This has to do with tuning, really cool

[Sleepy]

A guy in Springfield, Mo bet me 5 dollars he could tune my mando by ear and get it right on. He played it for about 5 minutes, let me mess with the tuners and then................ it was spot on. A very cool 5 dollar lesson. Can anyone on here do that?

[Eric Hanson]

I can't do so. I have a friend that has perfect pitch though. A great gift to have. Saves $ on buying the latest and greatest tuner.

[barney 59]

Once upon a time a person who wanted to sail the seven seas had to learn how to navigate. Then navigation calculators and gps came along so now people don't need to navigate and they find themselves out in the middle of the ocean with dead batteries trying to find Tahiti. I think the same thing about the tuners that most of us tend to depend on these days. The older players here probably carried a tuning fork to find the "a" and then tuned the rest by ear. They learned to hear the beats to be able to tune the pairs. I am far ,far away from perfect pitch but I learned how to hum a pretty spot on "a". This from hearing my tuning fork so many times. From there I could tune the rest. I was playing with my strobe tuner the other day and hummed an "a" into the microphone and it was pretty good---I was surprised, actually, that I could still do it. I have become so dependent on tuning devises myself. So yes, I guess, I could tune your mandolin and you probably could as well with a little practice and it is probably a good thing to know.

[Malcolm G.]

I used to play with a fellow who tuned pianos for a living - by ear. He would tune my D28 while playing a full-out jam involving banjos, an acordian, several other out-of-tune guitars, and give it back to me spot-on.
I could never understand how he did it, but he never missed.

[Tim2723]

When I was a kid, that level of ear training was pretty common, although still impressive. I never did master it, and really respect those who have. My first music master made us go to bed with middle C in our minds. We were expected to sing it first, then play it on the piano the next day in class. I hope it's not becoming a lost art, but I suspect it is.

[fishtownmike]

I tune my guitar E string by ear then tune the other strings down from that. I don't need a tuner. But i do own one for setting bridge intonation. I learned what E sounded like from the song Day Tripper from the Beatles. The first note of the song is low E. I hear it in my head when I'm tuning the E. This stuff just doesn't come to you. You need to practice it. I don't have the mandolin G down yet but i'm working on it. I have mandolin tuning notes that are in midi form and I practice listening to them.

[fishtownmike]

I used to play with a fellow who tuned pianos for a living - by ear. He would tune my D28 while playing a full-out jam involving banjos, an acordian, several other out-of-tune guitars, and give it back to me spot-on.
I could never understand how he did it, but he never missed.
I have a piano repairman who lives around the corner from me. He tunes by ear. The funny thing is he can't play a lick on the piano or any other instrument.

[barry k]

I have the pleasure of knowing a blind man from middle Georgia that made his living as a piano tuner. He had perfect pitch all the way across the piano keys, never used a tuner or a tuning fork. He also happened to be a fantastic bluegrass fiddler, winning Georgia and Alabama state titles. He is Also in the Georgia Music hall of fame. I believe that he is about 84 or 85 now, retiring from piano tuning about 10 years ago. Oh, almost forgot, he also built his own home when he was younger, and it is beautiful.

[Poener]

I can do it. It's all about ear and the instrument finding its "comfort tension". I can also tell when the microwave oven timer will sound from another room no matter what time setting it's on.

[barney 59]

What is the comfort tension of a microwave oven? I often wake up a second or two before my alarm clock goes off.Is that the same thing?

[Flattpicker]

When I was in college I came across a student (jazz vocalist) who had incredible pitch recognition. If you played a random cluster on the piano she could tell you every note, and quickly.
On the other hand, the author of the book we used for Acoustics class wrote that he spent two years trying to hear A-440 by pulling out his tuning fork when he would walk from class to class. He never "got it." So it's natural talent and practice, for the most part. Practice alone won't get you there, necessarily.

[Mandoist]

Most days I can hear them (guitar & mando) and tune them "spot on". Some days I cannot. I have a Peterson Strobe Tuner for those days (and for tuning when there are too many other noises in the room.) Can't beat a strobe for quick & accurate.

When I was a kid, without a fork or any other reference, I used the rotary phone dial tone = it was in "E".

[John Flynn]

I think it's great that there are people who can do stuff like that. I can't do any of those "feats," but I can definitely tune without an electronic tuner, no problem. However, I prefer to use a tuner anyway. It's easier, quicker and ensures that I'm at 440. I can't tell that using one has any negative effect on my ability to play by ear. That's a whole different realm for recognizing pitch as far as I'm concerned.