A tuning mechanism for a stringed instrument consists of a plurality of levers, one for each string, each lever having a pivoting point at one end, and a tuning screw at the opposite end with its tip pressing against a structural point of the instrument. The tension of the string is applied on the central portion of the lever. Each lever has a rotatable capstan to which the string is anchored and winded until it acquires tension as a sort of coarse tuning. A locking device prevents the capstan to turn backwards and the tuning screw is used for fine tuning. The levers can be placed parallel to each other and receive the strings in a compact arrangement that makes possible their placement as a block behind the nut, with a sizable reduction of length and bulk of the instrument by the virtual elimination of the peg head.