A tuner that shows the numbers

bellgamin

bellgamin

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My great-grandson (age 11) is learning to play ukulele. With kids that age, strings sometimes get popped while tuning. The frequent cause is this (an example)...

A kid is using a tuner to tune GCEA. The tuner says the #1 string is presently tuned to F# so the kid assumes it's flat and needs to be tightened to get to A. However, it isn't flat. It's sharp, & needs to be loosened. So the kid tightens the string & it pops.

Of course, when octave numbers are shown, the standard re-entry GCEA tuning is G4 C4 E4 A4 & linear is G3 C4 E4 A4.

Thus, if the kid's tuner had shown him that the #1 string was at F#5, instead of merely F#, he would have known to tune down, not up.

QUESTION: Is there a good clip-on tuner that also shows the octave number of each note?
 
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I am fortunate to be old enough to have learned how to tune by ear many years before tuners became available. It is an important part of learning to play an instrument to also know what it's supposed to sound like when in tune. Hopefully he has some other instrument in the house such as a piano that can serve as a reference to get to the ball park. Some phone apps also can create reference tones. A tuner is best used for fine tuning and not as a substitute for the ear.
 
My post clearly states that I used my grandson's case as an example. Thus, I went on to discuss about "kids that age" -- not just one kid. I give lots of ukes to lots of kids & I always give them a tuner at the same time. From the get-go, it's best to give them tuners that show octaves, & tuners like that do exist. So I'm simply looking for a little help to get recommendations as to quality clip-on tuners that show octave numbers. So, I repeat:

==>Is there a good clip-on tuner that also shows the octave number of each note?
 
On the occasion I "stumble" into the wrong octave, usually low and usually if re-stringing from scratch with no strings on the instrument, I use a tuning fork or pitch pipe to find my starting point, tune the other strings to that first reference by ear, then finish things off with the tuner if necessary.

Being able to tune up without having to rely on battery power is a skill I've kept since my youth and one I try to pass on wherever possible ;)
 
The letter name followed by the octave number used to be common on Seiko and Korg tuners of yesteryear. But such features are rare today. I still have three out of production Seiko that show octave numbers. They ain't clip-ons tho'. And I've owned dozens of clip-on models and have yet to see one with the octave number (space on the screen is tight). Of course, some of the phone tuner apps display the octave number.
 
I agree with others on teaching someone to LISTEN as well as look while tuning - the most common mistake made, being plucking the wrong string while tuning another.

But your question is in fact on electronic tuners that show the octave number. Only the more expensive ones do that, usually handheld, tabletop or rack mounted ones that allow for precision tuning and overtone tuning. Clip-on tuners and pedal tuners usually drop that information, for the sake of simplicity. The clip-on ones that do show the octave number:
- Korg PitchCrow-G Clip-On Tuner
- Peterson StroboClip
- Swiff Audio
 
The link as below:

https://www.anuenuemusic.com/en/accessories/TUNER-SURF

1557891137262615.jpg
 
bellgamin said:
@Austin -- great find! 10Q to the nth.

@all -- thanks for the helpful comments.
Click to expand...

I don't think that this 3 is the octave. I have seen many tuners that name the strings on uke or guitar. So for uke the A will show 1 next to it, E will be accompanied by 2, the C you've got in the photo and by now, you can guess what will be next to the G... You're right: 4!

Here is an example (most of the pics are showing the tuner in use with a guitar, therefore the E comes up with no 1 next to it.
https://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Ukule...=1&keywords=enya+tuner&qid=1587503216&sr=8-12
 
Ms Bean said:
I don't think that this 3 is the octave. I have seen many tuners that name the strings on uke or guitar. So for uke the A will show 1 next to it, E will be accompanied by 2, the C you've got in the photo and by now, you can guess what will be next to the G... You're right: 4!
Click to expand...

You are correct. It even says in the description (linked above) that it displays the STRING NUMBER, not the OCTAVE.
 
Maybe check out Joyo tuners. I think they might have an octave number (not 100% sure it isn't a string position). They're dirt cheap on AliExpress though, so might be perfect for a student. I've had a cheap tuner that had that function, but don't remember what it was. Probably came with a ukulele I bought.
 
I have an app for my mobile. It shows all the octaves with numbers and a picture of the strings and has different ways of showing the tuning.

It shows the tuning as is and as should be.

It also has different tunings built in or you can configure it yourself f.x. to high or low G etc. It's PitchLab Pro but also available in a free version called Lite.

I have tunings for ukulele, Balalajka, 5 string banjo, travel guitar in A, Tiple, mandolin and a few with the tone in the 12. fret I'm using for intonation.

If you are so inclined, you can also see the frequency

pqrDZbhkYxaeBVVvQNrI9klWrSYDt2u7nfCyyld5nO9qE4QnFOo4keOFqpD3DQpa9oY=h310.png
 
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It seems to me that it would be difficult to design a clip-on (cheap) tuner that reliably displays the octave number. Plucking a string generates not only the fundamental frequency, but also harmonics and overtones. In order to separate the fundamental from the other frequencies, it would be necessary to convert the signal to the frequency domain via a Fast Fourier Transform in order to isolate the frequency with the highest amplitude. This requires moderate computing power, which explains why some phone apps can handle it. Cheap tuners don't care if they lock onto the fundamental or a harmonic, as the strongest harmonics are all multiples of the fundamental and will translate to the same note.
 
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Ms Bean said:
I don't think that this 3 is the octave. I have seen many tuners that name the strings on uke or guitar. So for uke the A will show 1 next to it, E will be accompanied by 2, the C you've got in the photo and by now, you can guess what will be next to the G... You're right: 4! ... ..
Click to expand...
Yes, of course.

I couldn't find what I seek. The closest I came was a tuner that shows the hertz of the note being played. Too expensive to give 1 to every kid -- some are in elementary school & some are in homeless shelters.

There were no tuners in my day (I'm a few months shy of 90), so, yes, I know how to tune ukes without tuners.

While looking through MULtitudes of tuners at various stores to find one with octave numbers, I ran across the Cherub WST-905 Clip-on Guitar Tuner. It looked really different from the usual tuners so I sought a review of that tuner on YouTube. There were several reviews. The one that convinced me to buy the tuner was HERE. It's not actually a review but a discussion of using that Cherub tuner to do compensation tuning of a guitar, ala James Taylor.

Compensation tuning was an eye-opener for me. I wondered if it would apply for tuning a uke?

In any event, I bought the tuner so I could tune 1 of my guitars that way & also mess around with tuning a uke according to that principle. Long ago, I already had noticed that, after I carefully tuned a uke with a tuner (I'm a tuning freak), I always had to tweak it a bit, by ear, to make it feel friendly to the way I play.

I wish someone would work on compensation tuning for ukes like James Taylor did for the guitar.
 
bellgamin said:
I wish someone would work on compensation tuning for ukes like James Taylor did for the guitar.
Click to expand...
This sounds like what Peterson calls their “sweetened” tunings. They specifically have James Taylor’s tuning for guitar - https://www.petersontuners.com/beyond/?p=1046

A sweetened uke tuning is available on the Stroboclip HD (and the pedal, phone app, etc in the same line), and you can set your own sweetened tunings and upload them to the clip-on.
 
Arcy said:
This sounds like what Peterson calls their “sweetened” tunings. They specifically have James Taylor’s tuning for guitar - https://www.petersontuners.com/beyond/?p=1046

A sweetened uke tuning is available on the Stroboclip HD (and the pedal, phone app, etc in the same line), and you can set your own sweetened tunings and upload them to the clip-on.
Click to expand...

Caveat: Unless they have changed things, you can only access the sweetened files using Chrome which does not work well on my Mac(s). I got my StoboPlus HD a couple of years ago, and asked them if they were going to make it accessible using other browsers and they said they were not.

Which is a pity because the uke setting on the StroboClip and the StoboPlus is base upon the concert scale. They have another sweetener setting based upon the tenor scale, but you have to download it using Chrome.

BTW, the Peterson StroboPlus and Clip are great pieces of kit if you want super-accurate tuning for your instruments. They take a little getting used to, but work really well.
 
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Arcy said:
... ...A sweetened uke tuning is available on the Stroboclip HD (and the pedal, phone app, etc in the same line), and you can set your own sweetened tunings and upload them to the clip-on.
Click to expand...
Yes!!! It's the one right HERE.

Bit of a hefty price for the Peterson, but I might order one AFTER I give the Cherub WST-905 a good work-out to see if it does the job I'm seeking.

I think the Cherub probably WILL do the job because it provides a numeric read-out of the exact cents of each note plucked. If the note is dead-on, the reading is 00. If it's flat, the reading will be -5 (or however many cents the note is flat from dead-on). If it's sharp, the reading will be a + number.

By the way, you can see the cents read out in the Cherub's lower left corner, as illustrated HERE.

I'm still seeking a tuner to give to kids. Phone apps are not the answer -- VERY few of the kids have smart phones (or any other kind of phone).

Hey, this has turned into an interesting thread. I really REALLY appreciate all your comments. I'm getting an education. (^_^)
 
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bellgamin said:
I think the Cherub probably WILL do the job because it provides a numeric read-out of the exact cents of each note plucked. If the note is dead-on, the reading is 00. If it's flat, the reading will be -5 (or however many cents the note is flat from dead-on). If it's sharp, the reading will be a + number.
Click to expand...

I like the configuration of the Cherub so I ordered two for my mini electric bass guitars from your link. Should arrive next week and I'll let you know how I like it. I always use the D'Addario Mini, but I really like how the Cherub shows cents and seems to be better suited for bass, the D'Addario will often have trouble with the low E string on my bass.

This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 39)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
kohanmike said:
I like the configuration of the Cherub so I ordered two for my mini electric bass guitars from your link. Should arrive next week and I'll let you know how I like it. I always use the D'Addario Mini, but I really like how the Cherub shows cents and seems to be better suited for bass, the D'Addario will often have trouble with the low E string on my bass.

This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 39)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
Click to expand...
I truly hope the Cherub makes you smile from ear to ear every time you use it.
 
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