How many folks still tune by ear?

[baldbloke]

Ok. We have electronic tuners now. Nice and cheap. Make tuning quicker - but not more accurate in my opinion.

 

 

Myself, I have two or three tuners. They may be well calibrated or they may not be. I don't really mind. I use them as a rough guide then use relative tuning by ear. I find relative tuning helps accommodate for intonation issues. Listening to how strings interact with each other I think is an important aspect of tuning.

 

I am not suggesting solely using an electronic tuner is wrong. Hearing impairment might mean a tuner is a necessity. Also, some folks may not be too bothered about fine tuning. No prob. Also,

I imagine some gigging players will not be allowed the luxury of a quiet environment and therefore may be forced to rely on electronic means.

 

How many folks these days rely solely on electronic tuners? Is tuning by ear going out of fashion?

[TN.Frank]

I normally would use a pitch pipe to tune the low E then tune the guitar to it's self using harmonics. Play the 5th fret harmonic on low E then play the 7th fret harmonic on the A and adjust the A until it comes in. You can do it for all the strings except the 3rd to 2nd tuning, for that I just go to the 4th fret and play it into tune then back to harmonics for the 2nd string, 5th fret to the high E 7th fret. That way you know the guitar is in tune with it's self and when you play a chord it'll sound decent.

[DarkHorseJ27]

I wouldn't say tuning by ear is going out of fashion, but its definitely not as common, at least for people my age. I've learned to tune by ear somewhat, and the other guitarists around me are amazed by that, like its some sort of special ability.

[Stackabones]

Unless the gig/room/etc is really noisey, I tune by ear. Since I don't have perfect pitch, a tuner can come in handy when needing an A440.

[totamus]

I tune with a tuner and then do the final adjustment by listening to the harmonics between open string pairs.

 

If the guitars intonation is suspect, I will tune first with a tuner and then will adjust by doing octaves found in cowboy chords. ie. Play a G chord and adjust the fretted Low E (g note)to match the open g String. Then adjust the high e to match the one just adjusted. Play an E chord and adjust the fretted D string (e note) to match the Low E. Play a D chord and adjust the fretted B (d note) to match the Open D. Play an A and adjust the open A to match the fretted G (A note). I usually hold the fretted note and and reach my picking hand to adjust the tuners. This usually gets pretty good results with even poorly intonated guitars.

[baldbloke]

I normally would use a pitch pipe to tune the low E then tune the guitar to it's self using harmonics. Play the 5th fret harmonic on low E then play the 7th fret harmonic on the A and adjust the A until it comes in. You can do it for all the strings except the 3rd to 2nd tuning, for that I just go to the 4th fret and play it into tune then back to harmonics for the 2nd string, 5th fret to the high E 7th fret. That way you know the guitar is in tune with it's self and when you play a chord it'll sound decent.

 

 

I must admit, whilst being aware of harmonic tuning, It's not a practice I have really used much. Does harmonic tuning have advantages over relative?

 

And, If I'm further honest, It's gotta be 10 years since I saw a pitch pipe and maybe 15 years (or more) since I used one.

[Tartanlad]

A reckon the majority of young players use clip on tuners
or what have ye

Many of the older guys shall have learnt to tune by ear
as that was the main way back in the 60s 70s
although some used pitched pipes

ive never even bothered trying to tune by ear as the tuner
does that fir me

So id rather just clip on the tuner and tune up then Bingo

your off and running..

[baldbloke]

the other guitarists around me are amazed by that, like its some sort of special ability.

 

Gobsmacked I am. Gobsmacked.

 

So what age group thinks tuning by ear is a mystical art?

[blue2blue]

I used to have a hybrid fretted/harmonics tuning system. I knew that the 4th harmonics are off from the 12TET ideal* (by 2 cents a string, which ain't that much but adds up) so I used them to guide me in and then used my memory of how the beat frequencies should sound between the 6th, 2nd and 1st strings and tested and honed using fretted relative. (Now if I use harmonic overtones to tune, I self-consciously nudge the higher string up what I hope will be about two cents.)

 

(I also had my A440 fork tone memorized so that really helped. But then I dropped my accompaniment guitars a half-step and upset that apple cart.)

 

 

Oddly, it was only recently that I discovered I could do a much better job, much quicker when doing relative fretted tuning by ringing, then stopping the reference string and then playing the string to be tuned, dropping it (if necessary) and bringing it up. I find that by putting the reference tone in memory -- rather than letting it ring against the tone of the tuned string -- that I avoid a lot of the co-resonance issues of my various guitars.

 

By doing that I found that I could get much better precision, more quickly, often as not, than using a tuner or letting both strings ring, as I had previously approached fretted relative tuning.

 

But -- by far -- the quickest, easiest way for me to tune a guitar is against a series of steady tones. If there's an in-tune eletronic keyboard with some steady pitch tones, I'll take that any day. It is so much faster for me than a tuner or anything else. Absolutely preferred.

 

 

 

*Or 12 Tone Equal Temperament is off from perfect harmonics, I should say. But guitar's a 12TET instrument, so it's important to come to grips with that.

[baldbloke]

So Dad-on..

 

 

It wuz yoo, Tartanlad, in anurra thread recently that got me to wondering about this here tooning business.

[baldbloke]

Unless the gig/room/etc is really noisey, I tune by ear. Since I don't have perfect pitch, a tuner can come in handy when needing an A440.

 

 

I don't have perfect pitch. If I tested myself on that, I'd probably get a shock. I definitely rely on the E-tuner to get me close to 440.

 

Stop press: I just tried a quick test. My 440 was about 20 points too low when I tried by ear alone. Shame on me.

[gitnoob]

As a noob, I always surprise myself when I can even detect that a guitar is out of tune.

 

I try to tune by ear and then check myself with an electronic tuner. Sometimes, I even get it right.

[Tartanlad]

It wuz yoo, Tartanlad, in anurra thread recently that got me to wondering about this here tooning business.

ye a was wondering if it may have been that other thread lol

As its what a wouldve been learnt 1stly tuning by ear if i took up with this older man whom was gonnae gie me lessons but i declined as never had money plus there's the internet for free with certain things like chordy
etc plus you tube videos that help

As fir the Dad-on at the end i took that away as did sound bit cheeky lol

A reckon tuning by ear does seem more professional in a way
than using a tuner but nowadays its so much easier with the
clip on tuners ..ill have clip on tuners anyday of the wk

I do realise though when guitar is a touch out of tune
but then just put tuner back on again and Hey Presto
back intae action

[baldbloke]

I used to have a hybrid fretted/harmonics tuning system. I knew that the 4th harmonics are off from the 12TET ideal* (by 2 cents a string, which ain't that much but adds up) so I used them to guide me in and then used my memory of how the beat frequencies should sound between the 6th, 2nd and 1st strings and tested and honed using fretted relative. (Now if I use harmonic overtones to tune, I self-consciously nudge the higher string up what I hope will be about two cents.) (I also had my A440 fork tone memorized so that really helped. But then I dropped my accompaniment guitars a half-step and upset that apple cart.) Oddly, it was only recently that I discovered I could do a much better job, much quicker when doing relative fretted tuning by ringing, then stopping the reference string and then playing the string to be tuned, dropping it (if necessary) and bringing it up. I find that by putting the reference tone in memory -- rather than letting it ring against the tone of the tuned string -- that I avoid a lot of the co-resonance issues of my various guitars. By doing that I found that I could get much better precision, more quickly, often as not, than using a tuner or letting both strings ring, as I had previously approached fretted relative tuning. *Or 12 Tone Equal Temperament is off from perfect harmonics, I should say. But guitar's a 12TET instrument, so it's important to come to grips with that.

 

Mr Feynman? Mr Richard Feynman?

 

Too technical for my small brain, that.

[Tartanlad]

Mr Feynman? Mr Richard Feynman? Too technical for my small brain, that.

Och anither pea-brain on the forum

[TN.Frank]

Harmonic tuning is nice because instruments, being natural things, may not always be perfect. You can tune with a tuner then play a D chord and it'll sound way off because of fret width differences, ect. but if you tune harmonically, I've noticed that it's a lot closer because the instrument is in turn with it's self. It's just the way I was taught a log time ago and it's how I've always done it. It's just so easy to hear the beat frequencies and tell when they're sync'ed up and in tune, at least for me it is. While I'm able to tune my guitar with a clip on tuner and get each string in perfect tune afterwards I've always had to go back and adjust strings to get a proper sounding chord, it's just easier for me to start out tuning by harmonics.

[baldbloke]

 

I tune with a tuner and then do the final adjustment by listening to the harmonics between open string pairs. If the guitars intonation is suspect, I will tune first with a tuner and then will adjust by doing octaves found in cowboy chords. ie. Play a G chord and adjust the fretted Low E (g note)to match the open g String. Then adjust the high e to match the one just adjusted. Play an E chord and adjust the fretted D string (e note) to match the Low E. Play a D chord and adjust the fretted B (d note) to match the Open D. Play an A and adjust the open A to match the fretted G (A note). I usually hold the fretted note and and reach my picking hand to adjust the tuners. This usually gets pretty good results with even poorly intonated guitars.

 

 

 

I too need that first A reference but I tend to do a bit less work on the relative bit. It seems I'm not as fussy as I thought. All these other methods folks are mentioning is news to me.

[Tartanlad]

I too need that first A reference but I tend to do a bit less work on the relative bit. It seems I'm not as fussy as I thought. All these other methods folks are mentioning is news to me.

Baldbloke..A see yer wee icon isnt lit up the noo so yer offski

If you try you shall get there tuning by ear..but i think clip on tuners were a gd invention and saves all that and at end of the day

when given time you are out playing guitar you probs wont be able to hear because of the noise in pubs and only using a tuner shall suffice..

As fir ma last post give me a COP fir THAT

[riffmeister]

Me.

I do not own a tuner.

[guitarist21]

I wish that I could just tune by ear, but on a noisy stage, I'm not usually able to hear myself well enough for it to be practical.

[baldbloke]

 

Me. I do not own a tuner.

 

 

I'd be in trouble without one. Sad, ain't it.

[seagullplayer77]

Tuning is an interesting beast. I can tune by ear, but maybe a third of the time, the damn thing is more out of tune than before and I end up getting out my tuner anyway.

 

More often than not, I just don't tune. Once the strings stabilize after a string change, I'll just leave the guitar alone and as long as it sounds okay when I play it, I won't bother tuning it.

 

When I play live, I always use my Boss TU-2 to tune.

[min7b5]

I'll use a clip on to get in the ballpark and then fine tune by ear. The tuner doesn't know what key you're about to play in, or how worn your frets are... The ear is much more accurate. But in a loud room it's hard to beat clip on.

[NealP]

There are them that are pretty awesome in the sense that when playing with them, they tune by ear, and are right on. Few and far between, those perfect pitch folk are.

 

I tune by the gadget, a recent habit, and then clean it up by ear if necessary when playing with others. At home alone, relative tuning is fine, but if you are with others, you need a standard reference, or maybe I just need a reference.

[Tartanlad]

Me. I do not own a tuner.

Well thats for you.. but if playing in pubs in my country then you wouldnt be able to hear to be able to tune by ear

Ive seen a cple very gd players oldermen struggle to tune when noisy

but somehow managed although i can tell this particular

guy wasnt to happy because of some with to much drink
and noisy

Although i do think its more so pro to tune by ear

your ears are a very handy tool for such..
especially if say a tuner needs a new battery and that would
be the end of the line for many here LOL