Does a guitarist need a chromatic tuner

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The concert failed. This is a mess of sounds, not music! It is unpleasant to read such a review, when all the forces were given to the performance, and endless rehearsals were in vain. The dissonance cut the ear in every measure.

An out-of-tune instrument will put the musician in an awkward position, and a demanding listener will cause discomfort. Therefore, a guitarist should not only stock up on picks, but also keep a tuner on hand.

Tuning software

The set of utilities that determine the pitch is huge. Each of them copes with the task. It doesn't matter if the program is written for a PC or a mobile phone. At home or in the studio, they're great for tuning.

In live conditions, software tuners are useless. No one will connect a guitar to a computer or bring a smartphone to the strings. But the instrument must be tuned throughout the concert. There is a way out, but first consider the types of guitar tuners. Each of them has its own purpose.

Guitar Tuners: General Specifications

A whole line of instruments has been developed for the most popular musical instrument. If an accordion or flute doesn't require tuning (which is impossible in principle), then the guitar needs it every day.

It is enough to put six strings in order, and the instrument will sound. Guitar tuners are not overloaded with features. Their task is to accurately determine the pitch of six notes.

Acoustic tuners

The signal is picked up by the built-in microphone. This is an easy setup tool. By and large, it is no different from a software tuner installed in a smartphone.

Pluses - compactness and low price. The microphone works well in the frequency range of guitar strings. Therefore, this tuner will cope with the tuning better than the software one.

The downside is the dependence on extraneous noise. Any sound is bound to interfere. Acoustic waves can add up and change frequency and amplitude.

Clothespins

The principle of operation is similar to acoustic tuners, but the sound pickup is not a microphone, but a piezoelectric element that fixes the vibration frequency of the guitar deck. This method gives a fairly accurate result, since it does not depend on external noise. However, frequency readings may vary due to body resonance, which distorts the pitch of the note.

Line out tuners

The pickup captures the frequency of the string as accurately as possible. Its vibrations cause electromagnetic induction and are transmitted through the circuit to the amplifier. No external noise or vibration of the case affects the sound.

Tuners that receive a signal from the line output determine the pitch of the note with an accuracy of hundredths of a hertz. The most comfortable of them are the pedals. In idle mode, they pass the signal directly to the amplifier, and when turned on, they begin to work as a tuner. The sound from the guitar does not enter the speakers, and the musician can tune the instrument during a pause.

Chromatic tuners

Standard scale is based on the reference frequency of the note "la" of the first octave, equal to 440 Hz. But there are times when the instrument sounds lower or higher. Many concert grand pianos are tuned to a 444 Hz tuning fork. This adds expressiveness to the sound of solo piano works. The opposite situation is also possible, when an old piano is tuned much lower than the modern standard.

In such cases, you have to adjust the tension of the strings on the guitar. The note "A" of a rare German piano can sound like a modern "G". As a result, the guitar can only be tuned by ear or with the help of a chromatic tuner. He understands all 12 notes of the scale. It can be used to tune any instruments whose pitch differs from the classic six-string.

To prevent the performance from turning into a cacophony, it is better to take care of setting up the instruments in advance. The guitar will make an excellent duet to a concert grand piano or chamber harpsichord. The main thing is to sound on the same wavelength.