Anyone avoid electronic tuners?

[Steph Dawe]

Haha, yes - I play a fretless; if I hear that I'm out when playing on the marker, I just slide adjustingly.

 

[jeff schmidt]

Haha, yes - I play a fretless; if I hear that I'm out when playing on the marker, I just slide adjustingly.

I think you just creaticated a new word!

 

[IvanMike]

i always notice if anyone's out of tune
FWIW, I've never seen a symphony orchestra tune up silently, they always seem to play "A"

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

I guess I've got to be proud to claim "one of the most ridiculous statements...at TB"

However I don't view A440 as an "artificial electronic standard." It may be different on a jazz gig, but at a rock show the electronic keyboards are set at A440 and can be changed from there. In other words everyone is on the same sheet of music, so to speak (or the same "artificial electronic standard" as it were)

It's only artificial when there are one or more instruments onstage which are not tuned to it, like a piano. It's also artificial when you don't take into account the waveform of your instrument, which many people do not. As I mentioned before, most stringed instruments register "sharper" on the attack (especially if you dig in), then the pitch settles down on the sustain. Which do you try to get "in tune" on a tuner? When tuning by ear, I find most professionals with any sense of intonation usually kind of "split the difference" and end up in tune.

It is completely unprofessional to be playing "the tuning song" between songs, or even mid song. Completely unprofessional. I mentioned that I had a tuning incident caught on video. I tried to tune quickly by ear. Not only was one string off (if I remember it was a G that broke) so I ended up un-tuning my B and E. I had to play power chords after I figured it out. (I did play an open E chord after tuning and it sounded right at the time- but I was in a hurry- in reality it was nowhere even close.) A pedal tuner with a mute available around that time would have been the Arion Stage Tuner- I got one later on. You live you learn. Because of that incident I'm terrified of being out of tune.

With fretted bass, that's understandable. With DB and/or fretless, playing in tune is more a function of "hearing in tune". If for some odd reason I find that my bass has gone out of tune, I usually just avoid open strings and try to play what I hear as being "in tune". But I know what you mean with BG - it's a drag. Still, I would argue that having a tuner is no substitute for learning how to tune by ear.

 

[The Golden Boy]

With fretted bass, that's understandable. With DB and/or fretless, playing in tune is more a function of "hearing in tune". If for some odd reason I find that my bass has gone out of tune, I usually just avoid open strings and try to play what I hear as being "in tune". But I know what you mean with BG - it's a drag. Still, I would argue that having a tuner is no substitute for learning how to tune by ear.

I think we were coming at this from two entirely different angles. From an entirely fretted POV it only makes sense to have everyone at the given standard point. I understand that tuning is relative, so things like the Buzz Feiten tuning system is only effective if EVERYONE is using it. You may be perfectly intonated, and everyone else has the weird modulations by the natural intonation imperfections in non-BF'd instruments- you'll be the odd man out. If everyone's off and you're the only one right- you're wrong. If everyone's tuned a shade sharp of A440, but you're dead on- you're wrong.

As a musician, I think it's important that you give the appearance of preparedness and professionalism. Audibly tuning, or audibly checking tuning with other people in the band screams different shades of amateur to me. (I'm not saying I exude professionalism ) For a guitarist, playing an open E is an easy way of checking tuning, but for bass it is a matter of muting your tuner.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

I think we were coming at this from two entirely different angles.

Yes.

As a musician, I think it's important that you give the appearance of preparedness and professionalism. Audibly tuning, or audibly checking tuning with other people in the band screams different shades of amateur to me.

And to anyone playing with an acoustic piano, using a tuner to tune without checking audibly with the piano screams "I DON'T TRUST MY EARS...WHY SHOULD YOU?" What if the piano's flat? Just tune to your tuner and play sharp all night? I'll buy it for an all electronic gig (although in those situations I always tuned before the beginning of the set by ear to the guitarist), but on an acoustic gig...

 

[bmc]

I've been tuning by ear for over 30 years. I have an electronic tuner on my pedal board. I hit the mute switch and tune up. Sure, if I'm playing with a pianist, I tune to to the piano. I'm glad someone raised that.

If you are not tuning to a piano, tuning by ear out loud in front of an audience looks looks amateur.

My opinion. Maybe not yours.

 

[dlloyd]

i try to tune by ear....cant really do it....oh well..ill get it one day...but i see a tuner is a tuner, i dont trust in the ones built into multi effects pedals, eg zoom, digitech.....but i use a korg CA-30 and i just run out of the effects loop on my head into the tuner but i plan on buying a korg onstage pedal tuner......

if i do tune by ear...if i know one of my strings is in tune, i usually tune by harmonics, and i tested this up against a tuner one day and i was under 5% out on each string

Interesting fact... if you tune using harmonics starting with an in-tune E, you're going to end up 6 cents out on the G. The reason is that a perfect fifth is 702 cents (cent being one percent of an equally tempered semitone) whereas a tempered fifth is 700 cents.

 

[dlloyd]

i always notice if anyone's out of tune
FWIW, I've never seen a symphony orchestra tune up silently, they always seem to play "A"

Not Bb?

 

[heath_the_great]

Interesting fact... if you tune using harmonics starting with an in-tune E, you're going to end up 6 cents out on the G. The reason is that a perfect fifth is 702 cents (cent being one percent of an equally tempered semitone) whereas a tempered fifth is 700 cents.

but who's really gonna notice that?..and i dont neccecarily start from E..i start from whatever string i know thats in tune

 

[IvanMike]

Not Bb?

so i don't have perfect pitch..................man, i knew i shoulda bought thet perfect pitch system they're always advertising with those full page ads................

 

[heath_the_great]

so i don't have perfect pitch..................man, i knew i shoulda bought thet perfect pitch system they're always advertising with those full page ads................

correction...double page spread

 

[The Golden Boy]

With the same pictures that have been in there since 1988 or so. The long, curly haired Bon Jovi lookin' guy kneelin' playin' a Strat and making a fist, and the Miguel Ferer lookin' guy holding a tuning fork.

 

[Steph Dawe]

I think you just creaticated a new word!

I was tired, ok? I was playing Sims 2 all afternoon, so it kinda fried my brain. Hindered my ability to type real words, etc.

Honest!