Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-03-15 00:45
My old Korg AT-1 tuners are what I swear by, and have a needle display instead of flashing LEDs or hard to see (and slow to react) LCD 'needle'.
But without auto shut-off, it does make a meal of (expensive) 9V batteries if left on.
I borrowed another oboe player's tuner to give a concert Bb at one rehearsal, but it insisted in telling me I was playing an F (when I was clearly playing Bb) - not only that, the other oboe player kept telling me I was playing an F because his tuner said F! At this point (and feeling pretty wound up by now) I handed it back and grabbed my much more reliable old Korg from my case. The following rehearsal he said 'you were having trouble with your tuner last week', which I replied, 'no, I was having trouble with YOUR tuner'.
I think most of the tuners on the market probably use the same innards made in the same Chinese factory as they all seem to do the same thing - tell you what you're NOT playing.
I think as the oboe tone has so many higher harmonics present, these tuners may pick up on them instead of the fundamental, and as F is 3rd harmonic of Bb (counting the fundamental as the 1st) that may be the case. And could be something to do with the microphone or anything, I'm just speculating.
Though you do get some people saying 'you need to get them recalibrated' when they're the ones playing flat to the note you're giving while you're keeping an eye on the needle.
Or (as one alto sax player once said) 'my ear's telling me I'm in tune, but your tuner tells me I'm playing sharp. I bet if I give this tuner to a mate of mine that can test it, he'll prove it's not calibrated'.
If playing in a wind 5tet or sax 4tet, I won't use a tuner at all as the players can tune to each other by listening to each other. But when pianos, keyboards or any other fixed pitch instruments are introduced into an ensemble, then a perfectly tuned tuning note should be given by the oboist, and with a tuner so there's no grey area. Once that is established, the rest is up to the players to play in tune afterwards.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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