The system of pitches used by an instrument or in a piece of music, or the practice of adjusting the pitches that instruments or voices produce to be in accordance with the chosen system.
48
votes
7answers
2k views
Why is the guitar tuned like it is?
Why is there that funny tuning kink between the G and B string on a guitar in standard tuning? I.e., the (musical) gap between the rest of the adjoining strings is 5 frets (or a perfect fourth), but ...
33
votes
6answers
1k views
What's the difference between a G♭ and an F#?
I've heard it said that, whilst on most instruments these notes are played with the same fingerings/technique/etc there is a subtle difference.
This isn't specific to this particular note ...
26
votes
3answers
1k views
How long would it take to learn to tune a piano?
I have a piano that is out of tune, and I know tuning pianos properly is complicated enough to have it's own profession. But I think it would be interesting to have a go myself, for fun.
But is this ...
23
votes
8answers
945 views
Software that allows playing in different temperaments
Do you know of any software out there that will allow me to play in different musical temperaments (e.g. Well temperament and Meantone temperament)? I'm especially interested in software that accepts ...
20
votes
5answers
2k views
Why are orchestras tuned differently?
In 1936 American Standards Association (and the International Organization for Standardization in 1955) accepted that A would be tuned at 440 Hz (or cycles per second). Yet despite the fact that a ...
17
votes
9answers
8k views
Why do some artists tune their guitars half a step or whole step down?
Is there a reason some guitarists tune down half or whole steps, other than preference or style?
It bugs me sometimes when I would like to play along with a song only to find that it's played down ...
16
votes
2answers
1k views
Why is my guitar's saddle at an angle?
Most acoustic guitars I've seen, including my own, have an angled saddle (the white strip holding up the strings):
This makes the bass strings longer than the treble strings. Why is this?
...
14
votes
3answers
209 views
Poor quality guitars that don't tune
So since I got it at a discount price, I noticed this Yamaha I have won't tune properly. Specifically if I tune the strings to a perfect EADGBE (using a good digital tuner), then I cross check the ...
14
votes
3answers
967 views
How to properly tune drum heads?
I would like to know if there are any tips on tuning drumheads; I keep hearing harmonics.
13
votes
5answers
521 views
When tuning a guitar, how should I strike the strings?
When tuning a guitar, what is the best way to strike a string to get it as close to pitch as possible? I'd like to get it as close to the right pitch as I possibly can. I've noticed with my tuner ...
12
votes
4answers
794 views
My guitar goes out of tune at a higher pitch rather than lower, is that normal?
It is my understanding that strings, over time, stretch and are unable to maintain their tension, so they go out of tune at a lower pitch.
When I pick up my guitar and I tune it with my electronic ...
12
votes
2answers
3k views
What is concert pitch?
I was watching a song video lesson earlier today and it mentioned that the guitar should be tuned to concert pitch. What does that mean? Is it different from the normal EADGBE tuning?
11
votes
5answers
2k views
How to accurately intonate a 3 saddle telecaster?
I have a traditional 3 saddle telecaster bridge. With two strings on each saddle my intonation is always a slight compromise. This is OK on the first four strings, but the bass strings are noticeably ...
11
votes
4answers
692 views
Trumpet low C# and D
Most trumpets' low C# and D are too low, and need correcting by pulling the 1st of 3rd valve.
My first understanding was that the distance between tones in the lower register is larger than between ...
11
votes
5answers
3k views
How can I minimize going out of tune when using the whammy bar?
Perhaps my selection of musicians is biased, but usually when I see a whammy bar used, it's usually with a locking tremolo bridge like a Floyd Rose. Everybody else seems to take the whammy bar out and ...
10
votes
9answers
4k views
Why is dropped D tuning used so often?
Many metal/rock songs use dropped D tuning. What reasons are there for it?
10
votes
7answers
662 views
How do I properly stretch my newly strung strings?
I came across this string stretcher device. It claims to properly and evenly stretch new strings and maintain tuning.
I never really made a point to properly stretch newly strung strings. Can anyone ...
9
votes
3answers
477 views
Why Is Just Intonation Impractical?
I've read about the debate of "just intonation" vs 12-tone equal temperament. And nowhere it was clearly stated why just intonation is impractical. Here are my assumptions. Please let me know if I am ...
9
votes
2answers
304 views
What is an “open tuning”?
I know that Keith Richards has been known to use open tunings on some songs, but what is an open tuning exactly and when/why would you use it?
9
votes
2answers
1k views
How should I tune a guitar with a Floyd Rose tremolo?
A number of my guitars have a Floyd Rose tremolo system with the locking nuts near the headstock.
How can I effectively tune a guitar that has a Floyd Rose locking tremolo?
9
votes
3answers
645 views
Is it harmful to use an electronic tuner to check intonation while practicing ?
Is it a bad habit to use an electronic tuner while practicing an instrument in which the notes are not fixed after tuning (e.g. violin, trombone)?
I'm asking because I've heard a lot of people say ...
9
votes
4answers
1k views
How can I effectively secure guitar strings to the tuning pegs?
One of the bigger problems I face when restringing my guitars is properly securing the strings to the pegs.
How should I wind the strings around the pegs before tightening them to prevent the string ...
9
votes
2answers
461 views
Software for microtonal MIDI?
I'm looking to make some microtonal music (19/22 tone equal temperament). I want to produce it with midi. Timidity++ used to be able to produce a WAV file from a microtonal tuned .MID file, but it is ...
9
votes
1answer
363 views
Is playing an out-of-tune instrument damaging to the musical ear?
My piano is nearly 100 years old, and can no longer stay in tune. Repairing it would cost much more than the piano is worth, and I'm not ready to spring for a new one just yet. So for now I am stuck ...
9
votes
2answers
417 views
How far “off” can a piano unison be and still be considered “in-tune”?
I'm talking about either beats per second of a resulting beat between two strings in the midrange of the piano. My piano seems to vary during different parts of the day, I think because of the ...
9
votes
3answers
132 views
What is the reason for pitch inflation?
There's this phenomenon among instrumentalists to constantly raise the pitch of the concert A. This generally occurs among string players, since the range of tunings for woodwinds, for example, is ...
9
votes
1answer
259 views
Why choirs consistently go flat or sharp in certain keys
As a long-time chorister, I've always wondered what drives choirs to flat or sharp out of certain keys. For instance, the choir I sing with consistently fails to remain in the key of F, whereas ...
8
votes
6answers
3k views
Useful tuning for 7 or 8 string guitars
So, I'm looking to add an Ibanez 7 or 8 string to my guitar zoo, but although I have looked into various standard tunings I am trying to figure out practical tunings so I can rapidly add the new ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
Does using a whammy bar detune your guitar?
Will regular use of a whammy bar cause your guitar strings to come out of tune significantly faster than normal?
8
votes
1answer
182 views
What kind of edition and tuning to use to study Bach's fifth cello suite ?
As is well known, this suite was composed for a cello with a scordatura tuning C-G-d-g instead of the classical C-G-d-a.
I have seen almost every possible combination:
edition for specially-tuned ...
7
votes
4answers
4k views
Does using a capo put you out of tune?
i just want to ask if using a capo affects the tuning of the strings. I bought my first capo and I played my guitar with the capo on all day long. When I removed the capo, I played another song and it ...
6
votes
11answers
227 views
How do you tune your guitar?
I'd like to hear about the different techniques of tuning a guitar with standard tuning, and why you use them.
6
votes
3answers
148 views
Does this guitar tuning have a name?
I've had a few suggestions as to an "official" name for this tuning, but what do you lot think?
From high e to bass...
e B F# C# G# D#
6
votes
2answers
124 views
Guitar getting out of tune quickly
I have a Procraft guitar (made in China) that gets out of tune very quickly - especially after 2-3 minutes of strumming. Specifically, the 4th and 5th strings get out of tune more than the other ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Should guitar be de-tuned when not in use…?
I bought a GB&A guitar almost an year ago. I play guitar mostly on the weekends. Recently I noted that my guitar bridge has got lifted off the body a bit. So I took it to the Guitar Shop. The ...
6
votes
2answers
723 views
Kahler tremolo bridge problems - how to test and fix?
My Peavey Falcon -- a Strat clone -- has tuning problems. The instrument has a Kahler tremolo that I suspect is contributing to my tuning problems. (The roller nut and tuning machines are other ...
6
votes
2answers
851 views
Tuning the Ouds
How many strings do various types of ouds (Arab, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Greek, Persia, etc.) have and how are they usually tuned (with pitch reference or not) to what absolute or relative pitches?
6
votes
1answer
283 views
One-to-one techniques for improving ability to sing in tune
There are a number of questions on this site from singers who want to find software so they can work, on their own, on their ability to sing in tune.
However, I am hoping to do some one-to-one (and ...
5
votes
6answers
2k views
Why do people say “you are a little flat” and never “you are are a little sharp”?
Is there a tendency to sing flat when singing out of tune?
5
votes
4answers
414 views
What are the various methods of tuning the guitar?
This is not a question as much as it is a discussion. I am curious to know what are the different techniques to tune the guitar (using standard tuning) given you know that one string is in tune. I ...
5
votes
4answers
734 views
Piano tuning just under the absolute pitch
The other day, the piano tuner came to the semi-annual tuning of my piano (a Blüthner baby grand). I was not at the house when he did the tuning. When I got home, the piano was tuned in respect to ...
5
votes
5answers
282 views
Tuning a tuning fork?
I just purchased a new 440 Hz tuning fork. But several different computer, iPad and iPhone tuners say it's almost half a percent sharp (around 442) of Concert A.
Is there any way to adjust the ...
5
votes
4answers
89 views
Memorising the fretboard when using dropped tunings?
I'm trying to memorise the notes on the fretboard so that I can more easily apply some of the chordal and scale theory I've been learning, but I downtune quite a lot (half-step down, whole step down, ...
5
votes
3answers
935 views
Which strings should I use for DADGAD tuning on my acoustic guitar?
I have recently switched to DADGAD tuning, before that I was using light tension strings ( 12 16 24 32 42 53 ).
But because of DADGAD, to compensate for the lack of tension on the neck, I wanted to ...
5
votes
4answers
227 views
new strings always relaxing. how do I speed up this process?
every time I replace guitar strings, the strings will always relaxing for a few hours to become stable.
how do I speed up this process?
5
votes
1answer
109 views
How to tune crotales
At our school, we are playing a piece called "Metal", composed by Brian Balmages. The percussion part denotes the crotales and glockenspiel playing together quite often. TThere is a major problem with ...
5
votes
4answers
750 views
Do I have to tune my guitar everyday?
My guitar seems to be out of tune everyday.
Is it because of the bad quality of this guitar, or is this normal?
5
votes
3answers
221 views
Saxophone sometimes out of tune by nearly a fourth
Our band's saxophonist has a bizzare intermittent fault with his soprano sax (so normally uses his tenor or alto sax).
Sometimes it's fine and sings beautifully, but other times it'll be out of tune ...
5
votes
1answer
147 views
Non-fixed-frequency instruments playing by themselves versus with fixed-frequency instruments
[I don't know a better term than "non-fixed frequency instruments" but I mean things like string instruments, voice, trombone as opposed to things like a piano which has a fixed (typically 12-et) ...
5
votes
2answers
57 views
How to Tune a 10-hole Harmonica?
My harmonica went out of tune, what should I do? Do i need to dissemble it for tuning?
