Re: Rant - Technology Needs More 'Simple'!

Arlowe wrote:
Rufus wrote on 7/30/2010 :
RichL wrote:
"Rufus" <not@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:QaCdnf2icbe9S8zRnZ2dnUVZ_qidnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Charmed Snark wrote:
A friend of mine is learning banjo. He has almost no
musical background apart from some doh re me in school.

So he's still struggling with tuning it, but he's gradually learning and improving. I'm going to work with his ear training a bit in the weeks ahead, to help in that direction. I want him to trust his
ears more than the tuner (to be in the right octave
for example).

But he's had a ton of trouble, which was largely rooted in his electronic tuner. Ugh!! And this is
his second tuner.

The problem is that manufacturers insist on inserting as many features as possible and using as few buttons as possible, at the same time. Modal features. Ugh.

There are two buttons on this tuner. One you have
to hold down to turn it off. If by chance you don't
hold it long enough, it doesn't turn off. No problem you think - just try again right? Well, No. Not for a beginner.

If you don't succeed in turning the stupid thing off,
it changes the "key" for it's tuning. So because this
thing was showing "Eb" (instead of C), his strings
were all tuned high. Ouch. No wonder there were
strings breaking.

Last night he brought instrument and tuner over and
we both have it sorted out now. The right button changes 440 Hz for A, up and down (cycles through).
The left button turns on/off _and_ changes "key",
depending upon how long you held the button.

So a simple tuner needs special instructions (for him):

- If you don't see "C" in the bottom left (small), then
push the left button until you do.

- If you don't see 440 in the bottom right, then push
right button until you do.

Tuning should be something simple. Yet like cell phones,
where you just want to make and receive calls, the
manuf has to make it complicated. A tuner like this should have some sort of slide switch
in the battery compartment or something- factory set to "beginner mode" to save the poor guy from having to deal with this unnecessary added complexity.

</rant>

Snark.

I have one of these in every guitar case -

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Korg-CA30-Chromatic-Tuner?sku=210527



Relatively cheap, easy to use, easy to carry around, works.

Wrote my post before I saw yours.

p.s....Did you notice it's discontinued? Too bad, but I'm glad I got mine a while ago.

Yeah - was sad to see that. I've noticed a few still on the shelves - I need two more; I've put one in every one of my guitar cases except my couple newest ones.

The newest one is a CA-40 (they are white)
it is a decent little chomatic tuner...good for A0 to C8
It has a couple of things the older ones didn't, like a built in stand & an output jack (supposed to be true bypass and I never noticed any change in signal using it inline)
I still have an older black one that I use, but I take the white one with me when I head off to play away from home.

If I were advising a beginner as to what electronic tuner to get I would say an Intelli Metrotuner. not because it is a "better tuner" because it isn't....but it has a built in metronome & pitch generator (Bb2 to C#6) & a volume control.
the only thing that I don't like about it is that it has a 1/8th inch socket instead of 1/4 inch...I have to use an adapter to plug the guitar cable into it.



I have a bigger, older Korg tuner that has a metronome built into it - yeah, that's about all else I would want in a tuner.

--
- Rufus
.

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  • Re: Rant - Technology Needs More Simple!
    ... So he's still struggling with tuning it, but he's gradually learning and improving. ... But he's had a ton of trouble, which was largely rooted in his electronic tuner. ... If you don't see "C" in the bottom left, ... If you don't see 440 in the bottom right, then push ...
    (alt.guitar.beginner)