Do you own a tuner?

[TWTuba]

Yes, I own a tuner. I use it religiously for warming up. When I am practicing, I will leave it on to check my pitch occassionally, or just to spot check certain notes. The VSAM mentioned earlier looks like an interesting device. I also have experienced the "digital" mis-tuning that bloke mentioned earlier. My ear tells me it is wrong, but the tuner tells me it is right, or vice versa.

[sailn2ba]

I own 3, and I got the Korg TM-20 on Craigslist for $10. I do find that my embouchure has a lot to do with intonation. Settles down on my Cerveny 681 after a few minutes warmup. (That horn, incidentally, is very good over its whole range.) However, when I test other (larger) horns, Cerveny 601, Miraphone 191, and a St Pete, intonation's all over the place! I wasn't able to get even the mid-range dependably spot on with individual slide tuning. I guess it's a matter of getting truly comfortable with the individual horn.

[TUBAD83]

Yes I own 2 tuners: A Korg TM 40 and a Bartoc tuner/metronome.

I do use them at home when I practice and when I warm up before rehearsal and then turn it off when rehearsal starts. I play in 2 symphonic bands and for me its more important to listen to your section pitch and the overall pitch of the ensemble which WILL change on you during rehearsal. Gotta be ready for that and adjust accordingly.

[dave]

One of them was off-calibrated. I had to set it at A=439 to get it to register the same as other CA-30's did at A=440. I didn't think that was possible, but there it was.

I have the identical problem with my CA-30, and have it set to A=439.

However, recently the first clarinet started tuning to A=442. She claims that is what the fixed pitch instruments are set to (vibes, bells, etc.). Makes a huge difference, about 30c in pitch. So I have the CA-30 set to 441 and live with it. Fortunately both of my horns (Alex 151 and Hirsbrunner euph) have sufficient tuning slide adjustment to play that sharp.

-Dave

[Lew]

I think I own 4 tuners. One just wouldn't pick up any notes below Eb below the staff (don't remember which one). The others I accumulated mainly because I kept losing them. Of course I always found them as soon as I bought a new one. Now I keep one of in my practice room, and one each in the cases for my Eb and BBb tubas.

Funny thing about them, the F just below the staff is flat on all of my tubas, must be the tubas . Seriously, using a tuner when practicing has helped me not only tune my horn including all of the valve slides, but to recognize which notes I wasn't centering well and adjust my playing. I think I was just getting lazy on certain notes or overshooting. Then again, what do I know given that I'm a rank amateur whose last tuba lesson was 34 years ago in college.

[anonymous4]

Intonation is one confusing thing. I've had more than one repair guy claim that he could fix my horn's intonation problems at the bench. I had a lesson with a big time orchestra tuba player who told me I can just "blow" the note in tune. There are some out there (http://www.tuneupsystems.com/FAQ.htm" target="_blank" target="_blank) who will tell you that you don't need a tuner, but their product. I just don't know what to do!

[sailn2ba]

Do? Tune a basic note with the main slide (usually the 4th harmonic), then go through the valve slides, then circle back through the main and individual valve slides until it settles down. Folks out there . . is there a better way? Tell me!

[sailn2ba]

Uhmm, warm up for a few minutes first!!

[rocksanddirt]

Uhmm, warm up for a few minutes first!!

yup...Particularly in the winter (when rooms - at least in my house - tend to be "cold around the edges"), tubas' intonation is really weird when only the small-end of the instrument (mouthpipe, etc.) is warmed up and the rest of the instrument is still quite cool.

I find that is also the case, when I'm out in the 'practice room'. takes a bit of playing for the horn to settle down to what its intonation and tuning is that day.