Definición
Roncón tuning
También conocido como: drone adjustment · drone tuning · roncón sliding sections
Adjustment of the drone's note in the Asturian gaita: the roncón is built in sliding sections that lengthen or shorten the tube to raise or lower the pitch.
Roncón tuning is the operation of putting the drone in tune with the punteru. The roncón of the Asturian gaita isn’t a single-piece tube: it’s made of sections that fit and slide into one another.
Pulling those sections apart or pushing them together lengthens or shortens the air column: longer, lower note; shorter, higher note. The aim is for the drone to sound in a clean octave with the punteru’s base note.
It’s a fine, constant adjustment. The reed, temperature and humidity all shift the tuning, so the gaitero retouches the roncón’s slide before playing and throughout the session. Step-by-step guidance is available in how to tune the roncón.