Sounds of Music C

[zyzzyva980]

Yes, it would. I'm assuming you mean something like the video ichaelm posted: http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/song_ ... an/#324410

[sciolywiz]

if making a pvc instrument, what is a way to tune the pipes because a tuner will not pick up the pitch since it does not resonate. also, are there any plans/ideas as to how long the pipes should be and if there are any calculations as to how to determine the lengths. main issue is how to tune them without a tuner?

[Paradox21]

A tuner will pick up the pitch. I checked. Just give 'em a whack.

[personasaurus rex]

sometimes, the pitch could be too low for the tuner to pick up. It really depends on the tuner you have and how sensitive it is.

[AlphaTauri]

C2 really isn't that low...I believe that it's equivalent to the open C string on a 'cello. Any decent tuner should be able to pick it up. If it's not picking up, try putting the tuner really close to whatever you're trying to tune and give it a good whack (by "it", I mean the pipe/bar, not the tuner).

[personasaurus rex]

C2 really isn't that low...I believe that it's equivalent to the open C string on a 'cello. Any decent tuner should be able to pick it up. If it's not picking up, try putting the tuner really close to whatever you're trying to tune and give it a good whack (by "it", I mean the pipe/bar, not the tuner).

I guess... Whenever I'm having trouble with the tuner half the time it's because the bar (we have a marimba) isn't placed right, so the pitch shouldn't be the problem. But since sciolywiz has a pvc instrument like the one in the video, not sure what the problem is.
And I love you for putting the notes in string instrument terms. I hate it when people put it in terms of the piano because I don't know the first thing about pianos hahaha

[phillies413]

how are you guys tuning your instruments? Do you have an electric tuner that shows the note or frequency of the note just played, or do you have some other device?

[personasaurus rex]

how are you guys tuning your instruments? Do you have an electric tuner that shows the note or frequency of the note just played, or do you have some other device?

just a regular instrument tuner you would use in music class or whatever... something like this:
http://cachepe.zzounds.com/media/qualit ... c05db6.jpg
that one is especially popular among string players, and it tells you not the frequency (I don't think) but what note it is. It also has a note player which is also handy. You can choose a certain note and it will play it out for you.

[AlphaTauri]

Yep, I also use an electric tuner -- mine is about $30, which might be a little expensive if you're only going to use it for SoM. The cheap ones are about $10 (found at just about any local music store), and should work decently enough. If you can calibrate it, make sure it's set to A 440 or 440 Hz...otherwise all your notes will be slightly sharp/flat. I don't think that most tuners will show you the frequency of the note, but you should be able to discern between octaves (ex. D3 and D4).

Alternatively, you could use a tone generator like this one, but since it doesn't tell you whether you're sharp/flat/accurate, you have to figure it out yourself and adjust the pitch accordingly.

Or, if you have perfect pitch...problem solved!

[fleet130]

how are you guys tuning your instruments?

I was thinking about this the other day. I haven't tried it but you should be able to tune your instrument using your computer, a microphone and a program like Audacity (Free Download). The waveforms are likely to be complex, so be sure you're looking at the fundamental. In the past, some have had problems on some instruments with an electronic tuner locking on to the wrong note. This could have been due to their inexperience with the instrument/tuner.