Strangling Your Violin

[winston]

Now I know why I can't play violin............you have to tune the damned thing.

http://www.get-tuned.com/violin_tuner.php

[scotty]

The violin player in our band used to tune with my tuner quite easily.Isnt one of the hardest instruments to play the French Horn.
(I really did have to restrain myself the gags are just oozing here)

[jdogric12]

French Horn (or F horn, have fun with that Scotty) is one of the hardest, because the mouthpiece is ridiculously small for a brass instrument (for some odd reason French Horn is grouped with woodwinds, but that's not important right now).

Also really hard are oboe and bassoon, due to their double reed.

I do not play any of these. Su-prise su-prise!

[scotty]

Neither do I lol

[FretlessOnly]

What he says makes some sense, but having the tuner in the horizontal position can be dealt with fairly easily. In addition to guitar, electric bass and double bass (which has geared tuners unless you have a 1600s Amati, in which case you are not reading this), I have a viola with wood pressure tuners. It can be a bit of a bugger, but if you use just a touch of oilve oil and wedge them in there good, you can get proper pitch with the wood tuners.

I have a micro fine tuner on the top string (A on the viola as well as an octave lower on violincello) and it does help. The wood tuners tend to click into discrete positions; none of which is ever the proper pitch.

[jps]

(which has geared tuners unless you have a 1600s Amati, in which case you are not reading this)

But, I am reading this!

Sincerely yours,
Gary Karr

[FretlessOnly]

OK, Jeff, did you google that, or know it?

I'm a lifetime member of the International Society of Bassists, and Gary Karr is god-like (but a bit like watching Richard SImmons Sweatin' to the oldies; assuming oldies are from 1650).

[jimk]

Instead of olive oil, which will tend to stink when it finally does go rancid, if it doesn't soak into the wood first, I've used graphite from a #2 pencil rubbed onto the shaft of an ebony tuning peg on my fiddle. Does the trick quite nicely.
JimK

[jps]

OK, Jeff, did you google that, or know it?

I have known that for many years, now. I first heard of Gary 10-15 years ago.