Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: outdated tuner?


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Posted by Wade on February 24, 2004 at 19:04:32:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: outdated tuner? posted by Rick Denney on February 23, 2004 at 13:36:16:

Rick,

My colleagues and I have noted (and debated) the "oddness" of what a digital tuner tells us versus what we hear.

Observations thus far:

1. Pitch varies in a large ensemble constantly, even within a couple of beats of time. The variance is small, but requires VERY different skills that playing with a piano. The pureness of an ensemble's sound has a lot to do with everyone playing in tune to begin with, but then constantly adjusting through ceaseless listening.

2. When playing a long pedal point (such as the infamous B natural in the Romeo and Juliet) the chords change over the sustained pitch, requiring that note to be altered while held. Knowing the chords above you really pays off.

3. Digital tuners "listen" to different things and classify intonation discrepancies differently by brand. They are inconsistent.

4. The only truly dependable tuners that hear and evaluate both the fundamental and overtones and can properly tune chords or individual notes based on chord position and function are strobe-type tuners.

5. Rebuilt Strobe-O-Conns are the best, with modern Peterson strobes not far behind. But the Petersons are ready to use far sooner (the Conns require a long warm-up time). Petersons also seem to hear more of the upper and lower extremes of pitch the way the ear hears it.

6. Most people do not understand how to use a strobe for anything other than checking a single, equal tempered pitch, which is all most digital tuners can do. Tuning chords with a strobe seems to be a lost art that died out in the mid-seventies.



Digital tuners of differing brands, side by side, will hear and evaluate pitches differently. Some are really far off in the low end when a lot of overtone is present in the sample pitch, while sine waves seem to get better results. But old Conn and new Peterson strobes all measure the same. I guess that is why they cost so much. I am saving for a 12 wheel Peterson for home use. But they are like $4,000!! Ugh . . .

Wade "loving the idea of Rick testing digital and strobe tuners side by side and letting us in on the results" Rackley


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