# How a cimbalom is tuned

> A cimbalom has over a hundred strings, which makes tuning a bigger topic than on other instruments. When you can touch it up yourself, and when to call a tuner.

- Category: Practical guides
- Published: 23 August 2026
- Canonical version: https://cimbal.sk/en/articles/how-to-tune-a-cimbalom/
- Source: cimbal.sk, an independent guide to the cimbalom

More than a hundred strings, each with its own tuning pin. Tuning is the
part of the cimbalom that frightens beginners more than it should. In
practice it splits into two different things: **routine touching up** before
playing, which every player learns, and **full tuning**, which belongs in a
tuner's hands.

## Why a cimbalom goes out of tune

Wood moves. The soundboard and body react to **humidity and temperature**.
Moving the instrument from a cold hall into a heated room is worse for the
tuning than playing it. On top of that comes the pull of dozens of strings,
which is still settling on a new instrument or after a restring.

So the first piece of advice is not "learn to tune" but **stabilise the
environment**: steady humidity (ideally 45–55%), no radiator behind the
instrument, no sudden temperature shocks. More on this in a forthcoming
article on cimbalom care.

## What you can do yourself

To touch up the tuning you need a **tuning key** (supplied with the
instrument) and a **chromatic tuner**. A phone app will do, though a clip-on
tuner, or a microphone tuner in a quiet room, is better.

1. Find the out-of-tune note by ear or with the tuner.
2. Work out which string in the course is drifting. Courses have 3–4 strings
   at the same pitch, and often only one of them is false.
3. Fit the key onto the right pin. Pluck to confirm you are turning the pin
   you think you are, because turning the wrong one is the most common mistake.
4. Tune in small steps: come in slightly below the note and bring it up, the
   pin holds better that way.

## When to call a tuner

- the instrument has **stood unused** for a long time, or has been moved,
- the tuning **will not hold** even after repeated touching up (pins, cracks),
- after a **restring**,
- before a recording or a concert, when you want certainty.

Some makers will tune at the customer's home, see the
[directory of makers and repairs](/en/directory/). We are gradually adding
tuners; if you tune cimbaloms,
[add a free listing](/en/directory/add-listing/).

## Read next

- [What is a cimbalom and how does it work](/en/articles/what-is-a-cimbalom/)
- [Cimbalom mallets](/en/articles/cimbalom-mallets/)
- [Directory of makers and repairs](/en/directory/)

## Frequently asked questions

### How often does a cimbalom need tuning?

Touching up individual strings is routine before playing. A full tuning by a specialist is recommended according to how hard the instrument is worked and how stable its environment is, typically at least once or twice a year.

### Can I tune a cimbalom myself?

Any player can learn to retune strings that have drifted, using a tuner and a tuning key. A full tuning of an instrument that has stood unused or been moved is better left to a tuner or the maker.

### How much does tuning a cimbalom cost?

Prices vary by region and by the state of the instrument; some makers will tune at the customer's home. We are building a directory of tuners.