Success Music Studio

Tuning

 

music, low, electric bass

 

 

The archive contains posts about tuning instruments and vocals.

 

 

Instrument and Vocal Intonation

Are you frustrated that your guitar or synth chords sound out of tune? Do you want to sing in tune? Many of the following posts deal with how to retune guitars and synths so they sound better. Other posts deal with singing or playing in tune.

 

However, the tuning posts do not stop at the simple question of how to tune a guitar or a synth. They also look at the deeper questions of what does it mean to be in tune and how to tune better.

 

When musicians tune instruments, they bring the instruments’ notes into agreement with a cultural standard. The standard remains different for fixed pitch instruments, such as the piano, than for flexible pitch instruments, such as the voice.

 

In Western culture, equal temperament remains the standard for fixed pitch instruments. It allows the instrument to have a manageable number of notes. Also, all twelve scales remain usable.

 

However, the chords sound barely in tune. Therefore, many of the posts in the archive talk about how to tune instruments using Supplemented Equal Temperament (SET). SET is an enhanced version of equal temperament. Thus, chords sound better in SET than in equal temperament.

 

Flexible pitch instruments, such as the voice, violin, brass, and woodwind families, have the ability to adjust their pitch as they play. Consequently, many of the archive posts deal with vocal intonation. (Though any flexible pitch instrumentalist will benefit from the ear training.)

 

To help them achieve this, the singing posts have specially tuned sing-along songs that train vocalists to sing melodies and harmonies accurately.

 

© 2021 Geoffrey Keith

 

Back to the Successful Music Student Blogs page

 

Singing Lip Vowels - Woman Singing with Band

Singing Lip Vowels

Do you have a hard time singing in key? Do you want strong vocal tone? Gaining control of your vowels will help you reach both goals. Today we’ll deal with singing lip vowels, the second major vowel grouping in the vowel series. Read more to learn about singing lip vowels. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

How Do Guitar Harmonics Work - Intonation and Supplemented Equal Temperament - Guitarist - Tips for How to Stay Calm and Cool Before a Concert - How Many of You Want to Know How to Tune with Guitar Harmonics

How Do Guitar Harmonics Work?

So, you play an open string, and it gives you one note. You play the harmonic over the 12th fret, and you get another note. You do the same thing over the 5th and 7th frets, and you get still more notes. However, they don’t relate to the frets at all. You scratch your head, wondering, “How do guitar harmonics work?” Don’t worry, you just need to understand how strings vibrate. Read more to answer the question, how do guitar harmonics work? Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

Is Just Intonation Impractical - Tuning the Grand Piano - What’s the Difference Between Just Intonation and Equal Temperament

Is Just Intonation Impractical?

Are you thinking about composing in just intonation? Do you worry that just intonation is impractical? As with any tuning system, just intonation has its strengths and weaknesses. We’ll look at the pros and cons, and when you’ve gone through the post, you can make up your own mind. Read more to help you answer the question, “Is just intonation impractical?” Estimated reading time 4 minutes.

Can I Learn Sight-Singing if I Haven’t Learned an Instrument? - How Intervals Affect Singing in Tune - Female Singer with mic - Sing Perfectly in Tune All the Time with Touchstone - How Can I Tell When I’m Singing in Key

How Can I Tell When I’m Singing in Key?

Do you ever ask yourself, “How can I tell when I’m singing in key?” or “How do I know if I’m singing in tune?” If you happen to be one of those people who has an innate sense of pitch, count yourself lucky. For everybody else, take heart! Performing in key is a skill that you can learn, and the sing-along soundtracks will help. Read more to learn what you need to listen for to be able to sing in key. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

Singing Tongue Vowels - Male Singer

Singing Tongue Vowels

Do you have a hard time singing with a strong vocal tone? Do you want to be able to sing in tune? Controlling how you sing vowels will help you get a stronger tone and give you the tools to sing in tune. We’ll focus on tongue vowels today, because you’ll find tongue vowels easier to produce than lip vowels. Read more to learn about singing tongue vowels. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.