Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2011-01-07 19:37
Very helpful, and I agree with your comments. One can err in either direction: 'staring', as you say, at the tuning device on your stand as if it is irreproachable, and abandoning its use at all or only using it to tune a group.
You seem to be using it as a reference and education device (recommended). I think this is a happy medium. The key is to use the thing to TRAIN ONE'S EAR and pitch-sense.
Many of us cannot afford the Flawless Oboe (or reed), so we have to adapt to the quirkiness of our respective instruments. For me, the tuner helps me to identify which notes are 'problem' and which are more dependable, and how I have to adjust.
A good example is the famous, typical flat C: one of my oboes suffers from it, the other doesn't. It's good to know that it's there, and be ready to adjust to it. While my ear is pretty dependable, I like the tuner on my stand as I practice to reference as to HOW flat the thing is. One can note the red lights as one sails through a passage; you don't have to look directly at the machine at all.
And I agree that pitch is more than 'centering' each note; it is a relative and aesthetic thing; you have to spend time cultivating your sense. The tuner can either help or hurt this, depending on how you use it.
GoodWinds
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