Online qanun and kanun tuner
The qanun (Turkish kanun) is a trapezoidal zither played flat on the lap or a table, plucked with plectra held by rings on the index fingers. Most instruments have about 26 courses of three nylon strings tuned in unison, laid out diatonically, seven per octave, over roughly three and a half octaves. This page holds the two common base layouts: the Turkish kanun, A2 to E6 with F♯ courses, and the Arabic qanun, G2 to D6 with F natural.
Qanun and kanun courses, levers natural
Sounding pitch with A4 = 440 Hz; course 1 is the lowest. Turkish kanun in Bolahenk (Nevâ = A4) and the common Arabic qanun layout (Ḥusaynī = A4). Valid only with mandals or ʿurab in the natural position; ♮ marks the E and B courses tuned natural before the ʿurab make them half-flat.
| Course | Turkish kanun | Hz | Arabic qanun | Hz |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A2 · Kaba Yegâh | 110.00 | G2 · Qarār Yakāh | 98.00 |
| 2 | B2 | 123.47 | A2 · Qarār ʿUshayrān | 110.00 |
| 3 | C3 | 130.81 | B2 · Qarār ʿIrāq ♮ | 123.47 |
| 4 | D3 · Kaba Rast | 146.83 | C3 · Qarār Rāst | 130.81 |
| 5 | E3 · Kaba Dügâh | 164.81 | D3 · Qarār Dūkāh | 146.83 |
| 6 | F♯3 · Kaba Bûselik | 185.00 | E3 · Qarār Sīkāh ♮ | 164.81 |
| 7 | G3 · Kaba Çârgâh | 196.00 | F3 · Qarār Jahārkāh | 174.61 |
| 8 | A3 · Yegâh | 220.00 | G3 · Yakāh | 196.00 |
| 9 | B3 · Hüseynî Aşîrân | 246.94 | A3 · ʿUshayrān | 220.00 |
| 10 | C4 · Acem Aşîrân | 261.63 | B3 · ʿIrāq ♮ | 246.94 |
| 11 | D4 · Rast | 293.66 | C4 · Rāst | 261.63 |
| 12 | E4 · Dügâh | 329.63 | D4 · Dūkāh | 293.66 |
| 13 | F♯4 · Bûselik | 369.99 | E4 · Sīkāh ♮ | 329.63 |
| 14 | G4 · Çârgâh | 392.00 | F4 · Jahārkāh | 349.23 |
| 15 | A4 · Nevâ | 440.00 | G4 · Nawā | 392.00 |
| 16 | B4 · Hüseynî | 493.88 | A4 · Ḥusaynī | 440.00 |
| 17 | C5 · Acem | 523.25 | B4 · Awj ♮ | 493.88 |
| 18 | D5 · Gerdaniye | 587.33 | C5 · Kirdān | 523.25 |
| 19 | E5 · Muhayyer | 659.26 | D5 · Muḥayyar | 587.33 |
| 20 | F♯5 · Tiz Bûselik | 739.99 | E5 · Buzurk ♮ | 659.26 |
| 21 | G5 · Tiz Çârgâh | 783.99 | F5 · Māhūrān | 698.46 |
| 22 | A5 · Tiz Nevâ | 880.00 | G5 · Ramal Tūtī | 783.99 |
| 23 | B5 · Tiz Hüseynî | 987.77 | A5 · Jawāb Ḥusaynī | 880.00 |
| 24 | C6 · Tiz Acem | 1046.50 | B5 · Jawāb Awj ♮ | 987.77 |
| 25 | D6 · Tiz Gerdaniye | 1174.66 | C6 · Jawāb Kirdān | 1046.50 |
| 26 | E6 · Tiz Muhayyer | 1318.51 | D6 · Jawāb Muḥayyar | 1174.66 |
Halili & Çoğulu (2023), Measurement of Kenan Öztan's Kanun Levers, idil
How to use it
- Set every mandal or ʿurba to its natural position, the one that gives the note without sharp, flat or microtone. The targets only apply there.
- Choose Turkish kanun or Arabic qanun, turn on the microphone and start with the A4 course (Nevâ or Ḥusaynī, the third A from the bottom).
- Pluck one string of the course with medium force, mute the neighbouring courses and turn the tuning key in small steps, approaching the note from below.
- Continue by fifths and fourths, checking each note in every octave, then match the other two strings of the course by ear until the beating disappears.
Help and explanations
Both use A4 = 440 Hz as the reference, but on different courses. On the Turkish kanun it is Nevâ, written D5: in the Bolahenk pitch level used for the kanun, everything sounds a perfect fourth below the written note, so Rast (written G) sounds D4. On the Arabic qanun the written note is the sounding note, and the reference is Ḥusaynī (A). The tuner always shows the real, sounding pitch; the course names in the list are the written names.
Mandals and ʿurab: what a tuner can and cannot do
Near the pegs each course passes over small levers, mandal in Turkish and ʿurab in Arabic. Raising one shortens the string and raises the pitch. Turkish kanuns divide the semitone into about six steps, so each mandal adds roughly 17 cents (a 72-per-octave system); the TDV encyclopedia counts 9 to 12 mandals per whole tone. Arabic qanuns work in quarter tones, usually with 4 or 5 levers per course, though instruments with 2 to 6 exist.
The lever heights are set by the maker; the player only checks them. With all levers down many courses sound about a semitone low, by an amount that changes with each course and each maker, so this page gives no targets for that position. Sīkāh, ʿIrāq and Awj, the half-flat notes of maqam Rast, come from the ʿurab, not from the peg, and their real intonation varies by region. Use the cents reading to inspect a lever; a lever that is off is a job for a luthier.
Turkish or Arabic layout?
Look at the lowest course and the F courses. A at the bottom with F♯ above it is the Turkish layout; G at the bottom with F natural is the common Arabic one. Do not use one grid on the other instrument. Course counts vary: the TDV gives 25 or 26 for the Turkish kanun, the Arab Encyclopedia 26 or 27 for modern Arabic qanuns, and some makers add low courses on request. If yours has more courses, continue the same sequence of natural notes or use the free chromatic mode.
The Arabic grid rests on players' and makers' sources such as the Syrian qanunist Bassem Alkhouri, and ranges differ between instruments, so confirm the extremes with your teacher. Other Turkish pitch levels (Kız, Mansur, Şah…) are reached by changing position, and published tables for them disagree, so they are not preset here. If your ensemble tunes to 442 Hz, change A4 and every target moves with it.
Tips
- Tune one string per course with the tuner and match the other two by ear. Mute the courses you are not measuring with a hand or a cloth: every string rings freely and the mic may catch a neighbour.
- The lowest courses (A2 or G2) have a weak fundamental: hold the phone close to the soundboard and confirm with the octave above.
- Many players stretch the extreme octaves slightly; on one measured kanun the top six courses sat 8 to 15 cents high. That is a preference, not a rule: if the octaves sound narrow, adjust by ear after the tuner.
Frequently asked questions
What notes is a qanun tuned to?
With the levers natural and A4 = 440 Hz, the Turkish kanun runs A2 B2 C3 D3 E3 F♯3 G3 and on up to E6; the Arabic qanun runs G2 A2 B2 C3 D3 E3 F3 and on up to D6. The table below lists all 26 courses with frequencies.
Why does Nevâ show as A on a Turkish kanun?
Turkish notation is transposing. In Bolahenk, written Nevâ (D5) is tuned to 440 Hz and sounds A4, so the whole kanun sounds a fourth below the page. Tuning written D to a real D would leave it a fourth out.
Should all the levers be down when I tune?
No. Put them in the natural position first. With every lever down many courses sound around a semitone lower, by an amount that depends on the instrument, so the table would be wrong there.
Can this tuner set quarter tones or makam commas?
No. It tunes the natural base in equal temperament and shows the cents of any note you play. Microtones come from the levers and your ear; do not expect 0 cents on a half-flat, and never tune one with the peg.