuring; that section changes the pitch too.
- To accompany a singer, keep the interval between the strings and move both strings up or down together.
Frequently asked questions
What notes is a dan nguyet tuned to?
Dây Bắc: low string C3, high string G3 (a fifth). Dây Nam or dây Oán: D3 and G3 (a fourth). At A440 that is 130.81 or 146.83 Hz on the low string and 196 Hz on the high string.
Which is more common, dây Bắc or dây Nam?
Dây Bắc is the basic tuning most often cited in books. According to Cồ Huy Hùng, tài tử music today mostly uses dây Nam, and hát văn also favours the fourth, at a lower pitch.
What are dây bằng and dây lệch?
In hát văn, dây bằng is the fourth (sol–đô) and dây lệch the fifth (fa–đô). Some websites swap them.
Can I use a guitar tuner mode?
Not really. Guitar mode expects the six strings E A D G B E and will flag the wrong string, and the low C3 of dây Bắc is not a guitar string at all. Use this page or the chromatic tuner.