Do you own a tuner?

[Chadtuba]

I don't own one. Keep meaning to buy one, but then something else more important seems to get in the way: new music, gasoline, new mouthpiece, food, new tuba, gasoline, new (used) mouthpiece, new mouthpiece, new music, new mouthpiece, new euphonium. . .well I think you get the picture

[Naptown Tuba]

I not only own a tuner..........I AM a tuner! I guess you could say then, my wife owns a tuner.

[tubaguy9]

I have 2 tuners...1 is a combo tuner/metronome, and the other is one of those Center Pitch tuners. The one that is a combo, I'm not necessarily fond of, but the Center Pitch one is good. I just sent it in to get replaced with their lifetime warranty on them!
They're not bad for $25...

[bort]

Owning one is the easy part...how about using it (or knowing how to use it)?

[jonesbrass]

I own a tuner. I am aware of the tendencies of my horn(s), but I don't live and die by the tuner. I prefer to depend on my ear, especially when playing with others.

[iiipopes]

Your honor, I object on the grounds that the question is a compound question, and therefore assumes facts not in evidence.

[Rick F]

I own two. A Korg CA-20 that is about 5 yrs old, and a combo tuner (metronome/tuner) by Shar. I like the Shar because of all it can do. BUT, the big knob is too easy to bump off of the ref. of A=440. The knob is nice for easily adjusting tempos when using the metronome.

We have a new director in our community band who is insists on improving overall intonation (a good thing). He wants us all to use a tuner with a pickup to measure our own intonation during rehearsals. I've already heard improvements in the trumpet and clarinet section (there must be some saxes not using their tuners as yet ). Of course this method just gets us in the ballpark of even temperament.

[windshieldbug]

I use my ears actively, but I am not blessed with 'perfect pitch' (whatever that magical attribute is defined as). Therefor, I need a constant framework for my relative pitch to work in, and I'm not going to rely on someone else's idea of what that may be today.

I try to as consistent as I can be, and listening for pitch is one of those areas.
Pitch changes in harmonic context, as well as the "pitch" tuned to.

As cheap as tuners are, there's no reason NOT to be as informed as possible!

[mammoth2ba]

A tuner was one of the first "accessory" purchases I made.

Sometimes pitches I know are slightly "challenged" on my tuba are MORE in tune with the BAND(s) when played with the challenged fingering, than the correctly "in tune" note played with alternate fingering.

Then there's one band I play in which spends the first 15 minutes of _each_ rehearsal tuning individual players. If many of the players we are "doing that for" would learn to play in tune at home (ie. buy a tuner and learn to use it.....or even use the band's tuner _before rehearsal begins_), we'd have an additional 2+ hours to get ensemble problems worked out before every concert!

[Dan Schultz]

Joe... I understand what you are saying here. Yes... I know EXACTLY what my horns are doing and I don't need a tuner to tell me things I already know. What I carry a tuner for is to put it on the moronic trumpet and clarinet players (and others) who can't seem to remember where their slides/tuning devices should be when they start playing. I know folks who shove every slide 'in' before they put their horn away.

[MartyNeilan]

In addition to a standard pocket tuner, I have one of those tuners that sounds back the note you are trying to play (when using an external mic, to avoid the obvious feedback issues.) I think it is a Korg OT-12. This was particularly useful when dialing in the pitch on my big Martin - that horn had only three valves and was very bendable. I probably need to do the same thing on my new-to-me F - lots of long tones in the mid-low register (also very bendable) against the generated tones.

[tubacrow]

I own one, and use it, but sometimes it is frustrating when you practice solos in what we consider in tune, but perform with pianos that are slightly out of tune.

[Wyvern]

I am surprised every musician does not have a tuner - surely basic equipment and not expensive for a simple pocket model (I saw one today for 7 GBP/10 USD)

I spend a lot of time with a tuner when I get a new tuba getting all the slides in optimal positions, but after that just use to check the odd suspect note, or to confirm my high register pitching.

When playing out, I tune to the pitch of the band, or orchestra. It does not matter if strictly in tune according to a tuner, if pitched differently to the group, then one is out of tune

[windshieldbug]

bloke, I, like you, would adjust the pitch focal center of my tuner.

Fortunately, I live with a flute player who is "far to delicate" to withstand such temperature visicitudes, (and maybe now, by, association, so am I ... )

I would rather play my horn at the same length and therefor response, temperature be hanged. For the same reason that I don't try mouthpieces haphazardly, on a whim.

To myself, it is more important to have a consistent set-up than an absolute frequency.

And if you perform under those conditions, everyone else has the same issue.

[windshieldbug]

[tbn.al]

I rarely if ever use one when playing with others, pianos, or something I do a lot, play along with a CD. I do look at it sometimes while playing strictly by myself if I think I may have lost my frame of reference. What I do use it for is to check up on myself. Even in a group rehearsal I am not above going to the tuner if the problem is not getting fixed by conventional means. I love the little red and green lights on my Korg 30 which by the way does a great job down in the cellar. I can hardly see the needle.
I also have a handy little program for my phone/pda called phontuner. Super little program that turns my phone into a great tuner. You won't believe how good it is.

http://classic.pocketgear.com/software_ ... sp?id=8668" target="_blank" target="_blank

[tubatooter1940]

I have had a Korg GT2 for many years. It is pretty good.
I paid the same amount last Christmas for a Walmart First Act p.o.s. The Korg is used to tune my old King tuba, and a Yamaha dreadnought acoustic guitar. I bought a Korg effects pedal for my Gibson 330 that has built-in silent tuning.
The First act p.o.s. is needed and skinny enough to fit in the gig bag pocket of my Martin Backpacker travel guitar that has to be pretty close to 440 or it will not get in tune with itself.
I play tuba and guitar a lot with another guitar so I wait to see what the weather or air conditioning is doing to the other guitar and compensate by ear.
My tuba main slide is usually out a half inch to two inches depending on the temperature and the vagaries of accompanying instruments.

[WakinAZ]

I have a cheapie Korg CA-30. I use it to establish my initial pitch in different environs after I have warmed up. Then it goes back in the music bag and stays there for the remainder of the rehearsal/performance. I will keep it out for most of my practice time by myself at home to stay aware of the pitch tendencies of my various horns.

I do not adjust my tuner to compensate for the temperature in my house, I adjust my tuning slide. I push all my slides in when I put my horn away, and then pull them out again when I play. Someone told me that was a wise thing to do to avoid ambient dust and case fuzz getting onto the slides and therefore into the inside of the horn. [Disclaimer: I am a tin-eared rank amateur.]

Eric

[The Jackson]

When I'm done playing for a while, I push all the slides in not only to get crap out of the slides and make the lube last longer, I do it so I don't get myself fixated on one setup for playing because I play in multiple groups that [, for whatever reason, ] have different standards of pitch that require me to adjust my slides differently.

I own the small Korg and do use it regarding my pitch center, adjusting valve slides and fingerings in the low register, but I also use it to gauge my muscle control with my embouchure. I turn the tuner on and hold a note. I look at the tuner and see if the needle moves around the display to show that my pitch is modulating not in the manner I would like it. This let's me know that that is what I need to work on.

[rocksanddirt]

yes, I own a tuner.

I do not use it regularly when practicing at home. The kids use it when practicing their violin's.

Typically in the groups I play with, we are using a piano and tune to that.