December 27, 2006
Pre Guess When Tuning to Improve Your Ear

When you are tuning your kalimba with an electronic tuner, there is a moment between when you hear the tine and when the tuner gives its judgement. Before the tuner tells you if you are sharp or flat, clearly state in your mind (so as not to confuse the tuner with an utterance) your belief of the tuning of the note: sharp, flat, or dead on? You will find your ear improve as you do this over weeks and months.

This is a good skill to develop - someday you will be somewhere with an out-of-tune kalimba and no tuner, but your ear will come through. By the way, this is probably not the way to develop perfect pitch, but rather relative pitch. So, give yourself the first note for free, and then try to determine if the other notes are sharp or flat with respect to the notes that have come before.

 

 

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