Guzheng tuner – D Major Pentatonic
D-E-F#-A-B-D-E-F#-A-B-D-E-F#-A-B-D-E-F#-A-B-D · Standard
Also known as D调
This free online tuner listens through your microphone and shows how close each string of your Guzheng is to D Major Pentatonic tuning (D-E-F#-A-B-D-E-F#-A-B-D-E-F#-A-B-D-E-F#-A-B-D). 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 D Major Pentatonic tuning
D Major Pentatonic is the reference tuning for the Guzheng – 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-E-F#-A-B-D-E-F#-A-B-D-E-F#-A-B-D-E-F#-A-B-D – from D2 at the bottom to D6 at the top, a span of 4 octaves. Step by step across the neck the intervals are a whole tone, a whole tone, a minor third, a whole tone, a minor third, a whole tone, a whole tone, a minor third, a whole tone, a minor third, a whole tone, a whole tone, a minor third, a whole tone, a minor third, a whole tone, a whole tone, a minor third, a whole tone, a minor third, and that is what decides how chord shapes fall under the hand.
A 21-string guzheng is tuned to a major pentatonic scale – do, re, mi, sol, la – repeated over four octaves, and D is the standard key: D, E, F#, A, B from the lowest string up to a top D. There are no fourth and seventh degrees on the open strings; players create them by pressing the string on the left side of the bridge, which is also how the instrument's characteristic bends and vibrato are made.
Each string has its own movable bridge. Changing key means sliding some of the bridges a semitone rather than re-tuning with the pegs, so it pays to tune D carefully first and then move only the strings that change. Work from the middle octave outward: the lowest strings are slow to settle.
History
Guzheng
The guzheng, or zheng, is one of China's oldest instruments. It was known in the state of Qin in the Warring States period, more than 2,200 years ago, and has always been a long zither with a movable bridge under each string. The number of strings grew over time – from about 12 or 13 in the Tang dynasty to 16 in the Qing dynasty – and in the 1960s the 21-string instrument with nylon-wrapped steel strings became standard.
The zheng is the ancestor of a whole family of Asian zithers: the Japanese koto, the Korean gayageum, the Mongolian yatga and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The movable bridges are the key to its playing: they set the pentatonic tuning, and pressing the string on the left side of the bridge bends the note to fill in the missing steps.
Where the D Major Pentatonic tuning comes from
D major pentatonic is the standard guzheng tuning. The pentatonic scale is the traditional basis of zheng music, and D became the conventional key of the 21-string instrument in the 20th century.
Other Guzheng tunings
How do I tune my Guzheng to D Major Pentatonic?
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-E-F#-A-B-D-E-F#-A-B-D-E-F#-A-B-D-E-F#-A-B-D).
Which notes are used in D Major Pentatonic tuning?
D Major Pentatonic tuning for Guzheng uses the notes D-E-F#-A-B-D-E-F#-A-B-D-E-F#-A-B-D-E-F#-A-B-D, 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.