Pan flute tuner for the Romanian nai
The nai is the pan flute of Romania and Moldova: pipes closed at the bottom, glued in a curved holder and blown across the top edge, one note per pipe. It is usually tuned diatonically in G major; chromatic notes come from moving the instrument and the lips. The traditional soprano has 20 pipes, and from the 1960s and '70s Gheorghe Zamfir and makers such as the Preda family spread the alto, tenor and bass sizes.
Alto nai with 22 pipes in G major: notes and frequencies
Sounding pitch with A4 = 440 Hz; pipe 1 is the longest. Shops write the same range as G1–G4 or G'–G''''. C4 is middle C. The tenor adds D4, E4 and F♯4 below pipe 1.
| Pipe | Note | Frequency (Hz) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | G4 | 392.00 |
| 2 | A4 | 440.00 |
| 3 | B4 | 493.88 |
| 4 | C5 | 523.25 |
| 5 | D5 | 587.33 |
| 6 | E5 | 659.26 |
| 7 | F♯5 | 739.99 |
| 8 | G5 | 783.99 |
| 9 | A5 | 880.00 |
| 10 | B5 | 987.77 |
| 11 | C6 | 1046.50 |
| 12 | D6 | 1174.66 |
| 13 | E6 | 1318.51 |
| 14 | F♯6 | 1479.98 |
| 15 | G6 | 1567.98 |
| 16 | A6 | 1760.00 |
| 17 | B6 | 1975.53 |
| 18 | C7 | 2093.00 |
| 19 | D7 | 2349.32 |
| 20 | E7 | 2637.02 |
| 21 | F♯7 | 2959.96 |
| 22 | G7 | 3135.96 |
How to use it
- Warm the nai up, tap Turn on microphone and pick a profile; check that pipe 1 matches the profile's first note.
- Blow one pipe, upright and untilted, for two or three seconds. Stay on Automatic or tap the pipe in the list; Hear target plays its note.
- Below target means the pipe is flat, Above target that it is sharp. Note down each pipe's offset before you touch any wax.
- Correct in small steps: more wax (or the stopper pushed up) raises the pitch, removing wax lowers it. Measure again after every change.
Help and explanations
This tuner has pipe-by-pipe grids for the 22-pipe alto (G4–G7, the default), the 25-pipe tenor (D4–G7) and the 20-pipe soprano (B4–G7), all in G major. Pipe 1 is the longest. Shops write the alto's range as “G1–G4” or G'–G'''': that is the G4–G7 in the table. For other models (22 pipes from D, 20 from F♯, nai in C, bass nai), use free chromatic mode.
Wax and fine tuning
At the bottom of each pipe sits a cork or wooden plug topped with beeswax. More wax shortens the air column and raises the note; taking wax out lowers it. Some factory-made pan flutes use rubber or plastic stoppers instead, moved with a rod.
The Romanian makers Ion and Ionuț Preda advise leaving tuning with special cutters and a tamping rod to an experienced person, usually a teacher. Measure a pipe several times first: if the reading changes from breath to breath, blame your embouchure, not the wax.
Temperature, moisture and the seasons
Warmer air raises the pitch by roughly 3 cents per degree Celsius, and Romanian players add or remove wax when the season changes. Tune the nai warm, in the room where you will play, and never leave it in a car in summer.
Breath leaves condensation in the pipes: the Preda workshop recommends laying the nai flat after practice, rather than leaving it shut in its case. If a pipe suddenly sounds dull, check for moisture before touching the wax.
Semitones, the high register and notation
A G nai has no pipes for F natural, B♭ or C♯: players get them by tilting the instrument and changing the lip position. To practise, choose Free chromatic on Automatic and watch whether the semitone lands near 0 cents.
Pipe 22 on the alto plays G7, about 3136 Hz, with a lot of air in the tone: hold the phone close, slightly to the side of the air jet. According to Moldova's intangible heritage register, nai music is usually written an octave below how it sounds; the tuner shows the sounding pitch.
Tips
- Check the G pipes first (1, 8, 15, 22 on the alto; 4, 11, 18, 25 on the tenor); with clean octaves, the rest is easier.
- Blow with your normal pressure: forcing the air or underblowing moves the note by a few cents.
- If the whole nai is equally off, leave the wax alone: play pipe 1 steadily and press Capture reference to see only the differences between pipes.
Frequently asked questions
How do you tune a pan flute?
Pipe by pipe, with the beeswax at the bottom: more wax raises the note, less lowers it. Measure each pipe warm and untilted; leave fine corrections to a maker or teacher.
What are the notes on a 22-pipe pan flute?
A G major alto nai runs G4–G7: G, A, B, C, D, E, F♯ three times, plus G7. The table below lists every pipe with its frequency.
What does “G1–G4” mean on a pan flute for sale?
It is makers' octave notation: the lowest pipe is G4 (392 Hz) and the highest G7, not scientific G1 three octaves lower. On a tenor, “D1–G4” means D4–G7.
What is the difference between an alto and a tenor pan flute?
The tenor has 25 pipes, adding D4, E4 and F♯4 below the alto's G4; from pipe 4 up the notes match. Some players order a 26th pipe, C4.
What key is a pan flute in?
The Romanian nai is usually in G major, named after its scale, not its lowest pipe: a G soprano starts on B, a G tenor on D. For nais in C, use free chromatic mode.
Should a pan flute be tuned to 440 or 442 Hz?
The maker specifications we checked state no reference A. The page starts at 440 Hz; if your band plays at 442 or 443 Hz, say with a cimbalom, change A4 and every target follows.
Will it work for my 20-pipe pan flute?
Yes, if its longest pipe plays B4: the soprano profile runs from B4 to G7. Many 20-pipe pan flutes run from F♯4 to D7 instead; use free chromatic mode for those.