Daruan tuner – Standard (D-A-D-A)
D-A-D-A · Standard
This free online tuner listens through your microphone and shows how close each string of your Daruan is to Standard (D-A-D-A) tuning (D-A-D-A). Play a string, watch the needle, and turn the peg until the meter glows green. If you prefer tuning by ear, tap any string card to hear its reference tone.
About Standard (D-A-D-A) tuning
Standard (D-A-D-A) is the reference tuning for the Daruan – the pitch the instrument normally ships at, and the starting point every other tuning on this page is measured from.
Played open, the strings sound D-A-D-A – from D2 at the bottom to A3 at the top, a span of 1 octave and 7 semitones. Step by step across the neck the intervals are a fifth, a fourth, a fifth, and that is what decides how chord shapes fall under the hand.
Strummed open, the strings spell D5 – root and fifth with no third, so the tuning stays neutral between major and minor. See D5 shapes in this tuning →
The daruan is the bass of the ruan family, tuned D-A-D-A in fifths and fourths. In a Chinese orchestra it plays the role a cello pizzicato or an upright bass would, anchoring the plucked-string section.
Its low D is around 73 Hz, low enough that phone microphones lose some of the fundamental. If the tuner hesitates, pluck firmly near the middle of the string and let the note ring rather than muting it straight away.
History
Daruan
The daruan is the bass member of the ruan family, the round-bodied lute named after the 3rd-century scholar Ruan Xian. Its present form was developed in the 1950s, when the modern Chinese orchestra needed plucked instruments in every register.
In the orchestra the daruan supplies the bass line of the plucked section, often alongside the cello and double bass. It has little independent repertoire, though modern composers have begun to write solos for its deep, rounded voice.
Where the Standard (D-A-D-A) tuning comes from
D-A-D-A is the standard tuning of the daruan, established in the 1950s for the modern Chinese orchestra.
Other Daruan tunings
Standard
Alternative
Chords for this tuning
How do I tune my Daruan to Standard (D-A-D-A)?
Allow microphone access, pluck a string, and the tuner will detect it automatically. The needle shows whether the string is flat or sharp – adjust until the reading is within ±5 cents (D-A-D-A).
Which notes are used in Standard (D-A-D-A) tuning?
Standard (D-A-D-A) tuning for Daruan uses the notes D-A-D-A, listed from the lowest string to the highest.
Can I tune without a microphone?
Yes. Every string card plays a reference tone – tap it and match your string to the sound by ear.