Cool video on " Have we been tuning wrong ? "

fronobulax

Bassist, GAD and the Hot Mess Mods
Joined
May 3, 2007
Messages
24,708
Reaction score
8,836
Location
Central Virginia, USA
Guild Total
5
No news here, at least if you spend time around people who tune pianos or talk about well tempered scales. So the question "having we been doing it wrong?" is somewhat alarmist although the idea that you can tweak the tuning so that some things sound better is an extremely helpful reminder.

Curiously last night we were watching a quartet and the guitarist had one of these, but at least the first five frets were visibly fanned (which is another solution to tuning).

GH-200-Scarlet-Burl-e1497634129727.png
 

mellowgerman

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2008
Messages
4,099
Reaction score
1,501
Location
Orlando, FL
If I may raise the practical question at this point... does the Taylor tuning then also require brown shoes as opposed to white shoes?
Just kidding. Thanks for sharing the video! Interesting stuff, though I do remember this general discussion of imprecise instruments coming up in one of my music theory courses some years back.
Personally, I go through periods where I hardly pick up my steel-string guitars because I get so irritated by the B string sounding out of tune even though every tuner or keyboard I tune to says it's correct... I notice this less with my classical guitar, which might have to do with overtones that are more noticeable on a steel-string?
 

F312

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2008
Messages
2,760
Reaction score
958
He says (the guitar is indeed a very imprecise instrument) so no matter what, It will still be somewhat minutely off IMHO. I do retune if a capo is in use. In the end, he says (Nah, do what you like), so I think I'll do what I like. It's the weekend, so I'll wait for Al to tune in on this subject. No news here.

Ralph
 

Quantum Strummer

Senior Member
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
2,382
Reaction score
118
Location
Michigan
Tuning is as much art as science. It's physically impossible for a guitar to be in tune in all keys at once (fanning the frets, intonating the nut and/or various sweetened tuning schemes all help but don't completely solve this) so we compromise. "Standard" tuning is a compromise that works well both for being acceptably in tune in all keys for most purposes and also for keeping the instrument reasonably easy to play from a physical standpoint.

When I started playing electric guitar, the way the (unwound) G string intonated sharp at the lower frets drove me around the bend. Eventually I switched to a wound G and was happier. I still use wound Gs on most of my guitars, though this isn't a perfect solution. I find with ~24.75" scale length guitars that an unwound G actually intonates better in the 9th fret area, and I do like my A-form barre E chord. :)

-Dave-
 

Westerly Wood

Venerated Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2007
Messages
13,323
Reaction score
6,496
Guild Total
2
i have regressed lately to a tuning fork. A note. It is kind of fun, my 4 year old particularly likes it when i wack the fork off my knee and put i by her ear.
 

adorshki

Reverential Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
34,176
Reaction score
6,790
Location
Sillycon Valley CA
It's the weekend, so I'll wait for Al to tune in on this subject.
<groan>
:glee:
Yeah I use an "A" fork and match harmonics at the 5th & 7th frets from that starting point, and normally need to "sweeten" it a little, usually need to flatten the B & E's few hertz.
Then bend a lot and play fast and most people's ears are fooled.
 

Westerly Wood

Venerated Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2007
Messages
13,323
Reaction score
6,496
Guild Total
2
Yeah I use an "A" fork and match harmonics at the 5th & 7th frets from that starting point, and normally need to "sweeten" it a little, usually need to flatten the B & E's few hertz.

my exact approach right now too Al. the medium strings are nice, however I do notice the Big E string is often a touch sharp. especially when i drop it to D. oh i am sure my old flattop has just aged this way. :)

it's due for a setup anyway.
 
Last edited:

steve488

Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
400
Reaction score
168
Location
Arizona desert
Guild Total
2
I have survived decades using a harmonica to match the C then work out to the edges (bass side first usually). Then again since I seldom play in a group I really have no baseline as to whether I am at concert pitch or not.......but it worked for me. Today I use one of the handy smart phone apps (again however, there is no one else to compare to so......)
 

Westerly Wood

Venerated Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2007
Messages
13,323
Reaction score
6,496
Guild Total
2
(...again however, there is no one else to compare to so......)

i know right, Steve? I just happened to hear yesterday when I was playing, wow, i need to tune up the Br, it was pretty well off.

:)
 
Top