5-string kantele tuner
The five-string kantele is most often tuned to the first five notes of D major: D4 E4 F♯4 G4 A4, from 293.66 Hz to 440 Hz at A4 = 440 Hz. The longest string is the low D and the shortest is the high A. The other common choice is D minor, where the third string is F4 instead of F♯4.
5-string kantele notes and frequencies
Five-string kantele in D major, from the longest string to the shortest. Equal-tempered frequencies at A4 = 440 Hz; in D minor the third string is F4 (349.23 Hz).
| String | Note | Frequency (Hz) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (longest) | D4 | 293.66 |
| 2 | E4 | 329.63 |
| 3 | F♯4 (D minor: F4) | 369.99 (349.23) |
| 4 | G4 | 392.00 |
| 5 (shortest) | A4 | 440.00 |
How to use it
- Tap Turn on microphone, allow access and pick the tuning: D major, D minor or the low set.
- Damp the other strings with your palm and pluck one string. All kantele strings ring open in sympathy, so the tuner could otherwise hear the wrong one.
- Needle on the left: tighten. On the right: loosen. Turn the tuning pin with the tuning key in very small movements, because a short steel string changes pitch quickly.
- Work from the low D up to the high A, then go round once more: tightening one string changes the tension on the soundboard and moves the others slightly.
Help and explanations
This tuner listens through your microphone, recognises the string you pluck and shows the note, the cents and which way to turn. The octave matters: the maker Koistinen Kantele says the five-string kantele is most commonly tuned in the one-line octave. Finnish methods write it as d1–a1, which means D4–A4, not a very low D1.
D major, D minor and the semitone lever
D as the home note is a strong convention, not an absolute rule: Koistinen describes the basic tuning as a diatonic D major and/or D minor scale, and Finnish Wikipedia notes that other tunings are also used. Major and minor differ only on the third string: F♯4 (369.99 Hz) or F4 (349.23 Hz).
Some kanteles have a semitone lever that switches the third string between F and F♯. Many do not; without one, you simply retune that string. If yours has a lever, check both positions with the tuner. Folk players sometimes tune the third by ear so it sounds pure against the D; this tuner shows the equal-tempered target, which is the right reference for playing with piano or guitar.
The Koistinen Twin5 group kantele has two five-string sets: one in the one-line octave and one an octave lower, in the small octave (D3–A3). Choose the low set only for that kind of bass set. An ordinary five-string kantele is most commonly tuned at D4–A4.
10, 11 and 15-string kanteles
Larger kanteles are tuned diatonically, string by string, and there is no single shared chart. Koistinen publishes the range of its 11-string Wing11 as a–d2, that is A3–D5 (one and a half octaves), but not the key or the note of each string. We found no maker's note chart for 10 or 15-string kanteles, and the stringing varies by model: Koistinen sells separate soloist and drone (borduna) string sets for its 15-string Wing.
Tune a larger kantele to the maker's table or your teacher's tuning with the chromatic tuner, which shows any note and octave. The large concert kantele with its lever mechanism is a different instrument and is not covered here.
Tips
- Check the octave, not just the letter: the lowest string is D4 (293.66 Hz). A reading near 587 Hz means you are an octave too high, and a short steel string can snap.
- Identify strings by length and pitch, not by playing position: the kantele is played from either the short or the long side, but in these tunings the longest string is always the low D.
- New steel strings stretch for the first days, and temperature and humidity affect the wooden body. Let the kantele settle in the room and tune before you play.
Frequently asked questions
What notes is a 5-string kantele tuned to?
Most often D major: D4, E4, F♯4, G4 and A4 from the longest string to the shortest (293.66, 329.63, 369.99, 392 and 440 Hz at A4 = 440 Hz). In D minor the third string is F4 (349.23 Hz).
What does d1–a1 mean in Finnish kantele books?
It is the Finnish (German-style) octave notation: the one-line octave starts at middle C, so d1 = D4 and a1 = A4 (440 Hz). It does not mean a very low D1.
How do I tune a 10, 11 or 15-string kantele?
String by string from the maker's table, using the chromatic tuner. There is no single chart for these sizes; for example, the Koistinen Wing11 covers a–d2, i.e. A3–D5.
Do I have to tune a kantele to A = 440 Hz?
None of the sources we found sets a special pitch standard for the kantele. 440 Hz is the tuner's default and suits playing with others; change the reference if your group uses another.