# Dranyen — Tibetan lute companion > Tibetan lute companion for tuning, playing, and learning. (iPhone/iPad app by Thupten Chakrishar.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dranyen/id6783543639 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Thupten Chakrishar](https://appshunter.io/developer/328219110) - Category: Music, Education - Price: Free - Rating: 5.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 13.0 · 21 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-07-02 - Data updated: 2026-07-18 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dranyen/id6783543639/reviews.md ## What is Dranyen? Dranyen is a companion for the dranyen (sgra-snyan), the Tibetan lute that has been the heart of Tibetan music for a thousand years. Built by the Terma Heritage Foundation to keep a living tradition alive — and growing into a home for the people who play it and the work of preserving it. Developed by Thupten Chakrishar in collaboration with Tenzin Norbu (Former TIPA Artist) and with guidance from Jhola Techung and Phurbu T. Namgyal. Today, Dranyen helps you tune, play, and learn: TUNER • Tune by the instrument's three open courses — La · Re · So — in the traditional D-major tuning (A = 440 Hz), confirmed with a master player. • Real-time pitch detection that listens through your microphone and shows, at a glance, whether your string is sharp or flat. • Calibrate the reference pitch, or "tune to your own La," for instruments that sit a little high or low. • A clear, glowing gauge with the note in both solfège and numbered notation — and a gentle confirmation when you land in tune. PLAY • A playable dranyen — strum the three open courses (La · Re · So) and the fretted notes to hear how the instrument sounds. • Voiced from recordings of a real dranyen, with a fretless So drone, so it rings the way the instrument actually does. LEARN A built-in, offline guide to the instrument and its world, drawn from cited scholarship: • History & origins — from 7th-century Tibet to survival in exile. • The instrument — how it's built, and its La·Re·So tuning. • Notation — the seven notes once named for animal cries, and today's numbers. • Music & genres — courtly Gharlu, the classical Nangma-Toeshey, and folk songs. • Sources — the scholarship behind it all. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Dranyen collects no personal data. No accounts, no tracking, no ads. The microphone is used only to detect pitch, live, on your device — your audio is never recorded, saved, or sent anywhere. The app works fully offline. ## Key features - Real-time pitch detection tuner - Playable dranyen simulation - Offline instrument guide - History and origins of Tibetan lute - Music and genres exploration - Private by design, no data collection ## Recent user reviews (1 of 1) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dranyen/id6783543639/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Great tuner for the dranyen *2026-07-08* Perfect and simple ## Frequently asked questions about Dranyen ### What is Dranyen? Dranyen is a digital companion for the dranyen, the Tibetan lute. It helps users tune, play, and learn about this traditional instrument and its music. ### How does Dranyen's tuner work? Dranyen's tuner uses real-time pitch detection via your device's microphone to help you tune the instrument's three open courses (La · Re · So) to the traditional D-major tuning (A = 440 Hz). ### Can I play the dranyen with this app? Yes, Dranyen features a playable simulation of the instrument, allowing you to strum the open courses and fretted notes to hear its authentic sound, voiced from recordings of a real dranyen. ### Is the learning guide in Dranyen available offline? Yes, the built-in guide to the instrument and its world, covering history, tuning, notation, and music genres, is fully offline and drawn from cited scholarship. ### Does Dranyen collect any personal data? No, Dranyen is designed to be private. It collects no personal data, requires no accounts, and does not track users. The microphone is used solely for live pitch detection on your device. ### What devices does Dranyen support? Dranyen is currently supported on iPhone and iPod devices. ### How often is Dranyen updated? Dranyen was last updated on July 2, 2026, with version 1.0. Further updates will depend on the developer's ongoing support and the community's needs. ### What is the age rating for Dranyen? Dranyen has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users interested in music and cultural learning. ## Version history (last 1 release) ### 1.0 — 2026-07-02 No release notes. ## More apps by Thupten Chakrishar - [Tibetan Radio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tibetan-radio/id1501331713) All apps by Thupten Chakrishar: https://appshunter.io/developer/328219110 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-18.*