Subject: Re: [linux-audio-user] guitar tuner ?
From: Jason (hormonex_AT_yankthechain.com)
Date: Mon Oct 22 2001 - 10:07:10 EEST
On Mon, 22 Oct 2001, [iso-8859-1] Jörn Nettingsmeier wrote:
> [off-topic]
>
> Krzys Majewski wrote:
> >
> > Anyone got a guitar tuner that works? I'm actually going to use it for
> > an electric bass.
>
> yeah, i got a good one. dead cheap, needs no batteries and very
> precise. it's called Ears(tm).
I have that too! It's a great piece of embedded systems design.
But there is a more accurate tuning algorithm than the one Mr.
Nettingsmeier
describes. BUy an 'e' tuning fork, they're a little bit harder to find but
they can be had. use it to tune the 1st (high E) string, and then match
the 12th fret harmonic of the 6th (low E) string. Now fret the 4th (D)
string at the second fret (an E) and tune that note to the 12th fret
harmonic of the 1st string. Now fret the 2nd string (B) at the third fret
(D) and tune that note to the 12th fret harmonic of the fourth string. Now
fret the 3rd string at the 7th fret (D) and tune that note to the the 12th
fret harmonic of the 4th string. now compare the third string harmonic at
the 12th fret to the first string fretted at the third fret. The harmonic,
if you've tuned everything closely, should be ever so slightly flat of the
fretted note. This is correct. Now, tune the 12th fret harmonic of the 5th
(A) string to the 3rd string fretted at the second fret. The guitar, if it
is intonated properly, is now in as correct a tune as is possible.
The reason this method of tuning is preferable to the simpler and more
commonly found methods is simple. The Guitar is by it's nature not a very
well tempered instrument. When you tune strictly to harmonics, as in the
more common "beat frequency" method, you are not actually tuning the notes
as they will be played on a fretted instrument. That method of tuning
works fine for fretless instruments, because the player can make the
proper adjustments for variations in pitch depending on the key of the
moment. However, any tempered instrument like the guitar is inherently
compromised, and by tuning using the method I've just described, you bring
the instrument into tune with itself. The result is that chords sound less
out of tune, and you will find it easier to play along withother tempered
instruments.
My name is Jason, and I am on a mission to end out of tune guitar playing.
> seriously, unless you need one to tune on a noisy stage, you're much
> better off with your ears and a pitchfork.
> strike the fork and hold it over the pickup, it will give you a nice
> loud a', which you can compare to the overtone in the 12th fret of
> the a string. listen for beats and turn until they disappear. for
> the other strings, compare 5th fret overtone on lower string with
> 7th fret overtone on upper string. the notes will sustain when you
> take your fingers off the fretboard, and you can again tune until
> the beats disappear.
-- YankTheChain.com - You can pretend we're not here. That's what I do.,
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