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.
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.
- Find the out-of-tune note by ear or with the tuner.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. We are gradually adding tuners; if you tune cimbaloms, add a free listing.
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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.