I this just popped up on my Facebook feed and I was blown away. All the time you spend tuning a mandolin to get it just right... This might just change my life.
Has anyone ever used the original?
https://www.roadietuner.com/?friend=txroadhouse1
I this just popped up on my Facebook feed and I was blown away. All the time you spend tuning a mandolin to get it just right... This might just change my life.
Has anyone ever used the original?
https://www.roadietuner.com/?friend=txroadhouse1
Eastman MD515
My life doesn't need changing that badly. The couple of seconds saved over tuning the "old fashioned" way ie electronic tuner on headstock isn't worth the price to me.
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I've seen these videos before, but one thing I've never seen is what happens when a string starts out sharp. They always show it tuning up to pitch.
When a note starts out sharp, does the gadget tune down and stop at the pitch? That's not how we tune up manually. Instead, we go below the pitch and then tune back up, so there is tension on the string and no remaining slack that could be released when we start picking. We're always taught to tune up to pitch, not tune down to pitch.
If the gadget actually does tune down below the target pitch when starting out sharp, and then back up to pitch, then that would be the right way to do it. But I haven't seen it in one of these videos.
Haven't had any experience with this tuner but speaking as someone that's been around a while, it's a gimmick. Detects 1cent deviation--accurate to 2cents-- 3times more accurate than human ears (whose). Sounds like a good way to throw away $100.
Although they were more careful to not show it in the newest videos, there is an unsteadiness introduced just by virtue of the Roadie being hand-held. The hand always moves when the Roadie is in motion until the "slack" is taken up.
You can more clearly see that jerkiness at the start of each pluck/tuning motion in the following video.
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Playing a funky oval-hole scroll-body mandolin, several mandolins retuned to CGDA, three CGDA-tuned Flatiron mandolas, two Flatiron mandolas tuned as octave mandolins,and a six-course 25.5" scale CGDAEB-tuned Ovation Mandophone.
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From the video that Explorer posted, it looks like it just tunes down if it started sharp. Thing is, it looks like it is driven by the software on the phone, so speaking as a mobile software developer I don't think it would be terribly difficult to put that functionality in there. But it could be a case of being more engineer than musician and not knowing that the functionality is even necessary.
Well...
I wouldn't consider this tuner for myself.
My daughter is legally blind and plays guitar.
She has a Snark tuner, but struggles to see it.
I wonder if a Roadie tuner would help someone like her.
Joseph Baker
I wouldn't recommend it, because it's a crutch that bypasses the recognition of pitch and "in tune-ness" on an instrument. One of the skills for playing a musical instrument is learning to hear when it goes out of tune, and needs tuning. This gadget won't help her learn that skill.
For just a few bucks, you can find a "pitch pipe" at most music stores that will give her a violin pitch for G,D,A,E, the same as mandolin. Then she can tune by ear. I think there are also electronic tuners that can be set to play different pitches, but this is the traditional (and cheap) way to do it.
Edit to add: I just noticed you're talking about a guitar. There are pitch pipes for those too, I think. A guitar is also easier to tune with just a single A440 reference from a pitch pipe or tuning fork, and matching the pitch across strings, which doesn't work so well on mandolin (for various reasons).
To add a quick note to foldedpath,
Back in the old days when it was a pitch pipe or a tuning fork I always used the A440 fork. I found the pitch pipes to be inaccurate at best. With the fork, I would strike it and then hold it between my teeth which resulted in hearing the pitch loudly and clearly in my head! This also free's up both hands to tune the guitar.
Joseph, with time spent tuning the guitar your daughter will learn what "in tune" sounds like. This is great ear-training also.
These days I rarely use a tuning device except to find a basis point from which to start.
Billy
billypackardmandolin.com
Billy Packard
Gilchrist A3, 1993
Weber Fern, 2007
Stiver Fern, 1990
Gibson 1923 A2
Gibson 1921 H1 Mandola
Numerous wonderful guitars
Back in the 1970s, all any of us had were A440 tuning forks.
I remember the frustration of being out of tune when I was learning to play.
Nobody ever accused me of having a good ear.
Considering a Roadie for my daughter, I was thinking about making her life a little easier.
There are lots of aids for visually impaired people. I was thinking that this might be one as well.
Joseph Baker
I think it's a very interesting gadget. Would like to have one and see whether I'd find it useful - but I'll probably always need some other piece of equipment more than a novel new tuner. This slick little gadget hovers in the price range of a decent clip-on mic. Actually, there are several things I sort of need in the $130 price range.
I read all the opinions, and all the reasons why this is not such a great idea, and pretty much agree with all of it, but I still want to play with one of these things. Would I find it useful, or just a frustrating waste of time and money? I'll probably never know.
WWW.THEAMATEURMANDOLINIST.COM
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"Life is short. Play hard." - AlanN
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When I became so afflicted I can't tune my own mandolin, I'll probably be too far gone to play at all. I think I'll spend my meager funds on 15 sets of strings (about 2 years worth) instead.
We are the music makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams
I don't disagree Roger, I'm not that rich guy who gets to buy $130 toys that probably won't do what they're supposed to do. Like I said, there's lots of gear I need and/or want in that $130 price range, so I'll probably never know what this thing is like to use. FYI, I didn't own a microwave oven until after they'd been on the market for 20 years.
WWW.THEAMATEURMANDOLINIST.COM
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"Life is short. Play hard." - AlanN
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HEY! The Cafe has Social Groups, check 'em out. I'm in these groups:
Newbies Social Group | The Song-A-Week Social
The Woodshed Study Group | Blues Mando
- Advice For Mandolin Beginners
- YouTube Stuff
I used to use a pitch pipe back during my barbershop quartet days but I don't think I've laid eyes on one since. As for the "Roadie," I think I'll stick with what I have but, gee whiz, guys, thanks for the offer.
David Hopkins
2001 Gibson F-5L mandolin
Breedlove Legacy FF mandolin; Breedlove Quartz FF mandolin
Gibson F-4 mandolin (1916); Blevins f-style Octave mandolin, 2018
McCormick Oval Sound Hole "Reinhardt" Mandolin
McCormick Solid Body F-Style Electric Mandolin; Slingerland Songster Guitar (c. 1939)
The older I get, the less tolerant I am of political correctness, incompetence and stupidity.
I started playing in the 60’s and always used a pitch pipe unless I needed to tune to someone else’s guitar or piano. Love the electronic tuners now, but I actually use a pitch pipe now for my ukulele, it’s convenient.
WWW.THEAMATEURMANDOLINIST.COM
----------------------------------
"Life is short. Play hard." - AlanN
----------------------------------
HEY! The Cafe has Social Groups, check 'em out. I'm in these groups:
Newbies Social Group | The Song-A-Week Social
The Woodshed Study Group | Blues Mando
- Advice For Mandolin Beginners
- YouTube Stuff
I wonder if Amazon could put Alexa into those things. That would be great for old timey banjo. Alexa, give me sawmill. Alexa, give me double C. ...
New to mando? Click this link -->Newbies to join us at the Newbies Social Group.
Just send an email to rob.meldrum@gmail.com with "mandolin setup" in the subject line and he will email you a copy of his ebook for free (free to all mandolincafe members).
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The Echo has a lot of potential for musical application...
- I'd love to be able to say, "Alexa, start audio recording in 5 seconds." Play a tune and then say, "Alexa, stop audio recording." I mean they're already recording me, why not make it useful?
- Hearing an A-440 would be cool
- Looping by voice control would be cool
Unfortunately, Amazon are a bit more interested in mining for data than creating a useful product. (JMO after owning one of these for a couple years and watching Amazon squander its potential)
Daniel
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