Tuning by ear...

[nojj]

I keep a tuning fork in my gig bag, JIC.
If I remember right, my old 360 had an A tuner note.

 

[MVE]

For all you "I always tune by ear" guys and gals out there,

If you have an Ipad download Peterson Strobosoft. It is a really great graphic strobe tuner and very precise as far as I can tell.

Anyway, go ahead and tune up by ear.....

Now check it against the Strobosoft.

Hmmmmm, not quite as good at that as you thought, eh?

(I keep it on when I am practicing my fretless just to look up every now and then and check myself. I am NEVER exactly right and only close enough about 90% of the time.)

 

[Rocker949]

Anyone bothered by listening to people tune by ear most likely wouldn't be very interested in listening to many live performances of Hendrix. Of course, that was from another time period and it could be tedious even then. But as Hendrix would sometimes say to the audience, it was for everyone's benefit that it be done.

 

[nojj]

A lot of the 'big fellas' have techs, and a stand full of instruments,
and somebody to hand them a freshly tuned one.
The rest of us po' boys don't have that option.
Best I can do is make sure mine is in tune at the beginning of each set,
and have a backup on a stand,
because bad things happen if'n ya don't have backup............

 

[Munjibunga]

It means that you are more physically involved in driving the vehicle. I never have a phone, a cup of coffee, or something else in my hand. I have a hand on the steering wheel, and my right hand is either on the steering wheel, or on the shifter.

I am using my left foot on the clutch. I am aware of where the vehicle's shift points are. A manual transmission is a superior driving experience in almost every way.

Absurd. Why do so many race cars and high-performance street machines run automatics, then? They're actually far more suited than sticks for high-performance driving.

 

[Rockin Mike]

Tuning by ear is convenient if I don't have an electronic tuner handy.

I don't like it when bandmates take the stage and start tuning at the beginning of a set.
I think there's some "homework" that should be done at the end of each set.
- tune up
- turn the page on the setlist so it's ready for the next set
- check wireless batteries
- note the time so you can measure the break correctly
- pause the video camera

but I never played in a band that kept such a discipline. Mostly people want to walk offstage as soon as the break starts and go get a beer.

 

[sharkbait130]

No doubt about that tuning by ear is kind of a required skill. There are gonna be times that an elec. tuner is not available. That being said , on stage , an elec. tuner is the way to go. No noise for the crowd and its quicker and the audience is there to listen to songs and "tu-ning" is not anywhere on the bill board charts. As for the race car issue , most roundyround racers are using manual transmissions (nascar , dirt track etc.)As for the high performance cars on the street and drag strips , yes , most these are running automatics. However , when they go down the track , most of them are shifting manually. Pro-stocks are required to run manuals. Funny cars and fuelers don't have transmissions so it's not a question for them. Some alcohol dragsters have 2 speed transmissions but they are being shifted manually also. I personally run with an old school 4 speed in my street strip car. Yes , automatic shifting would be more efficient on the street , but I'm kinda squirrely and just like banging gears.(Shifting through all gears without ever taking my foot off the gas pedal.)Come see me at Mason- Dixon dragway in the spring. I'll be driving the 63 Lemans with the Ampeg sticker on the bumper.

 

[fhm555]

Played with a guitar player who could tune really well by ear. Unfortunately he was almost exactly a half step sharp when he was done. When I tried to explain that something was wrong, he told me my "crutch" was the problem, he had perfect pitch thank you very much, so I tuned (by ear) to match his guitar.

To be fair I took my crutch to the local music store and tried it against their high dollar in house strobe machine and it was spot on.

When I told my guitar player what the shop said, I was most surprised to learn that the shop was also wrong.

Who wouldda thunk it?

 

[GK Growl]

Tuning by ear is a great skill to have. Not starting from scratch without a reference tone though.

 

[MegaSwing]

When someone in my band asks me for a certain pitch, I give it to them. Where's there room for debate? The only person who ever asks me anymore is the percussionist (he tunes his congas). Tuning by ear for me is for emergencies. Ain't no big deal, regardless.

 

[geddy402]

Hardest part is to get the first note...try recognizing an E and tune your E string to that. Its hard if you don't have perfect pitch or at least a refined ESR to recognize notes and chords by ear.

Once you get one note the rest is pretty easy to get...just keep moving the tuning machine until it get less warbley haha!

 

[deathsdj]

I tune by sight.

I look at my tuner.

Cheers!

MJW

 

[hotrodjohn]

For me its kinda like hanging pictures on a wall. You can get out the tape measurers and the laser levelers and plot where you want to be, but ultimately, the final judgement on how your picture looks on the wall is how it is perceived by your eye. I use a tuner to get me in very close, but in the end i use my ears to judge the intonation on my instrument intrinsically, and relative to the other instruments in the band. This was especially important when playing with pianos or other keyboards which could not be tuned readily on the fly.

 

[rust_preacher]

"Iron Man!"

 

[mellowinman]

Absurd. Why do so many race cars and high-performance street machines run automatics, then? They're actually far more suited than sticks for high-performance driving.

Not absurd.

You completely skipped the part about driver awareness. I doubt race car drivers have a cup of coffee or a cell phone in their hand.

Most drivers DO.

I DON'T.

My point is it keeps the average driver's head focused more on driving.

You haven't argued the point.

At least, not successfully.

Shouting "absurd" only makes you Sam the Eagle.

 

[Lobster11]

For me its kinda like hanging pictures on a wall. You can get out the tape measurers and the laser levelers and plot where you want to be, but ultimately, the final judgement on how your picture looks on the wall is how it is perceived by your eye. I use a tuner to get me in very close, but in the end i use my ears to judge the intonation on my instrument intrinsically, and relative to the other instruments in the band. This was especially important when playing with pianos or other keyboards which could not be tuned readily on the fly.

Nice analogy. If the ceiling and floor aren't themselves level, a perfectly level picture will look askew.

 

[DwaynieAD]

I used to be able to nail my low E, then just tune the bass to itself. handy skill to have but I didn't keep up with it and rarely play in standard tuning anymore anyway.

 

[Thor]

1- Tuning via harmonics is a crucial skill because it can allow you to tune silently or even in the middle of a song. Hit the harmonics and place your palm flat against the neck. When the strings are out of tune, you'll feel a distinct vibration. As you turn the machine head, the vibration will get faster as the strings become closer to being in tune. When they're in tune, the vibration will disappear. You can use this to tune in the middle of a song. Say the song has G or D chord for 1 measure and you think your G string is flat. Hit the the G string 7th fret and D string 5th fret. Vibration? Bring the G string sharp until it's gone. Practice this and you can do it very quickly.

Caution: Your reference string has to be in tune to the rest of the band, otherwise you just screwed yourself.

2- Audible tuning of an electric instrument on stage is one of the most unprofessional things you can do. Total amateur hour.

3- You don't have perfect pitch. Most of the people in symphonies who think that they have perfect pitch, don't. You may have very good relative pitch, but unless you've been tested and told that you do, you don't have perfect pitch.

4- Use a tuner. It's faster and more accurate than you'll ever be. See #3 above.

I saw John McLaughlin tune at a Mahivishnu Orchestra show where this was not the case. Of course, having a roadie replace the G on the 6 of his double neck while playing and then having his arm fly out like a snake to adjust it is still a skill I am working on 42 years later. 'The Invisible Lightning Arm Strike to Tuning Head Move' you could call it.

If you're truly into pain, listen to some of the early Grateful Dead bootleg recordings. They will spend ten minutes tuning, by ear obviously, then launch into a song...and still be insufferably out of tune. On some bootlegs this process continues through the whole show!

I've got several stand-alone tuners, plus tuners built into pedals, and they all are in agreement with each other. I'm having a hard time buying the argument that "some tuners are off"--well, maybe if you inadvertently "detune" the tuner (which I have done, to my embarrassment)...but for the most part, they are probably closer than most people's ears could detect. Quartz tuning circuitry has been around a while now... there's only a gazillion cell phones out there that manage to operate on the proper frequency!

Still, I agree that it is important to know how to pick up a bass or guitar and get the strings in tune with each other without an electronic tuner.

Disclaimer:
No human remotely brain-like cells were harmed during this process.

Anyone bothered by listening to people tune by ear most likely wouldn't be very interested in listening to many live performances of Hendrix. Of course, that was from another time period and it could be tedious even then. But as Hendrix would sometimes say to the audience, it was for everyone's benefit that it be done.

Super Slinky's on the Strat floating bridge, lots of minds and strings bent. Yeah, tuning was mandatory. Some of that live footage you can hear him up to a half step off, he does tune on the fly (e.g. Hear My Train a'Comin) when he settles down.

Tuning by ear is convenient if I don't have an electronic tuner handy.

I don't like it when bandmates take the stage and start tuning at the beginning of a set.
I think there's some "homework" that should be done at the end of each set.
- tune up
- turn the page on the setlist so it's ready for the next set
- check wireless batteries
- note the time so you can measure the break correctly
- pause the video camera

but I never played in a band that kept such a discipline. Mostly people want to walk offstage as soon as the break starts and go get a beer.

This is how I was taught, before you leave the stage, do a guick tune up and prep for the next segment.

For me its kinda like hanging pictures on a wall. You can get out the tape measurers and the laser levelers and plot where you want to be, but ultimately, the final judgement on how your picture looks on the wall is how it is perceived by your eye. I use a tuner to get me in very close, but in the end i use my ears to judge the intonation on my instrument intrinsically, and relative to the other instruments in the band. This was especially important when playing with pianos or other keyboards which could not be tuned readily on the fly.

I also do this. it's a 2 part thing, coarse tuning and fine tuning.

 

[fdeck]

My point is it keeps the average driver's head focused more on driving.

If stick shift cars were safer, they'd cost less to insure.

Since I was the one who raised the analogy, I have to admit that I prefer tuning by ear, and driving automatic. The main family car has a stick, but the thrill is gone. I don't need to push a lever back and forth, and step on a pedal, every 15 seconds to prove that I'm a good driver. I'm a great driver. No other appliance demands that much gratuitous involvement.

But to each his own.

Also, I have to agree that if you're on stage with electric instruments in a noisy environment, an electronic tuner is preferable.

 

[nojj]

Often it's where you live for a manual shift.
Had one here in Pgh and between the hills, the traffic, and the Blue Rinse Brigade,
it kept burning clutches.
My oldest son and I are talking about getting a manual PU for us to mess around with.


Suppose this is tuning related.
I absolutely hate playing fretless with an out of tune guitar,
and think twice about bringing one out if there are 2 guitars on stage at all.