Electronic Tuners & Metronomes

EVERY musician must play in tune and is responsible for keeping time!!!

tuners.shtml | Updated: 02-Jul-2009 - 12:08

Tuners

Other then learning to tune by ear quickly. An electronic tuner or clip-on tuners is a valuable asset to have around.

As a private guitar and ukulele teacher. I use a tuner to tune beginner students' out of tune instruments quickly in a lesson. Until they learn to do it their self or come in with the instrument in tune. You would be surprised as to the number of out of tunes instruments students try and start their lesson with.

So any tuner that I have, and I have a few, gets a lot of real world use.

  • Boss
  • Intellitouch Tuner

    The Intellitouch Tuner was one of the first clip on tuners.

    The battery compartment will not stay attached after several battery replacements. Was using a rubber band to hold on. It has long ago been replaced with different brands of clip on tuners and relegated to the drawer of under achievers

  • Kala

    clip-on not tested. Look promising.

  • Korg

    clip-on not durable for professional use. Attachment point weakens over extended use. I retired mine to the drawer of under achievers afer a few months of uset.

  • Meisel

    I've had several of these. They come in under various brand names. It rattles when kept clipped on to a guitar or ukulele. And the do tent to stay on your instrument for quick adjustments.

  • Peterson
  • Planet Waves

    Looks promising. And, might be more durable and with stand some abuse vs. other tuners mentions here.

  • Pono

    The clip-on is an improved Meisel with no rattles. Mine is in everyday use on one of my ukes and has not broken yet.

  • Seiko

    I have this clip-on and it is a little too bulky to be lugging around on my tenor ukes. Another one for the drawer of under achievers.

Metronomes

Electronic Tuners

Electronic tuners - Don't leave home without one.

I have accumulated several tuning devices over the years from the pitch pipe I got with my first guitar 30 years ago, to a tuning fork and several electronic tuners that live in my guitar cases on on my ukuleles today.

I don't even have my students tune by ear until well into playing the guitar. I have them get an electronic tuner and ALWAYS play in tune. This trains their ear and they learn what an in-tune guitar sounds like and can then learn to tune the guitar by ear.

Here is a review the current crop of clip-on tuners that I have and still use toady.

Here is a page of reviews on the tuners that I have used in the past and still use and reccommend.

Pono Ukuleles
Kitakis Stringed Instrument Repair
52 Mango Place, Suite 2
Wahiawa, Hawaii 96786
808-622-1064
Fax: 808-622-1646

Click for a Google Map

Links

information-lite.png Info click here to view more info

Ukuleles

Pono instruments are professionally designed and handcrafted by the Ko’olau Guitar and ‘Ukulele Company on the Island of Java, with final adjustments and set-up on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii.

ukes.png

click on image to play in

While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Ukulele

Here is my (Curt Sheller) performance of this arrangement. I used a Pono PTRC-CE Tenor cutaway, solid rosewood back and sides, solid cedar top, maple binding.

I have a dedicated page for this song on my UkuleleLessons pages with a TAB of this arrangement.

Boss
Roland Corporation U.S.
5100 S. Eastern Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90040-2938
Phone: 323.890.3700
Fax: 323.890.3701

P.O. Box 910921
Los Angeles, CA 90091-0921

Links

Wuhan Eleca Electronics CO., LTD
No. 12, the 5th Jiang Jun Road
Dong-Xi Lake District
Wuhan, China
430023
Tel: 027-59508018

USA: Eleca Amplification
Eleca International Inc.
21088 Commerce Pointe Dr.
Walnut, CA 91789
TEL: 909-468-1382

Links

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Tuner can be found under different brand names.

(from their site) Wuhan Eleca Electronics CO., LTD was established in December 1995. It’s a Sino-US joint venture, as well as export-oriented enterprise and high-tech enterpris e. The company focuses on international trade at the beginning of establishment. Business administration is in line with international standards.

Kala Brand Music Company
(pronounced Kah’ la )
P.O. Box 751149
Petaluma, CA 94975-1149
1 877 Uke Duke

  • Over 40 Ukulele Models
  • Tuners
  • Cases
  • Strings
  • Accessories

Links

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Highslide JS The Kala KC02 Black Clip On Tuner is extremely simple to use. Cycle the single button to: power on and then chose between chromatic, ukulele C, and ukulele D modes. Backlit screen indicates quickly and clearly when instrument is accurately tuned. There are a lot of tuners on the market, this is one of the best we have seen. Comes with battery and instruction manual.

More information available on listing's web site.

Korg USA
316 South Service Rd
Melville, NY 11747

Links

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Tuner, Metronomes and more...

(from their site) - In the early 1960s, Korg founder Tsutomu Katoh was a nightclub proprietor. A popular Japanese accordionist and engineer named Tadashi Osanai performed regularly at Mr. Katoh’s club, and one evening, Mr. Katoh told Osanai it would be nice to have a rhythm machine to keep the beat. Mr. Osanai was sure he could build a rhythm machine himself, and convinced Mr. Katoh to finance his efforts.

Meisel Stringed Instruments
P.O. Box 90
Springfield, New Jersey 07081-0090
Tel:1- 973 379-5000, Fax:1- 973 379-5020
Dealers: 1-800 MEISEL M (634-7356)

Links

Company Info click here to view more info

(from company's site) -

Meisel traces its roots back centuries. In 1659, before there was a Beethoven or a Paganini, the Meisel name first appeared on a handcrafted European violin. Although much has changed since then, Meisel still symbolizes quality, craftsmanship and unsurpassed value for students and professional musicians alike.

OnBoard Research Corp.
Dallas, TX

Links

Makers of the The Intellitouch Tuner.

Intellitouch Tuner PT1 (Black) For Guitar (All). All Styles. Accessory. Published by OnBoard Research Corp. (20763)
See more info...

Intellitouch Tuner PT2 (White) For Guitar (All). All Styles. Accessory. Published by OnBoard Research Corp. (20764)
See more info...

Peterson Electro-Musical Products, Inc.
11601 Mayfield Avenue
Alsip, IL 60803
(708) 388-3311

Links

These are the leading high end strobe tuners. Can be found in every guitar repair shop.

Planet Waves
D'Addario & Company

Links

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Company History

In 1994, Howard and Robert Silagy started a small guitar strap company in Hicksville, N.Y. Their approach to business was simple: make attractive, durable straps using high-quality materials and people will buy them. Over the next four years, the company grew, with sales skyrocketing because of the growing popularity of Planet Waves colorful, attractive designs and the line's thick, heavy-duty leather tabs.

In 1998, D'Addario & Company, Inc. acquired the Planet Waves line and it joined D'Addario's world-renowned family of musical instrument accessory brands. D'Addario envisioned the line as more than just accessories for guitarists, but for musicians as a whole.

Sabine, Inc.
Alachau, FL
904 418 2000
904 418 2001 (Fax)

Links

Editor's Note: (Feb 2007) The MT9000 is the tuner and metronome that I use and reccommend to all my students.

Editor's Note: (JUne 2009) The ZOID Clip-on Tuner has some nice features but durabality is not one of them. It looks sturdy but the my uke fell over on the tuner and it broke where the post connects to the tune. I would not reccommend this for anyone but the most careful person. And, we can be careful but not have control over others around our instruments. These clip-on design should have not made it out of design and testing.

Listing Info click here to show or hide more info

Seiko
Seiko Holdings Corporation
SEAVANS North
1-2-1, Shibaura, Minato-ku
Tokyo, Japan 105-8459
TEL +81-3-6401-2111

link.png Links

 Info click here to view more info

( from their site ) - Since its founding in 1881, Seiko Holdings Corporation has introduced one revolutionary product after another, including the first wrist watch in Japan in 1913 and the first quartz watch in the world in 1969. We now operate in a broad range of fields, from watches, clocks, shutters for cameras and electronic devices, and eyeglasses to sports products.

Editor's Note: (July 2008) The Seiko STX1 Vibration-Sensing Clip-on Chromatic Tuner is a new tuner that I'm using on my ukuleles. I've used the Meisel, Korg and Intellitouch clip-on tuners.

The Meisel rattles and the Korg didn't hold up to my travels of toting a ukulele everywhere and the Intellitouch's battery cover won't stay on.


In the UK there is the clip on chromatic tuner Guitar Tech GT75 Clip-On Chromatic Tuner

Tuners are showing up in all shapes and sizes these days.

Metronomes

A metronome is any device that produces a regulated audible and/or visual pulse, usually used to establish a steady beat, or tempo, measured in beats-per-minute (BPM) for the performance of musical compositions. It is an invaluable practice tool for musicians that goes back hundreds of years.

I have accumulated several metro devices over the years from the the classic wind-up pendulum metronome to various electronic metronomes.

Some musicians swear by them and others swear at them. But - one think for sure. EVERY musician is responsible for keeping and playing in time. An external time device like a metronome can be used too develop a great internal sense of time.

I have ALL my students work on playing in time.

Korg USA
316 South Service Rd
Melville, NY 11747

Links

information-lite.png Info click here to view more info

Tuner, Metronomes and more...

(from their site) - In the early 1960s, Korg founder Tsutomu Katoh was a nightclub proprietor. A popular Japanese accordionist and engineer named Tadashi Osanai performed regularly at Mr. Katoh’s club, and one evening, Mr. Katoh told Osanai it would be nice to have a rhythm machine to keep the beat. Mr. Osanai was sure he could build a rhythm machine himself, and convinced Mr. Katoh to finance his efforts.

Rhythm Source
1050 North Point Street #1504
San Francisco, CA 94109

Links

This looks like a great metronome that would be a valuable resource for any musician and especially teachers.

There web site has a lot of great information on playing and developing time.

information-lite.png Info click here to view more info

What IS IT?

The RhythmSource Metronome allows you to see as well as hear time, pulse, and meter.

The patented user-friendly visual interface makes practice more enjoyable with faster results as you stay in close touch with the meter, and the potential for silences within the phrases to develop your inner pulse.

Sabine, Inc.
Alachau, FL
904 418 2000
904 418 2001 (Fax)

Links

Editor's Note: (Feb 2007) The MT9000 is the tuner and metronome that I use and reccommend to all my students.

Editor's Note: (JUne 2009) The ZOID Clip-on Tuner has some nice features but durabality is not one of them. It looks sturdy but the my uke fell over on the tuner and it broke where the post connects to the tune. I would not reccommend this for anyone but the most careful person. And, we can be careful but not have control over others around our instruments. These clip-on design should have not made it out of design and testing.

Listing Info click here to show or hide more info


Links and Resources

Metronomes (Software)

Links & information regarding software metronomes.

  • Metronome (link ) - Metronome is a free metronome for Mac OS X. (Requires Mac OS 10.3 or later. Metronome is a Universal Binary which runs 'natively' on both Intel and PPC Macs.)
  • Metronome 1.8 (link ) - Metronome is a nice and useful metronome. It closely mimics a real world clockwork metronome in that it has a bell which you can set to sound at intervals of every 2, 3, 4 or 6 beats.
  • Dr. Betotte (link ) - Multi divisions programable metronome/beat-box program, create any kind of complicated rhythms for practicing your instruments.

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