Digital Tuners - Have They Killed The Vibe?

[RhysP]

What the OP is forgetting (or maybe unaware of) is that plenty of bands in the 60's & 70's were using Conn & Peterson Strobe tuners which were far more accurate than todays digital tuners.

If Hendrix, The Stones or whoever were out of tune it was because they didn't care, not because the tools to tune to a high degree of accuracy weren't available.

[TimR]

No. I fully understand the physics behind the different types of temprament. I know that guitar will only sound 'right' on its own. Add
piano, bass guitar, saxaphone or any other instrument tuned to equal temprament and you are in trouble. Try playing it with a trumpet or voilin and you'll confuse the hell out of the musician who will have to continually adapt what they are playing to stay in tune.

Its a curioso of no practical use whatsoever.

But it is important in this discussion because it shows that there are people out there trying to be more perfect than they should and getting it very wrong.

[discreet]

Thanks, I knew nothing of Conn, or indeed Peterson Strobe tuners. Apparently the strobe tuner was invented in 1936.
Every day's a school day.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9HJiiLz_5w"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9HJiiLz_5w[/url]

[uncle psychosis]

I would imagine that if anything has killed the "vibe" with regards recordings and tunings its modern electronic recording techniques.

Loads of old recordings are slightly off pitch (ie the whole recording is in tune with itself but is not in "standard" tuning) because they recorded it and then changed the speed afterwards. Modern technology lets you do this without altering the pitch. I imagine that this has killed "the vibe" a bit.

[jonnybass]

I have listened to 'well (true) tempered' music and 'even tempered' music played on 'well tempered' instruments and I must say in my opnion that the music composed in even temper sounded bland dull and lacking any substance when played on 'well tempered' instruments. it did sound in tune though... Music composed for 'well tempered' instruments sounded better on 'well tempered' instruments. It would be good to hear these guitars doing the whole Baroque redone with electric guitars thing like Sky did in the 70's

[algmusic]

In reality I think tuners are great and like about 90% of us I have the boss pedal for easy quick tuning. It's great for beginners so they can be in tune and also prevents those players who 'think' they can tune their guitars by ear.

The only the only slight problem I think may arise is that someone who has always used a tuner, might struggle noticing if something is out of tune or in tune without a tuner.. or that might just be that person.. The reason I bring this up is that you don't see classical musicians running around with a digital tuner and even when they play with modern 'tuned' instruments they don't have a problem..

Then again the more I think about if the person listens when they tune their instrument, they should be reasonably good at noticing, right?

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1318329747' post='1400556']
If Hendrix, The Stones or whoever were out of tune it was because they didn't care, not because the tools to tune to a high degree of accuracy weren't available.
[/quote]
I don't think either Hendrix or The Stones [i]didn't care[/i]. They just put highly accurate tuning a bit lower down their list of priorities than pulling Marianne Faithfull, wearing pink feather boas, immolating Strats and consuming industrial quantities of Mother Nature's Finest.

Which is, of course, entirely as it should be. Tuning is for squares, breadheads and Establishment flunkies.