My dog has better intonation than I do

[CrappyEuph]

I think Emma, my dog, has better intonation than I do.

I was playing along with my iTunes and doing a decent job, and Emma was sleeping on my futon. Then a song came on that was right between two keys and I couldn't decide whether to choose the higher key and lip down or the lower key and lip up. So I was experimenting, and I looked up and Emma had woken up and was glaring at me. I said, "am I out of tune?" and as if in response, she got up and went under the futon.

I think I'll start bringing her to my lessons - it's one thing to receive criticism from Dr. Bowman, but it's a whole different story when your dog thinks you suck!

- Crappy

[Kevin Hendrick]

I was playing along with my iTunes and doing a decent job, and Emma was sleeping on my futon. Then a song came on that was right between two keys and I couldn't decide whether to choose the higher key and lip down or the lower key and lip up.

Seems clear to me that you weren't out of tune -- the song was. Our options are limited when what we're trying to match is a quarter-step sharp or flat ... imagine an orchestra trying to tune to A=453 (or A=427) with standard-pitch instruments! Yee-haa ...

[tubatooter1940]

First rule of playing with recordings is tune your instrument to the record.
If you are honking along with the radio and have not enough time or slide length to get close, lay out on that song and give doggy's sensitive ears a break.

[tubatooter1940]

My friend has a golden lab boat dog. When he attempted his first G chord on a guitar, the dog got right up in his face and howled in protest. The dog was right. That was some bad guitar playin'.

[windshieldbug]

I think Emma, my dog, has better intonation than I do.

Don't worry about it. Everybody's a critic.

imagine an orchestra trying to tune to A=453 (or A=427) with standard-pitch instruments! Yee-haa ...

My condolences if you've never had to tune to an oboe's A for the second half of a concert...

[Kevin Hendrick]

imagine an orchestra trying to tune to A=453 (or A=427) with standard-pitch instruments! Yee-haa ...

My condolences if you've never had to tune to an oboe's A for the second half of a concert...

Been there, been done like that ("grading on the curve" is bad enough -- "tuning on the curve" is a whole 'nother thing! "it's in there somewhere" ), never had to push it much past A=444 (which is nowhere near the "Cage-y tuning" that CE described) ...