Got an Article Published

[Jon Moody]

I submitted an article into the "Reader Submission" section to Bass Musician Magazine, and found out today that it was published. Give it a read; it's not so much bass-specific.

Being In Tune by BMM Reader Jonathan Moody | Bass Musician Magazine [the face of bass]

 

[germ_77]

Well done, congrats

 

[Fergie Fulton]

Great article, and i should serve to remind players a tuner is a reference point, like pitch pipes or forks. It is how the player relates to it that can make issues about tunings.

I use semi acoustic basses with flatwound strings, they are notorious for intonation problems when being used. Put a tuner on it when setting it up and you will be there all day, but tune one string, then work off of it though the others till they all sound right and the job is over and done in minutes.

As you say you have to be in tune with the instruments around you and one of them needs to be the "point of reference" and we all need to be in tune with that.

 

[Jazzdogg]

Congrats!

As far as I know, electronic tuners didn't exist in the sixties: if we wanted to play "in tune," we had to learn how to tune "by ear." Relative pitch got the job done; we'd tune to each other and start playing. If one of the instruments was a piano, we'd tune to the piano. Along the way, we learned to hear and sing basic intervals.

It wasn't until later that we learned that each note had a specific value (measured in Hz), and that we could obtain a reference pitch from a pitch pipe or tuning fork.

Today, when I teach junior high school students, I only allow them to use a tuner to obtain a reference pitch; I've grown weary of hearing people playing out of tune after using an electronic tuner.

I don't understand how someone can call themselves a musician if they have an untrained ear.

 

[RedsFan75]

Great blog post/article!

 

[alexgeddy]

used pitch pipes and tuning forks that i bit on to hear it for many years before electronic tuners...Gave me a good sense of who is or isn't in tune lol

 

[alexgeddy]

b

 

[Jon Moody]

Thanks, guys. It was definitely a fun one to write, since it seems to be a recurring theme in musician circles.

From there, I got the opportunity to write for them as a staff writer so it definitely opened a door or two. I have another article coming out in the next month's mag.

 

[BassChuck]

One thing worth mentioning is respect by musicians for the tuning process. If you go to an orchestra concert the concertmaster (first violin) will lead the orchestra in tuning. The oboe sounds "A" for the winds and then again for the strings and then all members check their instruments accordingly. With jazz and rock groups I use a digital tuner cause there's always some drummer playing, or someone checking the PA etc etc. Digital tuners are also nice for theater pit orchestras so you can check tuning during a performance.

Anyother point to consider in all this is the use of multiple tuners. Is your "A" calibrated to the same "A" as your guitar players tuner? On digital tuners it so easy to change "A" from 432 to 448 that this might have been done accidentally, and good intentions become a mess.

Keep listening. There's no silver bullet.