Saw sam sai tuner online
The saw sam sai (so sam sai, ซอสามสาย) is the three-string spike fiddle of central Thai classical music. Its body is a three-lobed coconut shell covered with skin, and the bow is free rather than threaded between the strings as on the saw duang and saw u. It is the lead instrument of the mahori alongside the voice, and it also plays in string ensembles and accompanies singing. The open strings are in fourths: sai thum is La, sai klang is Re and sai ek is Sol. Thai sources number sai ek as string 1 and sai thum as string 3.
Saw sam sai open strings
The tuner convention reads the Thai names letter by letter at A4 = 440 Hz. The right-hand column is one measured instrument, not a standard.
| String | Thai name | Tuner convention | Measured instrument (PSU 2003) |
|---|---|---|---|
| String 3 (sai thum) | La | A3 · 220.00 Hz | ≈ 176–185 Hz |
| String 2 (sai klang) | Re | D4 · 293.66 Hz | ≈ 262 Hz (C4) |
| String 1 (sai ek) | Sol | G4 · 392.00 Hz | ≈ 351 Hz (F4) |
Thanapong Phanthong, Prince of Songkla University thesis (2003), appendix J
How to use it
- Tap Turn on microphone and allow access. Before you start, put the bridge and the weight on the skin where they sit when you play.
- Select a string to lock its target, then make sure the bow touches only that string. Bow the open string with long, even strokes.
- Turn the peg in small steps and approach the note from below; silk strings snap easily if you overshoot.
- Check by ear pair by pair: La+Re and Re+Sol should both be clean fourths. Then compare with the khlui or ranat of your group.
Help and explanations
This page reads the Thai syllables letter by letter (do = C), giving A3–D4–G4. That is a convention: no Thai document fixes frequencies for the saw sam sai. The Thai community product standard (มผช. 217/2547) only says it must be tuned in relation to the other Thai instruments, and on one ensemble instrument measured in a study, the middle and high strings sat about a whole tone below this convention. In an ensemble, the group's pitch comes first.
La–Re–Sol: string order and note names
Thai texts often name the strings from sai ek downwards as Sol, Re, La, which runs from high to low. The lowest string is sai thum (La), not sai ek; sai ek is the thinnest and highest. This tuner lists them from sai thum to sai ek. There are two sizes, the standard saw sam sai and the smaller saw sam sai lib; no source gives separate pitches for the smaller one.
Reading La–Re–Sol as A3–D4–G4 matches a demonstration recording on Wikimedia Commons, whose lowest La sits near 215–216 Hz, about 30–40 cents under A3. A 2003 physics thesis at Prince of Songkla University measured one instrument with the middle string near 262 Hz (C4), the high string near 351 Hz (F4) and the low string around 176–185 Hz. The same lab measured the do of a khlui phiang o at about 466–477 Hz (B♭4), consistent with an ensemble tuned to the phiang o level.
Fourths tuned by ear
In theory the Thai scale has seven nearly equal steps, but real instruments deviate, and pitch levels differ between schools and ensembles. Ellis, measuring a saw sam sai in 1885, found its open-string fourths about 33 and 63 cents narrower than the theoretical Thai fourth. So don't force every string to the tuner's zero when playing with Thai instruments.
Use the tuner to find a starting pitch, check octaves and settle new strings. With Western instruments, keep A3–D4–G4 at 440 Hz. In a mahori or string ensemble, match the khlui or ranat of the group and use the chromatic tuner to read each string's cents. Stopped notes need not land on the tuner's semitones; masters shape the intervals to the piece and its mood.
Tips
- The weight on the face (thuang na) affects the sound. Attach it before tuning, not afterwards.
- Hold the phone close to the coconut body in a quiet room; the saw sam sai has a soft, delicate tone.
- New silk strings stretch. Recheck after a few minutes of playing and always read the octave number; never tighten up to G5.
Frequently asked questions
What notes is a saw sam sai tuned to?
Sai thum La, sai klang Re and sai ek Sol, in fourths. By the tuner convention that is A3 (220 Hz), D4 (293.66 Hz) and G4 (392 Hz).
What does “Sol Re La” mean on a saw sam sai?
It names the strings from sai ek (Sol) through sai klang (Re) to sai thum (La), from high to low. String 1 is sai ek and string 3 is sai thum.
Can I tune a saw sam sai in fifths like a saw duang?
No. The two-string saw duang and saw u are tuned in fifths; the saw sam sai is tuned in fourths, La–Re–Sol.
Is there a standard frequency for the saw sam sai?
Not for this instrument. The มผช. 217/2547 standard asks for tuning relative to other Thai instruments, so ensembles differ. A3–D4–G4 is only a tuner convention.