Dan tranh tuner (Vietnamese zither)
The first tuning taught on the đàn tranh is dây Bắc: the five relative names Hò Xự Xang Xê Cống sung as G A C D E. On the traditional 16-string zither (đàn thập lục), string 1, the longest and lowest, is G3 = 196 Hz, and the five-note pattern repeats over three octaves up to string 16 = G6.
Notes and frequencies of the 16-string đàn tranh (dây Bắc)
16-string đàn tranh in dây Bắc with Hò = G3: equal-tempered frequencies at A4 = 440 Hz, from string 1 (lowest) to string 16. The 17-string Nguyễn Vĩnh Bảo layout adds string 1 = E3 (164.81 Hz) and moves these notes to strings 2–17.
| String | Note | Frequency (Hz) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Hò | G3 | 196.00 |
| 2 · Xự | A3 | 220.00 |
| 3 · Xang | C4 | 261.63 |
| 4 · Xê | D4 | 293.66 |
| 5 · Cống | E4 | 329.63 |
| 6 · Liêu | G4 | 392.00 |
| 7 · Xự | A4 | 440.00 |
| 8 · Xang | C5 | 523.25 |
| 9 · Xê | D5 | 587.33 |
| 10 · Cống | E5 | 659.26 |
| 11 · Liu | G5 | 783.99 |
| 12 · Ú (Xự) | A5 | 880.00 |
| 13 · Xang | C6 | 1046.50 |
| 14 · Xê | D6 | 1174.66 |
| 15 · Cống | E6 | 1318.51 |
| 16 · Liu | G6 | 1567.98 |
How to use it
- Tap Turn on microphone, then choose the 16-string or 17-string layout under Tuning.
- Tap a string number to lock the tuner onto it and hear its reference note. Pluck the open string with a finger pick, near the fixed bridge on the right, and damp its neighbours.
- Turn the tuning pin to get close, then slide the movable bridge (nhạn) for fine tuning: towards the pins lowers the pitch, away from them raises it.
- Tune the Hò strings first (G3, G4, G5, G6), then the rest, and finish by checking the Hò octaves and the Hò–Xê fifths by ear.
Help and explanations
The 17-string design by Nguyễn Vĩnh Bảo, now the most common type (the 16-string is still sold and taught), adds an extra bass string: string 1 is E3, and strings 2 to 17 carry the same 16 notes. Pick the right layout first, or every string ends up one position off. Traditional Vietnamese music has no fixed pitch; Hò = G3 at A4 = 440 Hz is simply the best-documented convention for tuning with an electronic tuner.
Hò Xự Xang Xê Cống string by string
On a 16-string instrument each group of five strings is one round of Hò Xự Xang Xê Cống: strings 1–5 = G3 A3 C4 D4 E4, strings 6–10 = G4 A4 C5 D5 E5, strings 11–15 = G5 A5 C6 D6 E6, string 16 = G6. The higher Hò strings are called Liêu and Liu, and string 7 is A4 = 440 Hz. F and B have no string of their own: players get them by pressing the E string (a semitone) or the A string (a whole tone) left of the bridge. The tuner measures open strings only, so do not press while tuning.
The top string (G6, about 1568 Hz) decays quickly and sits at the upper edge of what a phone microphone reads reliably. If the display flickers there, check it against the G5 string by ear as an octave.
The note names are relative
Hò Xự Xang Xê Cống works like movable do. Southern players call it Sol La Đô Rê Mi, northern players Đô Rê Fa Sol La, and many đờn ca tài tử groups put Hò on D to play together. Some methods and forums (such as Đam San) also give Đô Rê Fa Sol La (C D F G A) or Rê Mi Sol La Si (D E G A B) sets, but without octaves, so only dây Bắc with Hò = G is preset here. In a group, follow the group's pitch.
Hơi Bắc, Nam and Oán are modal systems, not "northern" and "southern" tunings. To move to dây Nam, players slide the bridges of the Xự strings up to B♭ and the Cống strings up to F. Keefe, Burns and Nguyen (1991) measured steps of about 166 cents in the Nam modes, outside equal temperament, and the Xự of Vọng cổ sits between B♭ and B. Tune those notes by ear.
Tips
- Line the bridges up in an even diagonal before you start; coarse-tune at the pin, fine-tune with the bridge.
- Check the octave of the lowest string: G3 = 196 Hz. Pulling it up to G4 over-tightens the steel string and can snap it.
- New steel strings stretch, so retune several times in the first days. If pressing feels too stiff, some players lower Hò to F3.
Frequently asked questions
What are the notes of a 16-string dan tranh?
In dây Bắc, from string 1 to 16: G3 A3 C4 D4 E4, G4 A4 C5 D5 E5, G5 A5 C6 D6 E6, G6, which is 196 Hz up to about 1568 Hz at A4 = 440 Hz.
How is a 17-string dan tranh tuned?
On Nguyễn Vĩnh Bảo's 17-string design, string 1 is an extra low E3 and strings 2–17 hold the 16 notes above, ending on G6. Some 17-string zithers start with Hò on string 1 instead, so check with your teacher or maker.
Is there one official dan tranh tuning?
No. Pitch is relative in traditional music, and tài tử groups often put Hò on D. Hò = G3 at A440 is the convention most often written down for learners using a tuner.
Do I need an app to tune a dan tranh with my phone?
No. Open this page in the browser, allow the microphone and pluck one string at a time. The audio is analysed on your device and never uploaded.