Persian kamancheh tuner
The kamancheh is the Iranian spike fiddle: a small spherical body covered with a skin membrane, a fretless neck and a spike that rests on the knee while the player bows it upright. Older instruments had three silk strings; the modern classical kamancheh has four metal strings. Its main, everyday tuning is the violin’s: G3 D4 A4 E5, which Persian sources write from string 1 to string 4 as mi–la–re–sol.
Open-string notes and frequencies (standard)
Persian kamancheh in its standard modern tuning, from string 4 (lowest) to string 1 (highest). Equal-tempered frequencies at A4 = 440 Hz.
| String | Note | Frequency (Hz) |
|---|---|---|
| String 4 · sol (lowest) | G3 | 196.00 |
| String 3 · re | D4 | 293.66 |
| String 2 · la | A4 | 440.00 |
| String 1 · mi (highest) | E5 | 659.26 |
How to use it
- Tap Turn on microphone and keep the standard tuning unless your piece calls for a scordatura.
- Tune string 2 (A4) first. It is the same in every preset on this page and anchors the others.
- Bow each open string lightly and steadily, away from the bridge, and hold the note for a few seconds; a sustained tone reads better than a short pizzicato.
- If your kamancheh has fine tuners, use them for small corrections and the pegs only for big changes, pushing the peg in as you turn so it doesn’t slip.
Help and explanations
This tuner listens through your microphone and shows note, octave and cents for each open string. Persian sources also list scordatura tunings associated with particular dastgahs: Nava, a mi–la–re–la tuning given for Mahur, a mi–la–mi–la tuning for Esfahan, Chahargah and Rast-Panjgah, and the Lori tuning of regional music. They give only note names, so the octaves of those presets are deduced from a rule the same sources state.
String numbering and the dastgah tunings
Persian practice numbers the strings as on the violin: string 1 is the thinnest and highest (E5), string 4 the lowest (G3), so a list like mi–la–re–sol runs from high to low. The scordaturas follow a rule given by Persian sources: string 3 sits an octave below string 1, and string 4 an octave below string 2. For Nava, string 1 drops from E5 to D5. For mi–la–re–la, string 4 rises from G3 to A3. For mi–la–mi–la, strings 3 and 4 both rise a tone, to E4 and A3, the same pitches as the contemporary Armenian kamancha tuning described in Grove. The Lori tuning, re–la–re–la, gives D5 A4 D4 A3.
Treat these as documented conventions, not canon. Most Persian pages repeat one source text, and they contradict each other: Mahur appears both as mi–la–re–la and as mi–la–mi–la, and so does Homayun. No reliable source gives a kamancheh tuning for Shur, Segah, Afshari, Dashti, Bayat-e Tork or Abu-Ata, so they have no presets.
Pitch, membrane and microtones
In Persian classical music the tuning is built on the shahed, the central note of the dastgah, and its absolute pitch depends on the musician, the singer and the ensemble. A4 = 440 Hz is the electronic tuner’s convention. With a singer, tar or santur, tune the A string to the group and move the others by the same interval, or change the A4 reference in Settings.
The koron and sori microtones are made by the fingers on the fretless neck, never by the open strings, which stay on fifths, fourths and octaves. The skin reacts to humidity and temperature, and raising strings 3 and 4 by a tone adds tension: turn slowly and check that the bridge stays upright. For the Turkish classical kemençe, see the kemenche tuner.
Tips
- Count strings the Persian way: string 1 is the highest. For Nava, lower string 1 to D5, not D4.
- Bow noise and harmonics can make the reading jump an octave; tune in a quiet room with a light bow.
- After the tuner, check open strings two at a time by ear: true fifths, fourths and octaves sound without beating.
Frequently asked questions
What are the notes of the kamancheh strings?
In the standard modern tuning, from string 4 to string 1: G3 (196 Hz), D4 (293.66 Hz), A4 (440 Hz) and E5 (659.26 Hz), the same as a violin.
How do I tune a kamancheh for Nava?
Lower string 1 a whole tone, from E5 to D5, and leave the rest: re–la–re–sol from string 1 to 4. The D5 octave is deduced from the source rule that string 3 is an octave below string 1.
Which tuning is used for Homayun and Mahur?
Sources disagree: some list mi–la–mi–la (E5 A4 E4 A3), others mi–la–re–la (E5 A4 D4 A3) for both. Ask your teacher which one their radif uses.
Does a kamancheh have to be tuned to 440 Hz?
Only by convention when you use an electronic tuner. Traditionally the pitch follows the shahed of the dastgah and the singer, so the whole instrument may sit higher or lower.