Recommendation on Tuner that works with whistles

Kansas · Post by **Kansas** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 11:39 am

I am wondering if someone can recommend an electronic tuner that will work with whistles.
I'm of course, hoping to find one that might be available on the internet at a reasonable price. We have a few good music stores but they concern themselves with mostly either guitars and etc or school band intruments. I want to make sure what I purchase will actually work with a whistle.
I have a keyboard to use for getting it close, but would like to have something to get it closer if possible.

Thanks for a great forum! I've been "lurking" for a while now....

tin tin · Post by **tin tin** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 11:44 am

Pretty much any chromatic tuner should work fine. Korg makes some that are reasonably priced and work well.

raindog1970 · Post by **raindog1970** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 11:50 am

Tommy · Post by **Tommy** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 12:24 pm

I use a Korg. They can be found at Lark in the Mornning and other places.
I also use an A tunning fork to check the Korg sometimes. Touch the base of the tunning fork to a wood table, guitar, mt can or something else hollow to amplify the sound. If you touch the vibrating end of the tunning fork to your nose you will sneeze and clear your nose.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 12:29 pm

I have a QwikTune Qt-11. I don't recommend it. It only tunes the first octave, and doesn't "hear" the 2nd. Whitmores has a Korg (I don't know the model #), and I like it much better.

there are several different makes of QwikTune tuners, so I don't know if this deficiency is true for all of them.

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 12:33 pm

Here you go:

http://www1.ocn.ne.jp/~tuner/tuner_e.html

It's free, works great for whistles.

Best wishes,
Jerry

whistleboy · Post by **whistleboy** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 12:34 pm

This might be a dumb question or one for our phyicist whistlers out there, but what keeps a tuning fork in tune. Wouldn't it be subject to the same barimetric pressures and outside forces that causes our instruments to become out of tune. Just curious.

chas · Post by **chas** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 1:15 pm

whistleboy wrote:This might be a dumb question or one for our phyicist whistlers out there, but what keeps a tuning fork in tune. Wouldn't it be subject to the same barimetric pressures and outside forces that causes our instruments to become out of tune. Just curious.

It's not subject to barometric-pressure variations because the sound is generated entirely by the metal. That is, it doesn't depend on a vibrating column of air; it depends only on the dimensions and physical properties of the fork. As far as temperature, they're (or at least they should be) made from metals with a reasonably low coefficient of thermal expansion. A difference of 10 degrees or so should be no more than a part in ten thousand, or .04 Hz at 440. I assume they're spec'd as working over a certain temperature range.

If you put any kind of significant dent or bend in it, that will change its properties and hence might possibly change its frequency.

Jim McGuire · Post by **Jim McGuire** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 2:07 pm

Tuners are always available on eBAY:
http://search.ebay.com/tuner_Equipment_ ... acatZ41402

BrassBlower · Post by **BrassBlower** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 2:28 pm

A hearty welcome to Kansas from just down the road in the Republic of West Ozarkia!

I have a Korg tuner and use it on all of my instruments. It is a guitar/bass tuner rather than a chromatic, but I can use the "flat" button to get to the notes in between, or I can just check the D, E, G, A and B.

peteinmn · Post by **peteinmn** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 3:03 pm

Jerry Freeman wrote:Here you go:

http://www1.ocn.ne.jp/~tuner/tuner_e.html

It's free, works great for whistles.

What Jerry said. I've used this for a couple of years and it's great. All you need is a decent mike plugged into you PC sound card and off you go.

Duffy · Post by **Duffy** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 5:05 pm

Tommy wrote: If you touch the vibrating end of the tunning fork to your nose you will sneeze and clear your nose.

And I'm frequently asked by family members 'What possible good can ever come from the time you spend reading posts on those whistle boards?' I've wasted untold dollars on over the counter medication to treat my clogged synuses.

Kansas · Post by **Kansas** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 6:01 pm

Thanks for all the great answers. I may try the tuning fork as well as the Korg and the computer tuner. I do have a cold virus that won't let go of my sinuses. Maybe I can kill two birds...

Seriously - thanks a lot. I downloaded the freebie and found a Korg on ebay real chaep. Now I can't say "I didn't know I wasn't in tune."

Tommy · Post by **Tommy** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 6:23 pm

And Duffy, the other great thing about a tuning fork when you are in a crowd and your electronic tuner hears everthing so you can't use it.
Just get out the tuning fork, tap it on the table then put the base of it to the back of your head. You will hear the note in stereo. I have been to Racine a few times. Real nice town.

slowair · Post by **slowair** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 7:21 pm

I use a Korg chromatic tuner from Music123. Just $20.

http://www.music123.com/Korg-CA30-Chrom ... 0341.music

Mike