What’s the Best Tuner for Me?
If you’ve just started learning to play your instrument, one of the first accessories you’re likely to pick up is a tuner. Since there’s a lot to choose from, we’ve put together this Buyer’s Guide to take you through the different kinds of tuning devices that are out there, and help you figure out which one you need for your instrument. If you can’t see the answer to your question here, feel free to contact us!
What is It? | Do You Need It? | Forks & Pipes | Clip-On | External | Stage | Soundhole | Poly | Chromatic | More
1. What is a Tuner?
A tuner is one of the most essential tools for any musician. A tuner is literally used to help keep your instrument in tune. Many musical instruments can slowly fall out of tune while playing and even when they’re not played for a long time (due to changes in temperature and humidity, for example) so when you pick them up again, they will need tuning up so that the pitch sounds correct while you play. Being in tune is not only important when playing alone – especially if you’re playing more than one note at the same time, like chords on a guitar which can sound terrible when you’re not in tune – but it’s also essential when playing with other musicians.
Sometimes it’s actually too complicated to tune an instrument yourself. Luckily, instruments like this usually don’t need tuning so often. A piano, for example, only needs to be tuned maybe once a year. But you’ll have no problems tuning most instruments yourself, and in this case, a tuner is a really useful tool. The prices of tuners can vary quite dramatically, so you can easily pick up a tuning fork for a few pounds, or a digital tuner for maybe a tenner, but then you can also get really professional tuning rack-equipment that’s priced at £100 or more. More expensive tuning gear is not always going to be better, but some tuners have definitely been designed to perform better in certain situations than other tuners. Read on for more information about the different kinds of tuners you can get.
2. Do I Actually Need a Tuner?
Almost anyone who needs to keep their instrument in tune (see Question 1) uses a tuner or tuning method. Different tuning methods work in different ways:
- A 'reference note' produced by something like a tuning fork or pitch pipes (See Question 3). For complete beginners this is sometimes not so easy to use.
- Using another instrument that’s always perfectly in tune, like a keyboard. If you need to tune an E string, for example, then simply hit the E note on the keyboard and bring the string to pitch, so that it sounds the same as the E played on the keyboard. To do this, a little bit of music theory is needed as well as a trained ear.
- Install a tuner app on your smartphone or tablet. The app detects the note via the built-in microphone of your device so that you can bring it to pitch. The downside of these apps is that a smartphone is a little more awkward to set up and place near your instrument. There’s also the chance that the sound detection of the app is not exactly perfect; your battery suddenly runs out; your device is having a glitchy day, or you even drop it while trying to tune up.
- Many electro-acoustic guitars, other electro-acoustic stringed instruments, and some guitar amplifiers come with built-in tuners. These detect the pitch of the note played by the connected instrument so you can adjust it as needed, and as long as you’re using a standard tuning, they usually work perfectly.
- An electronic tuner is definitely the most comfortable tuning tool. You can get one for very little money and can easily keep it in the case or bag of your instrument without worrying about it. These tuners work by either detecting the pitch from a connected instrument or via a built-in microphone and are specially designed for quick use.
3. What’s a Tuning Fork & What are Tuning Pipes?
A tuning fork gives you a pure ‘reference note’. A is the standard pitch of a tuning fork. Using this note as a reference, you’re able to tune one or more notes to pitch. This method needs a little precision, a good ear, and a little knowledge of music theory and exactly how your instrument needs to be tuned. The disadvantage of this is that you can’t really tune up in a noisy place and it can take a relatively long time. But the good thing about using a tuning fork is that they’re cheap, you don’t need any power or batteries, and it helps train your ear.
Just like with a tuning fork, using a set of tuning pipes requires a trained ear. Tuning pipes are easier to use than a tuning fork since they produce more than one reference note; the six notes of the six strings of a guitar, for example, or the four notes of the four strings of a violin. Some tuning pipes even have all of the twelve notes used in Western music.
4. What’s a Clip-On Tuner?
For most people, a clip-on tuner is the best choice. They often detect the pitch via a built-in vibrational sensor and display the detected note, indicating whether the pitch is sharp or flat (too high or too low). You simply continue to tune the specific note until the device shows you that the pitch is perfect. These compact tuners can be easily clipped to the head of your guitar or ukulele, for example, or even the bell of a brass instrument (or wherever the resonance of the instrument is ‘felt’ more clearly by the tuner).
Compared to a tuner that uses a built-in microphone to detect the pitch (see Question 5), the advantage of using a clip-on tuner is that these can be used in noisy places and are much more ideal if you’re in a band or you need to tune up at a busy venue before a gig. Clip-on tuners are also relatively cheap and easy to carry since they’re generally pocket-sized.
Tips:
- Most people go for a chromatic clip-on tuner. Also see Question 9.
- Depending on your instrument, you could also consider using an external tuner, a soundhole tuner or a stage tuner. Read on for more information about these.
Chromatic Clip-On Tuners
All Clip-On Tuners
Blog: How Does a Clip-On Tuner Work?
5. What Are the Advantages of Using an External Tuner?
Besides clip-on tuners (see Question 4), external tuners are the most commonly used. They work in much the same way as clip-on tuners and most models are likely to be chromatic (see Question 9). Most external tuners detect the pitch of the instrument in one of two ways:
- Via the signal of your instrument when connected using a cable. Since the signal comes directly from your instrument, you can rely on an ultra-accurate reading of the pitch. The disadvantage of using these models is that they can be awkward when on stage. However, an external tuner will get you in tune a little bit faster than a clip-on tuner (see Question 4).
- An internal microphone. This is usually less accurate than when you connect your instrument using a cable (see above) or when you use a clip-on tuner (see Question 4), and especially when tuning up in noisy places. But they can be useful when it’s not really possible to clip or clamp a tuner to your instrument, or you don’t have a cable, or your instrument has no built-in pick up that can be plugged in.
A big advantage of using an external tuner is that they’re often a lot bigger, so you sometimes get a bigger display and some extra functions, like a built-in metronome.
External Chromatic Tuners
All External Tuners
Tuners with a Built-In Metronome
6. What Are Stage Tuners, Rack Tuners, & Robot Tuners?
A stage tuner is much like an external tuner (see Question 5), but is designed for use on stage by guitarists and other applicable musicians. You connect your instrument to the tuner using a cable and from there, you can often send the signal from your stage tuner through other effects pedals then onto a guitar amplifier. Stage tuners will usually come in a compact stompbox housing (so, a footswitch like the classic Boss design seen in the image) that can fit neatly on a pedalboard and can be turned on and off with your foot. These tuners are almost always fitted with very clear LED displays that make it easy to see if your string is in tune, or if it’s sharp or flat (too high or too low). Just as with an external tuner that detects sound via a connected cable (see Question 5), stage tuners are very accurate.
The rack tuner is a professional kind of tuning device. They’re incredibly extensive bits of kit and can be mounted at a convenient height in a standard 19” rack. And then there are robot tuners. These replace the standard machine heads of a guitar and are able to automatically tune it up in seconds – and often in any tuning you specify.
7. What’s a Soundhole Tuner?
As the name already suggests, this kind of tuner can be used to tune instruments with a soundhole. Soundhole tuners are generally designed to help tune acoustic guitars and have a round or angled construction with a rubber grip so that it can be easily mounted to the soundhole. When picking out one of these tuners, it’s important to check that it’s going to be compatible with the dimensions of the soundhole of your guitar. An advantage of using a soundhole tuner over a clip-on tuner (see Question 4), is that it won’t get in the way since it’s discreetly mounted under the strings and can even just be left there while you play.
8. What are Polyphonic tuners?
These are designed for stringed instruments that are able to play more than one note at the same time, like the guitar. With a standard tuner, you need to tune each string one by one, so if you accidentally hit more than one string at the same time, the tuner will get confused. With a polyphonic tuner, every string can be played at the same time and the tuner will understand what’s happening and give you a reading of the pitch of each string all at the same time. This speeds up the entire tuning process. A disadvantage of using a polyphonic tuner is that the technology is relatively new and therefore not always entirely accurate in terms of detecting the pitch. They can also be fairly expensive devices. But, since a lot of these tuners come fitted with a USB port, the built-in software can be updated to the latest version so that you always get the most optimal performance possible.
9. Do I Need a Chromatic or Non-Chromatic Tuner?
Almost all tuners are chromatic. These models are programmed to recognise all of the twelve notes used in Western music and can therefore be used to tune almost any instrument. Using these tuners, you can also precisely raise or lower the tuning of your instrument when compared to the standard tuning of A = 440Hz. Some models can be set to detect the tuning of a specific instrument, such as a guitar or bass.
Tip: While chromatic tuners can therefore be used to tune pretty much any instrument, some of these tuners have been specially designed for a specific instrument – like a trumpet. If this is the case, it will always be made clear either in the name of the tuner or in the specifications.
A non-chromatic tuner has been designed for tuning only one kind of instrument in a specific tuning. A tuner that has been specially designed for a ukulele, for example, can usually only indicate the pitch of the four strings of a ukulele according to the standard tuning (see the Korg tuner in the included image) and is unable to tell if other notes are in tune or not. The good thing about using a tuner like this one is that tuning is really simple and quick!
Links & More Information
Product Categories
Tuners
Tuning Forks
Tuning Pipes
Stage Tuners
Rack Tuners
Robot Tuners
Metronomes
Tuners with Built-In Metronomes
Drum Tuners
Blogs
How to Tune Your Guitar or Bass
How Does a Clip-On Tuner Work?
How to Tune Your Drum Kit
