Tuning your own instrument

Derkk · Post by **Derkk** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 6:54 pm

How often should this be done? I've had mine for about 2 weeks, and it hasn't been tuned since it left the shop the first day.

The store retunes for free, but it's a distance away. I own a 48 key keyboard, it's a cheap casio, would it have the right tone to self-tune my violin? Or should I leave it up to the professionals until I know how for sure?

buddhu · Post by **buddhu** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 6:58 pm

Dude, get a tuner.

How often yr fiddle needs tuning will depend on temperature, humidity, strings, stability of the pegs, the phase of the moon, etc etc etc.

A tuner such as the Intelli clip-on will let you tune up every time you take the instrument out of its case, which is what you should do anyway.

Derkk · Post by **Derkk** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 7:09 pm

Something like this?

Are these the type that recognize tone and will automatically tell you if it's in tune or how out of tune it is?

I'm violin, by the way.

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 7:35 pm

More like this:

http://www.playbetterbluegrass.com/inte ... 0_prd1.htm

You clip it onto the head of your fiddle and it picks up vibrations directly from the instrument without the need for a microphone. You can tune the fiddle in the middle of a noisy session or pub without picking up outside noise. This works equally well on mandolin and guitar too. There's no excuse for ever being out of tune with one of these.

Derkk · Post by **Derkk** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 8:05 pm

Cool, I may get one. Thanks.

awildman · Post by **awildman** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 8:56 pm

Your tuning should be checked every time you play.

When you're struggling to learn basic intonation, having consistent tuning is an absolute essential. If your tuning is off, your fingering will be off. You'll confuse the hell out of your ear and your fingers by not tuning.

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 5:15 am

Tuning joke here...

The conductor of a symphony orchestra comes in one day to find the oboe player and the violist engaged in a fistfight. He calls them into his office and demands to know what it's all about.
The oboe player says "He started it! He broke all of my reeds!"
The conductor asks the viola player if that is true.
"Yes, but he deserved it. He turned one of my tuning pegs and wouldn't tell me which one!"

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 6:17 am

Of course, there's the nasty issue of temperament. My impression is that most fiddlers like their fifths pure. (Hmm, there's a whiskey joke there somewhere). So they'll tune the A string to A440, then the rest by ear to just fifths. Tuning all the strings to an electronic tuner (12TET) results in slightly flat fifths, but maybe close enough at this stage.

Derkk, does you violin have fine tuners on it, or a tailpiece with the tuners built-in? If not, you should consider having your shop add them. Especially for a beginner, they make tuning adjustments much easier than wrestling with stubborn pegs.

And yes, you should tune up before each playing or practicing session. Cheers!

Tim2723 · Post by **Tim2723** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 7:36 am

In addition to fine tuners on the tailpiece, a tiny smidge of peg dope will assure that the pegs themselves turn smoothly and grip tightly so they don't suddenly slip. Your shop can prove all that and your teacher will explain their use.

Not to sound like a broken record, but as th others have said, being in tune is absolutey critical every time you pick up your instrument.

awildman · Post by **awildman** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 10:18 am

I don't like 4 fine tuners because they change the afterlength and adds mass to the tailpiece. This all affects the response from the fiddle. The Wittner Ultra is a good alternative and inexpensive. It seems to be the best of the cheapies. For those who have spare green lying around, a Bois d' Harmonie is the way to go.

Even better, IMO are the Perfection Pegs. These elimitate the need for fine tuners at all, since the fine-tuning now occurs in the pegs. They also eliminate any difficulties associated with wooden pegs.

As for tuning, yes the preferred method is pure 5ths. The method I use is a tuning fork - a440- and my ears. I don't like using an electronic tuner for the reasons you mention, MTGuru. But it does get close, and is handy for double-checking your tuning.

Tim2723 · Post by **Tim2723** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 10:45 am

Search around for tuners. There are models that can be calibrated for pure fifths, or anything else you might want. Korg makes (made?) a good one, but a little pricey. Don't remember the model, sorry. It could even tune a bagpipe!

Derkk · Post by **Derkk** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 1:14 pm

MTGuru wrote: Derkk, does you violin have fine tuners on it, or a tailpiece with the tuners built-in? If not, you should consider having your shop add them. Especially for a beginner, they make tuning adjustments much easier than wrestling with stubborn pegs.

And yes, you should tune up before each playing or practicing session. Cheers!

Yes, it has fine tuners built in. I'm going into the shop soon to get it tuned by someone who can, and maybe ask for some advice about home-tuning.

Right now I don't have enough money to buy an electronic tuner, I've also never retuned it since I got it.. so I wonder if that's a bad thing.

harpmaker · Post by **harpmaker** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:11 pm

You can buy a small fully chromatic tuner for as little as $25 to $30 which will take care of all of your tuning needs. They are well worth the investment.

Tuning by ear takes a long time to get right, and even then many who think they have it down pat are still off.

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:29 pm

Tune every time. Unless your ear tells you it's ok for a quick practice session.
I have a clip-on Intellitouch, but I'm preferring a Sabine tuner/metronome combo which seems to give me slightly more precise info.

kennychaffin · Post by **kennychaffin** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:45 pm

buddhu wrote:Dude, get a tuner.

How often yr fiddle needs tuning will depend on temperature, humidity, strings, stability of the pegs, the phase of the moon, etc etc etc.

A tuner such as the Intelli clip-on will let you tune up every time you take the instrument out of its case, which is what you should do anyway.

Wow! Buddhu and I agree on something.

KAC