Persian tar tuner online
The Persian tar is a long-necked lute with a double-bowl, figure-eight body of mulberry wood, a lambskin top and movable gut frets, played with a small pick. It has six metal strings in three courses: two white steel strings (course 1), two slightly thicker yellow brass or bronze strings (course 2), and course 3, made of a white steel string 5 and the thick yellow bam, string 6. In the usual notation the white pair is do and the yellow pair is sol, which gives C4+C4, G3+G3 and C4+C3.
Open-string notes and frequencies (nominal C)
Persian tar, three double courses from course 1 (white) to course 3. Equal-tempered frequencies at A4 = 440 Hz; at the common Iranian B♭ pitch every string sounds a whole tone lower.
| Course | Note | Frequency (Hz) |
|---|---|---|
| Course 1 · white pair (strings 1–2) | C4 + C4 | 261.63 |
| Course 2 · yellow pair (strings 3–4) | G3 + G3 | 196.00 |
| Course 3 · string 5 + bam (string 6) | C4 + C3 | 261.63 + 130.81 |
How to use it
- Tap Turn on microphone, choose C or B♭ and hold the phone near the skin top.
- Mute one string of the white pair, tune the other until the needle turns green, then match the second string to it until the beating disappears.
- Tune the yellow pair the same way. It sits a fourth below the white pair, not above it.
- On course 3, tune string 5 in unison with the white pair, then the bam exactly an octave lower. Pick each string alone; the course button shows both notes.
Help and explanations
This tuner listens through your microphone and shows note, octave and cents for each open string. Choose nominal C to play with santur, piano or recordings at 440 Hz, or the same tuning a whole tone lower, at the B♭ pitch many Iranian players use. Only the relative structure of the tar’s tuning is well documented, so this page sticks to it and leaves the dastgah retuning of strings 5 and 6 to you.
What is documented, and what varies
Sources agree on the relative structure: white pair on do, yellow pair on sol a fourth below, string 5 in unison with the white strings and the bam an octave under it. The absolute octaves follow Grove’s tuning for the setar (c c′ g c′), which uses the same system, the tar’s lowest note as given by Vojdani (do2, which is C3 in French octave numbering), and the physics of a 0.18 mm steel string, which could never reach C5. Some sources, such as the English Wikipedia and an instrument shop, describe all three courses in unison instead of an octave course 3, so check how your own tar is strung.
In real pitch, the Iranian do usually sounds a whole tone lower, at B♭, according to Jalal Zolfonoun as quoted by the Persian Wikipedia: B♭3+B♭3, F3+F3, B♭3+B♭2. Grove also mentions tunings with the first strings on D or F. Strings 5 and 6 change with the dastgah, but the sources give only note names for those tunings, without octaves, so there are no dastgah presets here. In an ensemble, change the A4 reference or move every string by the same interval.
Persian tar and Azerbaijani tar
The Azerbaijani tar, reformed by Sadigjan around 1870, has 11 strings: white, yellow and kök pairs carrying the melody, a single thick bass string, and two pairs of shorter zəng resonance strings. In its most common tuning the main pairs match this page (C4+C4, G3+G3 and the kök pair C4+C3), although only one source spells out those pitches. The single bass string and the zəng pairs have no confirmed standard pitch, so tune them as your teacher or the mugham requires.
Credit for the tar’s sixth string is debated: it is usually attributed to Darvish Khan, while some Azerbaijani musicologists credit Sadigjan with pairing the kök string with a white one. Either way, the Persian tar’s frets are movable and microtonal (koron and sori), so use the tuner for open strings only and place fretted notes by ear. For the four-string setar, see the setar tuner.
Tips
- C3 and C4 both read as C: check the octave number before turning the bam peg. It belongs near 131 Hz, an octave below string 5.
- The skin top reacts to humidity and temperature; let the tar settle in the room and retune between pieces.
- Let low notes ring for a second or two after the pick attack so the reading can settle.
Frequently asked questions
What are the open-string notes of a Persian tar?
In the usual notation convention: course 1 (white) C4+C4, course 2 (yellow) G3+G3, and in course 3 string 5 at C4 and string 6 (bam) at C3, with A4 = 440 Hz.
Why does my teacher’s tar sound lower?
The Iranian do commonly sounds a whole tone below C, at B♭. Select the B♭ tuning: B♭3, F3, and B♭3 + B♭2 on course 3.
Do strings 5 and 6 stay the same in every dastgah?
No. The white and yellow pairs are stable, but strings 5 and 6 are retuned for the dastgah. Sources give only note names for those tunings, so follow your teacher or check the notes with the chromatic tuner.
Can I use this for an Azerbaijani tar?
For the six main strings, yes: its common tuning shares C4+C4, G3+G3 and C4+C3. The single bass string and the zəng resonance strings vary and are not covered.