Hey everyone I am not a techy or even too smart to know all things, so maybe somebody here can tell me which tuning fork is best for my daughters violin. If am right this tuning fork listed in this website has their own circuit https://musicadvisor.com/wittner-tuning-fork-violin-tuner/
Now, can anyone please tell me by just looking at them which has a better performance based on their circuit? and which one will last longer?
Any suggestion is open, and yeah I am kinda stupid when it comes to this kind of stuff.

 

A tunning fork is just a piece of metal. It is yhe U saped think standing on top of the box (A sounding box which makes it sound louder.) The handle with what looks like a rubber disk on the end is to strike it to start it ringing. The text suggests this one produces a frequency of 440 hz. I would have thought you would need one with a frequency to correspond with the note required fron each string .

Les.

 

No. You get one string right and tune the remaining strings relative to that one, just like on a guitar.

 

A tunning fork is just a piece of metal. It is yhe U saped think standing on top of the box (A sounding box which makes it sound louder.) The handle with what looks like a rubber disk on the end is to strike it to start it ringing. The text suggests this one produces a frequency of 440 hz. I would have thought you would need one with a frequency to correspond with the note required fron each string .

Les.

If you look further down the page it also discusses electronic tuners.

 

You can also install any of a number of free apps on a smartphone that let you tune a violin. My wife uses one for my daughter's violin and it seems to work pretty well. I think it just listens for the tone and gives you a visual indication of whether to tighten or loosen the string.

 

@WBahn beat me to it.
I use DaTuner Lite! for Android but there are lots for iOS too. The advantage of one of these is that you get a frequency readout which will keep a new player from tuning an octave high or low.
If that's not an option, get a chromatic tuner like the Korg shown or some equivalent that has a microphone and shows sharp or flat with good resolution. Look for 20cents or better around mid-scale. This one seems to have what you need plus it has a metronome. It also will work with a pickup.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YNVCH8...VXBCGK26T&pd_rd_w=J1yrI&keywords=violin tuner
There are lots of others if you search for 'violin tuner'. It looks like there are some clip-ons, too. I probably would avoid the real cheap ones.
I'd also avoid a tuning fork unless your ears are good enough to quickly tune from string to string. You want your practice time to be spent in building skills not chasing the tuning. Every accomplished musician I know including some professionals, uses some sort of electronic tuner.

Whatever you choose, keep in mind that a musician's ears are always learning pitches and intervals. Starting with accurate tuning is critical to training those ears. After some time, those well trained ears will not only hear minute differences in tuning but in the intonations of the played notes - important for any instrument but especially so on a fretless one.

Welcome to AAC and have fun!

 

A tunning fork is just a piece of metal. It is yhe U saped think standing on top of the box (A sounding box which makes it sound louder.) The handle with what looks like a rubber disk on the end is to strike it to start it ringing. The text suggests this one produces a frequency of 440 hz. I would have thought you would need one with a frequency to correspond with the note required fron each string .

Les.

Hey Les,

Do you mean to say Electric Tuning Fork does not have any circuit? or you are just referring to those manual type like this one, https://musicadvisor.com/wittner-tuning-fork-violin-tuner/ this is a manual type so I know this one does not have any circuit. But how about those electrical one? or digitals

You can also install any of a number of free apps on a smartphone that let you tune a violin. My wife uses one for my daughter's violin and it seems to work pretty well. I think it just listens for the tone and gives you a visual indication of whether to tighten or loosen the string.

Thank you for this info I'll try to find one and ask my daughter about it.

@WBahn beat me to it.
I use DaTuner Lite! for Android but there are lots for iOS too. The advantage of one of these is that you get a frequency readout which will keep a new player from tuning an octave high or low.
If that's not an option, get a chromatic tuner like the Korg shown or some equivalent that has a microphone and shows sharp or flat with good resolution. Look for 20cents or better around mid-scale. This one seems to have what you need plus it has a metronome. It also will work with a pickup.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YNVCH8K/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B00YNVCH8K&pd_rd_wg=uDTZe&pd_rd_r=R85KV40GRH3VXBCGK26T&pd_rd_w=J1yrI&keywords=violin tuner
There are lots of others if you search for 'violin tuner'. It looks like there are some clip-ons, too. I probably would avoid the real cheap ones.
I'd also avoid a tuning fork unless your ears are good enough to quickly tune from string to string. You want your practice time to be spent in building skills not chasing the tuning. Every accomplished musician I know including some professionals, uses some sort of electronic tuner.

Whatever you choose, keep in mind that a musician's ears are always learning pitches and intervals. Starting with accurate tuning is critical to training those ears. After some time, those well trained ears will not only hear minute differences in tuning but in the intonations of the played notes - important for any instrument but especially so on a fretless one.

Welcome to AAC and have fun!

Thanks John this is very informative

 

I would recommend a Snark violin tuner.

 

Tuning forks. Hmmm… I'm a purist. I prefer the simple metal tuned fork that you strike and then place it against the instrument. Use your ear to tune that string - been a while, which is it on an guitar? G? Anyway, I've tuned guitars and pianos. Those that have been electronically tuned may have the purest tones but they lack the richness that comes with practice and tuning by ear. Hence, the use of a mechanical tuning fork and just adjusting the string till I get just the right tone.

To each, their own. If you prefer something that tells you to tighten or slacken a string till you get it perfect - then go with whichever model has the best reviews. Beyond that I couldn't tell you which will last longer or perform better. Until I blew out my hearing with drums I used to always tune to a fork by ear.

[edit] It's the low E, not the G. Googled it.

 

Hey everyone I am not a techy or even too smart to know all things, so maybe somebody here can tell me which tuning fork is best for my daughters violin. If am right this tuning fork listed in this website has their own circuit https://musicadvisor.com/wittner-tuning-fork-violin-tuner/
Now, can anyone please tell me by just looking at them which has a better performance based on their circuit? and which one will last longer?
Any suggestion is open, and yeah I am kinda stupid when it comes to this kind of stuff.

Can do - when you tap a tuning fork, the vibration decays - a circuit can be added to sustain oscillation.

There are various guitar tuning gadgets with LCD readout of how far out the played note is - not the faintest idea whether it'd be any use to a violinist.

There might be violin ones, but probably not so easy to find.

 

Tuning forks. Hmmm… I'm a purist. I prefer the simple metal tuned fork that you strike and then place it against the instrument. Use your ear to tune that string - been a while, which is it on an guitar? G? Anyway, I've tuned guitars and pianos. Those that have been electronically tuned may have the purest tones but they lack the richness that comes with practice and tuning by ear. Hence, the use of a mechanical tuning fork and just adjusting the string till I get just the right tone.

There's something to that. A little tweak one way or another by ear can bring big results depending on the instrument, setup, how it's played and more.
I use Peterson strobe tuners and they have 'sweetener' settings for that stuff. Their reasoning is described on their site under 'Sweeteners'. Good stuff. Not particularly cheap.
https://www.petersontuners.com/

 

There are lots of inexpensive electronic tuners out there. The advantage of the little clip on ones is they are easier to use than the phone apps. I am guessing your daughter is just starting out - easy is always good for beginning musicians. Cheap is good if they decide not to continue on.

My youngest tried a stringed instrument for 2 years in grade school. Two years of torture! Poor kid sure tried but just doesn't have a musical bone in his body. At least he gave it a good effort.

 

I'll second the Peterson strobe tuners. I've got an old 420 that I've used for years. Works fine but can be conplicated to use. They make some great electronic models also. Scott is always bringing new products out to make it simple. Korg also has some good units both high end and beginner. Can't go wrong either way.

Honestly the tuner is just a guide to start the tuning. As with most instruments she will tune the A to 440hz. A-440hz @ 70 degrees F is the most common orchestra pitch. The other notes are based off that in perfect fifths. It is all relative and done by ear. She will need to learn to tune by ear when playing with others so they can match pitch. Usually one person sets the "A" and the rest tune to it. That is what all the clatter is before a concert!

Get a small peterson or korg digitsl tuner that reads to at least 10 cents with a "needle" she can watch to tune to. She can set all the notes to the tuner to start but they will need to be finished by ear.

This is one of the first things her teacher should be teaching her...

 

A tunning fork is just a piece of metal. It is yhe U saped think standing on top of the box (A sounding box which makes it sound louder.) The handle with what looks like a rubber disk on the end is to strike it to start it ringing. The text suggests this one produces a frequency of 440 hz. I would have thought you would need one with a frequency to correspond with the note required fron each string .

Les.

Thank you for your honest opinion

If you look further down the page it also discusses electronic tuners.

Hello, so electric tuners has a circuit right?

There are lots of inexpensive electronic tuners out there. The advantage of the little clip on ones is they are easier to use than the phone apps. I am guessing your daughter is just starting out - easy is always good for beginning musicians. Cheap is good if they decide not to continue on.

My youngest tried a stringed instrument for 2 years in grade school. Two years of torture! Poor kid sure tried but just doesn't have a musical bone in his body. At least he gave it a good effort.

I see, I think it was right that I bought those not electronic ones...

 

If you are able to post the electronic circuits then several of the folks here will certainly be able to comment on which one is best. Unfortunately my x-ray vision is almost as poor as my mind reading skills and so without any circuit information it is difficult to make an accurate comment.

 

so electric tuners has a circuit right?

Yes.

 

One advantage of the ones that clip on to the instrument is that they do a much better job of ignoring other instruments. If you're trying to tune your instrument while other people are tuning theirs, or warming up, many tuners have a hard time deciding which instrument/pitch to respond to. Clip ons are really helpful in noisy places.

One advantage of some of the nicer non-clip-on digital tuners with mics is that they have the option of playing tones for you to tune to, so if you want to gradually transition from strictly electronic tuning to tuning by ear, they can do both.

Might be best to ask the instructor first. Whatever is going to be taught is what the student should have. If the instructor has no opinion, my suggestion would be clip on first, and maybe add one of the other digital ones in a few years of you want the extra features.

 

How exactly does the frequency need to be set, anyway?? Would an accurate frequency counter work? I think that I recall tables showing several digits to the right of the decimal point. Can that be real??? Does a 0.0001Hz difference matter???