An adjudicator at a recent contest commented on electronic tuning machines and suggested that they should be thrown away. This sparked off quite a discussion between players and conductors.
I usually tune a band by ear but leading up to a contest I do use an electronic tuner to make sure that the band is tuned exactly to 440 Htz thus ensuring that the band is exactly in tune with the tuned percussion i.e. Glock, Vibe etc. Over the years I have had the pleasure of playing under some of the great conductors, and some of these have used this same method. I have come across some players who sit with a tuner switched on, on their stand during rehearsal, which I think is taking things to the extreme and a pointless exercise.
What do you think? Should tuners be thrown out and conductors go back to one of the old methods of tuning a band such as tuning to the flattest instrument? or, is the use of tuners now an accepted and valid way of tuning a band?
Have your say and vote for whether you think tuners are good or bad.
I usually tune a band by ear but leading up to a contest I do use an electronic tuner to make sure that the band is tuned exactly to 440 Htz thus ensuring that the band is exactly in tune with the tuned percussion i.e. Glock, Vibe etc. Over the years I have had the pleasure of playing under some of the great conductors, and some of these have used this same method. I have come across some players who sit with a tuner switched on, on their stand during rehearsal, which I think is taking things to the extreme and a pointless exercise.
What do you think? Should tuners be thrown out and conductors go back to one of the old methods of tuning a band such as tuning to the flattest instrument? or, is the use of tuners now an accepted and valid way of tuning a band?
Have your say and vote for whether you think tuners are good or bad.