Me or my Tuner?

Tom Olson · From: Spokane, WA

This topic may have been covered already -- if so, I apologize.

I'm new to steel playing. I just bought a squareneck resonator guitar and a Korg chromatic tuner.

I discovered by accident that if I tune the strings, using the tuner, to the exact note, and then lower B-strings by about 10 cents, it sounds terrific -- a lot better than if the strings are left at the exact notes. The chords have that really sweet sound with slightly lowered B-strings. Why is this? Is my brand new tuner out of wack, or does it have something to do with the even tempered scale, or what ever it's called?

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

When you tune to the meter, you're using equal temperament.
When you tune so that it sounds better, you're using just temperament.

The 5th harmonic of your G string is close to a high B note (4th harmonic of the B string), but about 14 cents lower. So if you lower the B string 14 cents, the two are in tune.

Just temperament works great on simple tunings like dobro, but on piano there's no way to do it that lets you sound goos in all keys, so pianos use equal temperament.

Tom Olson · From: Spokane, WA

Thanks Ernest,

That makes a lot of "cents" now that you've explained it.

So, I'm assuming that tuning to just temperament would work with a pedal steel as well?

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Tom,

It works on a pedal steel if one plays mostly the A and B pedal and a couple knee levers along with simple major and minor chords.

However as more pedals/knee levers and sophistocated "pulls" come into play, one soon finds themselves where a piano is.

Probably the most classic example of this is strings 1 and 7 with the pedals up versus down. NO way to get these strings to sound good in Just Intonation with pedals up AND down. So many of us have compensators installed to "tweak" these strings to be in tune (JI) when the pedals are down vs up.

But again as more changes come into play, the problem just gets worse. And so what some of the masters have done, is to tune to equal temperament. Then nothing really sounds sweet but everything fits a bit better, especially with the band.

Two notable steel players who tuned JI for 30 + yrs and now have gone to ET are Buddy Emmons and Weldon Myrick.

I predict that in some distant future JI will be nothing but a time in history as the PSG makes its way into other genre's of music. It must if it is to ever be accepted in the Symphony orchestra IMHO.

Good luck with your tuner and God bless you,

carl

Tim Rowley · From: Pinconning, MI, USA

Good post, Carl. Good explanation.

Tim R.

Tom Olson · From: Spokane, WA

Yes, Carl thanks for that great explanation. I've always wondered what "compensators" were, and what they were for -- now I know. Guess it just goes to show that if I hang around this forum enough I'll learn something.

Tom

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