dem00n Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Im horrible at it. I tried for a full month then gave up...its just one of those things i wont ever get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Im horrible at it.I tried for a full month then gave up...its just one of those things i wont ever get. When I was a kid, we didn't have any choice...but now everyone and their crazy aunt has an electronic tuner. I think we've all gotten lazy! Maybe it's like having a calculator handy. In the olden days, we didn't have a choice but to remember our multiplication tables..but now, you can get a calculator everytime you take your goldfish into the vet's office! Because I will still wander over to the piano to tune up, I'm still pretty good using one. However, when I want to be precise, I use my old analog tuner... WAY better than the new electronic ones. And I keep a tuning fork in a couple of my guitar cases...hard to beat the 440 hz "A" tuning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Frankly I think this is largely because we've now got these electronic thingamajiggies for tuning guitars instead of using a pitch pipe, piano or tuning fork - and we've kinda quit training people's ears. I wish I had some advice other than to use the harmonics for tuning and, once they're close, to listen for "beats" from the tuning of the two strings being slightly out of phase. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzboy Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I can tell by ear when Guitar has gone out of tune Yes. But tuning by ear no I can't do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 This is something that I don't think is easy to teach and you're not alone. I had to work hard to be a decent musician but playing and tuning by ear came naturally to me. I actually drove some of my teachers nuts because I have perfect pitch. They would test me by playing a note and I could yell them the exact note. They used to ask me "do you see colors when you hear a note?" but I never did. I really don't know how I do it. Everyone is blessed with something. I guess that's mine. *EDIT* I just tried it on my eight year old son. He got 90% of them correct. Looks like he got something good from my side...he he he. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepblue Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Im pretty good actually. I can hear the "A" note in my head, then the rest falls into place by using tuning harmonics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoda Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I always turn by ear, then check it with the tuner; I'm getting better, and better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I tune with electronics but I have to set intonation by ear. I'm not really good at it, so I really have to fiddle with it to get it just right. I found that when I set intonation with my electronic tuner, it wasn't set right by ear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I always turn by ear' date=' then check it with the tuner; I'm getting better, and better.[/quote'] You know...that probably isn't a bad way to "teach" yourself.... tune by ear.. then check yourself... after some time, I'll bet you "adjust" your tuning to be closer to the .... how did Milo say it, "electronic thingamajiggies". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIANTRobOT420 Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 My tuner is my most prized piece of gear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silenced Fred Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I can tell by ear when Guitar has gone out of tune Yes. But tuning by ear no I can't do that. Same here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jannusguy Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 "My tuner is my most prized piece of gear" mine too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shnate McDuanus Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I tune by ear using a tuning fork. It was the only option I had when I was starting out, so I learned how to do it out of necessity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstMeasure Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Frankly I think this is largely because we've now got these electronic thingamajiggies for tuning guitars instead of using a pitch pipe' date=' piano or tuning fork - and we've kinda quit training people's ears. I wish I had some advice other than to use the harmonics for tuning and, once they're close, to listen for "beats" from the tuning of the two strings being slightly out of phase. m [/quote'] Actually, Milod, I think you have great advice right here in your post. Get a Tuning fork or a Pitch Pipe and "practice" tuning with it. My Dad gave me an "A" Tuning Fork when I started, the rest were up to me. I don't have the best Ear, but I can tune without any apparatus when I have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CajunBlues Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 The more you play and the more music you read (especially in a band/combo setting), the better your ear will become. Whether you want it to become better or not. Sometimes I am not perfect finding the E or A, but once I do I can get the rest of the strings in tune close to perfect... Actually I tune by ear BECAUSE I am lazy.. I don't want to bother getting out the tuner and having to remove the cord from my amp... etc.... Learn to read music and practice reading... It will do wonders for not only tuning but being able to learn licks by ear instead of by tab... But for me it took years to be good... Not weeks or months... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I find it very hard to turn the tuners with my ears.... Thank God for the Robot Guitar.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAS44 Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I always turn by ear' date=' then check it with the tuner; I'm getting better, and better.[/quote']Same. I can do it pretty well but I still "proofread". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky4 Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I can't for the life of me, but I don't play in a band so it's not a necessity. I'll tune with an online tuner and after a few weeks of micro-matic adjustments, I find I've dropped a full step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Allen Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Hey Dem00n. I say don't give up, dude. I use to be horrible, and still struggle if there are other musicians playing but, I am getting better and better. Keep at it and it will help playing in other ways as your ear gets better. Maybe you should listen to real music instead of death metal. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 The more I've played over the years the easier it's gotten. I can tune any stringed instrument if I have the E played to me. You'll get it. Just don't give up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Last time I restrung a guitar, I retuned using nothing but my ear and nailed it, according to my ToneLab. I'm guessing that's pretty good. So, uh... no, I don't have a lot of trouble tuning by ear, I guess. At least not tuning to standard, anyway.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myspace.com/jessenoah Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Maybe you should listen to real music instead of death metal. . . bada-bing' date= bada-boom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basshole Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Once you feel the string "equal" out then you know your in tune. The strings amplitude and frequency are what your listening to when you tune. You your out of tune when you hear a "wah wah" sound. This sound could either sound fast or slow, you have to find the balance in between. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I guess I've gotten spoiled/lazy as the years go by. I started out with a cheesy (stinky) pitch pipe in the seventies, and would sometimes use my neighbor's piano. After that, I would just tune to whatever music was playing. TV commercials are usually in tune, so I often just used the jingles to see if I was sharp or flat. Until synths and keyboards became so common in the early eighties, many bands recorded their albums slightly off key, songs even varying on the same album - drove me crazy. All AC/DC stuff thru Highway to Hell was that way, Back In Black is perfectly in tune, as were all following albums. Without ready access to my Boss TU-2 tuner, I actually get irritated doing it by ear now. I can do it fine if I know I have one string on the money, using harmonics, I just don't want to. As far as perfect pitch? No. At least not as close as I would like to be. If I'm at Guitar Center, I'll take anything I want to play to the counter and have them tune it up. No way you can do it by ear in their stores with all the noise. Also reminds them how poorly they care for their stuff. Mike Patruno from Bizarre Guitar always amazed me that he could pull a new guitar out of the box, and start running thru the strings to tune it almost perfectly in seconds. But he did it every day. And all their stuff was always in tune - you could bet money on it... For years, I've tuned silently with the TU-2 and I don't even hear the guitar anymore - just watch the lights. Switch off the tuner, pick through the strings - perfect every time. When something sounds a little off, I try to guess which string it is before the lights tell me. I'm usually right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcmurray Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Not being able to tune by ear is an indication that you need to do some serious ear training work. The good news is - anyone can acquire relative pitch. In the mean time, use your tuner, but this will get you started along the right track: http://www.jsguitarforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56336 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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