Even if you get it dead on, it's likely to be very slightly off in short order. Let's face it, most instruments change tuning to some degree as they're played. I may actually be un-tuning in the process of touching up, but it sounds best to my ear that way. Personally, I use an electronic tuner but do a little final touching up by ear. However, I've never heard someone else complain about playing with an instrument tuned with an electronic tuner. If the latter is consistent and doesn't pose problems for other players, it seems fine to me. I think there's something to be said for tuning to a standard, like an electronic tuner, but also something to be said for tuning to what sounds best to you. But it has sounded strange to me in some cases (which is why I checked and discovered it was off) because I'm more accustomed to a different 'correct' tuning that's closer to what an electronic tuner steers you toward. If it also sounds good to the people playing with them, terrific. It's off in the same way every time, but it's off. I've seen people who can tune an instrument very consistently by ear, but their tuning is off if you check it with a good tuner. One potential problem is that different people actually hear the same pitch differently. I still have and use the strap on 'old reliable.' My li'l sis' gave it to me for my birthday with a cool strap, so I used it from time to time. The low E and high e 'notes' (actually more like a dischordant chords) it emitted weren't even in tune with each other. It had an on off switch, a knob to turn to each note and a speaker Sounded like a sick cat. The worst tuner I ever had was an elecronic 'buzz box' Sized like today's electronic tuners with LCD display, but no display. I still use it when I forget to turn the darned electronic one off and kill it's battery. I tune the Es then tune the others the low string. #E A D G are still spot on, b and e are still flat. #Brush out, if you try this, like combing your hair.

#I brushed the reeds gently with gritty tooth paste and it brightened them up. I opened it up last winter and found the reeds corroded. #After 30 years it began to sound muffled. I have a 30 year old guitar pitch pipe, actually more like a harmonica. It was nearly a half step off of C.īottom line, I trust my ear and the better electronic tuners. So, really being bored, I checked it against the tuner. It was stamped that it was tuned to 'C.' It seemed to be in like-new condition, not scratched or dinged in any way. It was about 8 inches long and had little 'resonators' on the tips. It was obviously an expensive one, probably hundreds of of dollars. While I was in the examining room, waiting forever, I got bored and noticed the doc had a tuning fork, probably for testing hearing. One time, for some strange reason, I happened to have an electronic tuner in my briefcase once when I was at the doctor's office, I don't even remember why it was in there. I bought a new violin/mando pitch pipe and three of the strings were right on, but the 'A' was way off. Most are right on, but some are not, even brand new. On the other hand, I have tested some tuning forks and pitch pipes against my tuners. Some will stay right on the money until the battery gets below a certain level, and then bam, lights out.

Contrary to what was mentioned before, not all of them will give bad readings when the batteries get low. I have found them all very accurate and consistent with each other. I have TAS (Tuner Acquisition Syndrome) so I have a bunch of electronic tuners, all different brands.

Electronic tuner violin pitch flat