I am wondering if someone can recommend an electronic tuner that will work with whistles.
I’m of course, hoping to find one that might be available on the internet at a reasonable price. We have a few good music stores but they concern themselves with mostly either guitars and etc or school band intruments. I want to make sure what I purchase will actually work with a whistle.
I have a keyboard to use for getting it close, but would like to have something to get it closer if possible.
Thanks for a great forum! I’ve been “lurking” for a while now…
I use a Korg. They can be found at Lark in the Mornning and other places.
I also use an A tunning fork to check the Korg sometimes. Touch the base of the tunning fork to a wood table, guitar, mt can or something else hollow to amplify the sound. If you touch the vibrating end of the tunning fork to your nose you will sneeze and clear your nose.
I have a QwikTune Qt-11. I don’t recommend it. It only tunes the first octave, and doesn’t “hear” the 2nd. Whitmores has a Korg (I don’t know the model #), and I like it much better.
there are several different makes of QwikTune tuners, so I don’t know if this deficiency is true for all of them.
This might be a dumb question or one for our phyicist whistlers out there, but what keeps a tuning fork in tune. Wouldn’t it be subject to the same barimetric pressures and outside forces that causes our instruments to become out of tune. Just curious.
It’s not subject to barometric-pressure variations because the sound is generated entirely by the metal. That is, it doesn’t depend on a vibrating column of air; it depends only on the dimensions and physical properties of the fork. As far as temperature, they’re (or at least they should be) made from metals with a reasonably low coefficient of thermal expansion. A difference of 10 degrees or so should be no more than a part in ten thousand, or .04 Hz at 440. I assume they’re spec’d as working over a certain temperature range.
If you put any kind of significant dent or bend in it, that will change its properties and hence might possibly change its frequency.
A hearty welcome to Kansas from just down the road in the Republic of West Ozarkia!
I have a Korg tuner and use it on all of my instruments. It is a guitar/bass tuner rather than a chromatic, but I can use the “flat” button to get to the notes in between, or I can just check the D, E, G, A and B.
And I’m frequently asked by family members ‘What possible good can ever come from the time you spend reading posts on those whistle boards?’ I’ve wasted untold dollars on over the counter medication to treat my clogged synuses.
Thanks for all the great answers. I may try the tuning fork as well as the Korg and the computer tuner. I do have a cold virus that won’t let go of my sinuses. Maybe I can kill two birds…
Seriously - thanks a lot. I downloaded the freebie and found a Korg on ebay real chaep. Now I can’t say “I didn’t know I wasn’t in tune.”
And Duffy, the other great thing about a tuning fork when you are in a crowd and your electronic tuner hears everthing so you can’t use it.
Just get out the tuning fork, tap it on the table then put the base of it to the back of your head. You will hear the note in stereo. I have been to Racine a few times. Real nice town.
The tuner I used when building my low D whistles is a korg guitar tuner I then found the AP tuner version 3.06 on the net. small file down load and its free check it out it is also adjustable it gave me the range that the korg could not.
I checked my factory whistles and found them some what sharp.
the korg and the ap tuner tell me my homemades are a good A@
440hz the high and low D notes are right on the money too.
good luck
Whistlin Bob
almost anly tuner should work. for whistle it is not as important as you may think. once you know your D is in tune, its almost more productive to just listen you your intervals and see how you like them. play short phrases from tunes you like and listen to your notes. there is a good discussion in gray larson’s book on tuning in irish music and tuning for flutes and whistles. you don’t need or want equal temperment, which is exactly what you will get with a conventional tuner.
of course if you are making whistles that is a different story. if you are making and selling, you will want to invest in a professional instrument.
Help Required
I have had problems comparing the notes I’m playing with what appears on the screen using tuner_e. What settings do you use ? As a newbie I’m just curious about tuning.
Help appreciated, off for the weekend
Bye
D
Ps. BTW Is Jerry’s mouse related to the Cheshire Cat or maybe I play my tweaked Sweetone too much wearing the logo away?
