Stupid chromatic tuner question

Youkalaylee

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I fancy getting a snark tuner, currently I use a cherub. Mainly because I'm going through early ukulele acquisition syndrome so getting into buying accessories... That's all... Honest... And upgrading the ones I have... And looking longingly at banjoleles and fleas.....

Anyway, with the chromatic tuners how do you know you're tuning to the right octave as well as the right note? Is it possible to be in the wrong one? I'm aware of how stupid it sounds.
 
Firstly, many tuners will not only tell you the note, but also the octave you're in. So they might read "C4" or "C5" to distinguish between the two, for example.

Second, from a practical standpoint, you probably won't be able to tune a ukulele string to the wrong octave without either A) it snapping completely off, or B) it flopping around like a noodle. :p

JJ
 
Firstly, many tuners will not only tell you the note, but also the octave you're in. So they might read "C4" or "C5" to distinguish between the two, for example.

Second, from a practical standpoint, you probably won't be able to tune a ukulele string to the wrong octave without either A) it snapping completely off, or B) it flopping around like a noodle. :p

JJ

So basically, I'm safe then. Awesome. Amazon ordering it is, lol.
 
Your cherub will tell you the note you are in but not the octave....to me better than others if you are using altered tunings...
easiest way to know if your are in the right octave, is strum the strings down and you should hear the my dog has fleas...if not you are off...
if like JJ says you're either too floppy or your string snaps...lucky you do not bend or snap your neck....
 
I have a couple of snark tuners - they work great, but I've not really noticed that they tell which octave you're in. I've not used other tuners, but the snark ones are really useful. A piano player I occasionally play with started playing around with mine and then had to go buy himself one.
 
Snark tuners are fantastic - my one even keeps my tenor banjo in tune!!
They don't give you an indication of which octave, but even with my less-than-perfect pitch, I've never had any problems getting the right octave.

Get one (or two and keep one just to look at)
Jim
 
Get the red Snark, it has a mic mode as well as vibration mode, and that can help you when tuning banjo ukes.

–Lori
 
Get the red Snark, it has a mic mode as well as vibration mode, and that can help you when tuning banjo ukes.

–Lori
That's exactly what I was going to say. I have the red Snark tuner (the all instrument tuner); it works well and is hand in the event you need to tune other instruments. I leave mine on vibration mode so that other sounds won't effect my tuning.
 
Oh, I think you'll know if you're an octave off.
 
Most tuners don't have a mic mode in addition to vibration mode. Sometimes the banjo ukes generate a lot of confusing overtones or harmonics and mic mode seems to sort that out a bit better.

–Lori
 
Most clip-on tuners don't have a mic mode in addition to vibration mode.
Fixed that for ya. :p

Clip-ons are a fairly recent invention. Back in the day, most tuners had a mic. I still have my Boss TU-12. Thing's like a brick but still works great and is probably more accurate than any of my clip-ons. Makes my Korg CA-30 seem downright tiny. :D
 
Online tuners are nice, just to get a note reference. Once close, the clip ons work great.
 
I fancy getting a snark tuner, currently I use a cherub. Mainly because I'm going through early ukulele acquisition syndrome so getting into buying accessories... That's all... Honest... And upgrading the ones I have... And looking longingly at banjoleles and fleas.....

Anyway, with the chromatic tuners how do you know you're tuning to the right octave as well as the right note? Is it possible to be in the wrong one? I'm aware of how stupid it sounds.

Get the Snark All Instrument Clip On Tuner! They are great! Everybody who has tried mine has ended up buying one!

A chromatic tuner will tune the string to any note. As long as you know the note names of the strings, you won't tune to the wrong octave.

If you try and tune an octave too high, the string will feel incredibly tight and probably snap before you get there.

If you tune an octave too low, the string will be really slack and sound very 'wrong', so you'll know what you've done.

You may decide to experiment with alternative tunings or different instruments at some point, the Snark will be able to handle those too.
 
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