Mike's Oud Forums

Tune without a tuner!

marzinp - 9-26-2006 at 12:21 PM

I'm looking for a practical way of tuning my oud (CFAdgc) by ear, using harmonics. There are many such ways to tune a guitar, but what about oud: I guess traditionnal players were not using a Korg tuner ;) ! I haven't found such a method on the internet yet...

Thanx!

Masel - 9-26-2006 at 02:17 PM

Two ways I discovered are these:

- Play a fifth up from the open string (for example on the A string play an E note), and the open string above that should be the same note. If you have at least one string tuned correctly or if you know exactly where that note is on the neck this works easily.

- Like on the guitar, there are natural harmonics at certain points on the neck. One of them is on the fourth to the open string (sorry for the clumsy description. On the A string, that note is D). Then one string up, on the fifth (D string, 5 steps up, or A note), play the harmonic, it is supposed to be the same note.

Of course for both methods you need to have at least one string in tune or the whole instrument will be off. In that case I either use a pitch harmonica or rely on a certain note from a certain song that I know is in "perfect" tune.

Jason - 9-26-2006 at 06:10 PM

You can tune ADGC by using harmonics. The harmonic at the fifth position(G where the neck meets the body) will be the same as the fourth position (C) on the G string. Then you can tune the D using the G string and the A using the D string.

Then tune the lowest string in unison with the highest string.

Then use the harmonics to tune the F string.

Like Masel said, you need to have one string already in tune to do this but it shouldn't matter much unless you're playing with a recording or other pitched instruments. My oud stays 'relatively' in tune for weeks at a time.

Marina - 9-26-2006 at 10:27 PM

I think that you can find a song that you know, that has interval of per.4 (In Hebrew, there is Maoz Zur), and than you can tune the strings comparing to the song.
Here is a list, from the net of songs that have perfect 4 interval: Home on the Range (after the repeated note) | Born Free (movie theme) | Here Comes the Bride
Amazing Grace | Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Auld Lang Syne, O Come All Ye Faithful and Taps.

I don't know those songs, but maybe you do...;-)

Anyway, I think that musician should use tuner.

billkilpatrick - 9-27-2006 at 12:27 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Marina

Anyway, I think that musician should use tuner.


me too ...

don't know how much of a musician i am but tuning the instrument with a chromatic tuner (at least at the beginning of a set) is faster and more secure ... plus, the others in my group have taken to asking me for the proper note.

... i like that.

ciao - bill

adamgood - 9-27-2006 at 08:39 AM

I recently bought a very interesting guitar tuner at Guitar Center, it's made by Planet Waves. it was cheap! maybe $13 i forget and is very very small. it works by using strobe lights that you point at a plucked string (you pluck the string using the unit itself) and these two lights stop beating when the string is in tune. i really really love it and i tend to shy away from tuners cuz i hate it when the needle goes berzerk.

so check it out:
http://www.planetwavestuners.com/index.php?option=com_tuner&tas...

only problem is it does only guitar string pitches so EADGBE. this is working pretty well for my Turkish tuning.

Jason - 9-27-2006 at 08:30 PM

I bought one of those too Adam. They are pretty cool once you figure how to use them haha. It's great when you're jamming with others and can't get anyone to stop playing long enough to tune by ear.

marzinp - 9-28-2006 at 02:07 AM

Thanx guys, very useful answers! I gonna use Jason technique, as soon as I won't mess up anymore about pegs/strings :)!!! In a concert situation, I use a chromatic tuner for guitars, but I like tuning by ear when it's possible. I'm not sure there will be concert situations as a oud player at least during this century!