Fret calculator
Enter the string length of a long-neck instrument such as the bağlama, tanbur or cümbüş: get a printable table of the distances from the nut, in millimetres, of the AEÜ pitches, a makam's pitches or the 12 equal semitones.
Measured fret positions of real tanburs, scaled to the string length you enter; frets with no name in theory are shown as "extra fret". Pressing stretches the string, so the pitch is slightly higher than the position suggests. Source: Gedik, Bozkurt and Çırak 2009 (CIM09): measurement on Cem Çırak's tanbur (string 104.7 cm) and the first octave of Necdet Yaşar's tanbur (from Cafer Açın's book, string 104 cm).
| No. | Pitch | Comma | From nut (mm) | From previous (mm) | To bridge (mm) |
|---|
String length is the vibrating length between the nut and the bridge. Tap a row to hear that pitch. After tying the frets, check them with a tuner: string gauge and action may call for a 1–2 mm correction.
Add it to your home screen as a separate app: opens with one tap and works offline too. Free.
What is the fret calculator?
The fret calculator works out, from the string length, how many millimetres from the nut the frets should be tied on fretted instruments such as the bağlama, tanbur and cümbüş. You can compare Arel-Ezgi-Uzdilek's 24 perdes, the perdes of a makam you choose, or the Western 12 equal semitones, and print the table for one or two octaves. The calculation is based on each perde's height above the open string in commas.
Frequently asked questions
How are bağlama frets calculated?
Enter the vibrating string length from nut to bridge in millimetres. Each fret's distance from the nut is given by the formula string length × (1 − 2^(−koma/53)); the tool gives this for all perdes as a table.
Are tanbur and bağlama frets the same?
No. Tanbur frets are tied more densely, following the comma perdes of classical Turkish music; on the bağlama, different perdes are used according to regional tradition. In the tool you can see the difference by choosing AEÜ's 24 perdes, the perdes of a particular makam or the 12 equal semitones.
How precise is the calculation?
The tool gives the theoretical distance. On a real instrument, string gauge, action height and the condition of the nut cause small deviations; after placing the fret, it is best to do the final adjustment with a tuner and by ear.