Kazakh dombra tuner online
The dombra (Kazakh домбыра, also spelled dombyra) is the long-necked, two-string lute of Kazakhstan, played with the fingers rather than a pick: one string rings as a drone while the other carries the melody. This dombra tuner online listens through your microphone and shows note, octave and cents, with nothing to install.
Dombra tunings: notes and frequencies
Kazakh dombra, two strings, low drone string first. The standard tuning is the fourth D3–G3 (on burau); teris burau is a fifth, most often C3–G3. Equal-tempered frequencies at A4 = 440 Hz; many players tune both strings lower and keep the interval.
| Tuning | Low string (drone) | Hz | High string (melody) | Hz |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fourth, on burau (standard) | D3 | 146.83 | G3 | 196.00 |
| Fifth, teris burau (drone down a tone) | C3 | 130.81 | G3 | 196.00 |
| Fifth, variant (melody up a tone) | D3 | 146.83 | A3 | 220.00 |
| Low fourth (older reference) | A2 | 110.00 | D3 | 146.83 |
How to use it
- Tap Turn on microphone, allow access and hold the phone 20–30 cm from the dombra, in a quiet room.
- Choose a tuning: the standard fourth D3–G3, a teris burau fifth (C3–G3 or D3–A3) or the low fourth A2–D3.
- Tune the low drone string (String 2) first: mute the high string with a finger, pluck once and turn the peg until the needle turns green.
- Tune the high melody string (String 1) the same way. To check by ear, stop the low string five semitones higher (seven for a fifth): it should match the open high string.
Help and explanations
It opens on the standard fourth, on burau (оң бұрау): the low drone string on D3 (146.83 Hz) and the high melody string on G3 (196.00 Hz). The list adds the fifth, teris burau (теріс бұрау), in its two documented forms, C3–G3 and D3–A3, plus the older low fourth A2–D3. This is the Kazakh dombra, not the three-string Russian domra.
On burau and teris burau: fourth or fifth
The fourth D3–G3 has been the reference of Kazakh folk orchestras, music schools and makers since Akhmet Zhubanov set the dombras of his folk orchestra to D–G in the 1930s. In a 2016 newspaper article the küishi N. Bekenov estimated that 80–90% of Kazakh songs and küis are played in on burau.
Teris burau means a fifth between the strings, reached in more than one way. The most widely documented is to lower the drone string a whole tone, D3 to C3, giving C3–G3; Bekenov notes that teris burau küis are mostly in C major or C minor. Another documented route keeps D3 and raises the melody string to A3. The dombra player and writer Talasbek Asemkulov felt that a sudden retune spoils the mood and preferred saumalap burau: high string up a semitone, low string down a semitone, giving C♯3–G♯3. The fifth matters, not one “correct” pitch.
Tuning lower than D–G is legitimate
The dombra has no single fixed pitch: each instrument and each küi has a spot where it sounds best. Many players, especially older ones, keep the fourth but tune lower: B♭2–E♭3, B2–E3 or C3–F3. Before the orchestral D–G took over, the usual reference was A2–D3, the low fourth in the list; Dina Nurpeisova and Abiken Khasenov preferred to play küis there. Lower tunings give the soft sound Kazakh musicians call qoñyr (қоңыр), a word for the timbre, not for one specific tuning.
For in-between pitches, use the chromatic tuner, which reads any note: put the low string where you want it, then tune the high string exactly a fourth above. Singing along? Move both strings by the same amount.
Strings, string names and notation
Dombra strings were once gut; today they are fishing line (nylon monofilament), which stretches for days after fitting, so retune before every session at first. S. Utegalieva’s study of dombra pitch reports that line of about 0.7 mm suits the D–G tuning best: thinner line tends to sit too high, thicker line is stiff to play.
In Kazakh the low string is the üstíngi ishek, “upper string”, as it lies on top when you hold the dombra; the high string is the astyñǵy ishek, “lower string”. Russian-language methods number by pitch: String 1 is the high G. Dombra music is written an octave above the sound, so D4–G4 on the treble staff means D3–G3, and a guitar’s 4th and 3rd strings match the standard tuning exactly. For the related two-string lute of Iran and Central Asia, open the dotar tuner.
Tips
- Pluck one string at a time: two strings together sound like a chord and confuse the tuner.
- Watch the octave: a D2 or D4 reading on the low string is a full octave off, not a small error.
- From on burau to the C3–G3 teris burau, only the drone string moves.
- Turn the pegs gently and come up to each note from below.
Frequently asked questions
How do you tune a dombra?
Tune the low drone string to D3 (146.83 Hz), then the high melody string a perfect fourth above, to G3 (196.00 Hz), plucking one open string at a time.
What are the dombra string notes?
D3 and G3 in the standard on burau tuning: String 2, the low drone string, is D3 and String 1, the melody string, is G3. The Hz values are equal-tempered at A4 = 440 Hz.
How do I tune a dombra to a fifth (teris burau)?
Most often by lowering the drone string a whole tone, from D3 to C3, for C3–G3. You can also keep D3 and raise the melody string to A3. Choose the matching preset.
Can I tune my dombra lower than D–G?
Yes. Many Kazakh players keep the fourth but tune lower, for example B2–E3 or C3–F3, and the older reference was A2–D3. Use the low-fourth preset or the chromatic tuner.
Is the dombra the same as the domra?
No. The dombra is the Kazakh two-string lute played with the fingers. The Russian domra has three or four metal strings, is played with a pick and is tuned differently; the three-string domra is E4–A4–D5.