saltyd
9 posts
Dec 22, 2011
3:24 PM
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Does anyone know of either a good online diatonic tuner or software that does the same thing so I can practice my bends? All of the ones I've found online don't have the bend notes in them, which doesn't make them very useful. I know there's Harpsoft, but I don't like the idea of having to pay every year just to use the software. If it was just a one-time payment I'd look into it though.
An app for Android would be great too if such a thing exists.
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Zadozica
155 posts
Dec 22, 2011
4:15 PM
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For Apple aps there is iStrobosoft and Cleartune. Both require you to know the note of the bend you are trying to hit but that is actually a good thing.
They may be available as a Droid apt.
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Cristal Lecter
230 posts
Dec 22, 2011
4:22 PM
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Tuners are the WORSE tool to use when it comes to practice your bends
The reasons are :
1) they're not educating your ear, knowing by yourself how to play the note you're aiming for
2) when you'll be on your own, playing by yourself, the tuner will not be here to tell you if you're too high or too low
The cure:
Work with ANY type of keyboard instead, try to match the pitch of the keyboard to the one of the harmonica....With time you're ear will recognise the correct pitch and the correct intervals between notes and the correct pitch of those ones...
TUNERS are for TUNING instruments, not to play with them
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Daughter of Hannibal Lecter, also known as "Christelle Berthon"
Last Edited by on Dec 22, 2011 4:52 PM
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FMWoodeye
155 posts
Dec 22, 2011
6:09 PM
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Christelle makes sense. I've been meaning to make a video.....except I don't have a camera. Anyway, a popular song from the forties, Sentimental Journey, is PERFECT for practicing intonation on the 3-hole bends.
You start with a 3-hole draw and play the first eight bars of the song. It trains your ear and gives you a little crutch intonation-wise if you're familiar with the song. For the 2-hole full-step bend, the riff from The Wizard (Black Sabbath) or Sunshine of Your Love (Cream) is good.
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Willspear
16 posts
Dec 22, 2011
9:01 PM
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If you have a smartphone Gibson has a free tuner that is at the very least useful. Part of their guitar package
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jdblues
60 posts
Dec 22, 2011
11:37 PM
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seventhstring.com has a free tuner, metronome, and tuning fork (which is basically a virtual keyboard). The link is on the left side under Utilities.
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Zadozica
156 posts
Dec 23, 2011
6:54 AM
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I don't agree. You train your ear by hitting the note against the tuner. Release and close your eyes and try to hit that same note. It takes practice but it works. Multiple ways to skin a cat.
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lor
56 posts
Dec 23, 2011
8:03 AM
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I tried the tuner way - keep the green light blinking, etc. I get all "tuned in" to the dang lights and the cents indicator. All visual and mechanical stuff, the mind (mine anyway) puts the sound on "second fiddle".
In principle, I'd suggest the model and feedback mechanism which guides the practice, ought to involve the relevant sensory mechanism (hearing), not some other sense, in order to most efficiently train the nervous system.
Thus I agree with Christelle.
Last Edited by on Dec 23, 2011 8:04 AM
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Zadozica
157 posts
Dec 23, 2011
11:27 AM
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If you need a keyboard and do not have a piano then download The GarageBand apt. It has a full keyboard. Of course, you will need to know what note on the harp corresponds to the note on the piano.
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Cristal Lecter
233 posts
Dec 23, 2011
4:27 PM
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@ Zadozica
"I don't agree. You train your ear by hitting the note against the tuner. Release and close your eyes and try to hit that same note. It takes practice but it works. Multiple ways to skin a cat."
NOT a problem...See you in 2,7, or 20 years when you'll still struggle with your bends...
I'm more than fine on my side I've just said this for you....
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Daughter of Hannibal Lecter, also known as "Christelle Berthon"
Last Edited by on Dec 23, 2011 4:39 PM
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Zadozica
159 posts
Dec 23, 2011
5:17 PM
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Any suggestions on how to get a piano? You sending them out as Xmas gifts?
BTW - since you have never heard me play, why do you assume I cannot hit the bends? Very arrogant of you and I am fine with saying that.
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Cristal Lecter
235 posts
Dec 23, 2011
5:24 PM
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Zadonica:
1) I was talking about a KEYBOARD not a PIANO: you can get a keyboard for $100
2) This is not arrogance this is KNOWLEDGE, and sorry but if you need a Tuner for your bends - which is once again completely IRRELEVANT - it's just means that you're insecure about them and that you need some help here...No need for me to hear you play this is PURE logic...I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU DO YOU GET IT??? I know how to bend and overbend ALL the notes on a diatonic, I don't give a shit to give you advices just to look good....I want to save you years of being in the wrong
3) PLEASE NAME ANY of the major teachers or recognised players that say that the tuners are the way to learn the bends
NONE
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Daughter of Hannibal Lecter, also known as "Christelle Berthon"
Last Edited by on Dec 23, 2011 5:31 PM
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Zadozica
160 posts
Dec 23, 2011
5:45 PM
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So your way is the only way....how is that working out for you?
(waiting for the screaming to resume)
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Cristal Lecter
236 posts
Dec 23, 2011
5:50 PM
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ok never mind lol
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Daughter of Hannibal Lecter, also known as "Christelle Berthon"
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easyreeder
62 posts
Dec 23, 2011
6:57 PM
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I first learned of Bendometer when Jason Ricci recommended it in one of his videos.
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WinslowYerxa
136 posts
Dec 23, 2011
7:06 PM
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One of my students showed me the Bendometer. To me it seemed limited because you were either on or off the note.
The problem with the idea that hitting a bend precisely on pitch is that it's rarely what matters.
Temperament informs pitch, and so does context. You may actually want to be slightly sharp or flat of the "correct" piano note, and you may want to slide in or out of your bend. The tuner can tell you when you're dead on with the standard pitch of a note, but that's really only the beginning.
Listen to the best singers and instrumentalists in just about any idiom - including classical. Their approach to pitch is very elastic and is a big part of their artistry. Chase them with a meter and you'll go nuts trying to measure all the constantly shifting variations from standard pitch. But put the meter down and listen, and that's another story.
Last Edited by on Dec 23, 2011 7:09 PM
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Blocker
109 posts
Dec 23, 2011
7:54 PM
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@Cristal there are other opinions with regard to the use of tuners. I don't think anyone would suggest that one should use tuners exclusively in order to learn correct pitch, however rather just as a reference tool to assist when first training your ear. David Barrett is one major teacher that advocates their use (see below).
Tip of the Day: Ear Training for 3 Draw Bends
Posted Fri, 12/16/2011 - 09:50 by David Barrett Admin
If you're working on bending accuracy (when are we not!), then you already know you're wasting your time if you're not using a tuner or at least a piano to reference your pitch. There are times when we're not around such helpful devices and it's handy to have a different kind of reference...
Part of ear training is to develop a tune list of intervals. Here are some good references...
Whole Step Bend - "Three Blind Mice" 3 3" 2, 3 3 3" 3" 2
Half Step Bend on 3' - "Spoonful" = 3' 2 3' 2 3' 2
Half Step and Whole Step Bend - "There's a Place in France" 2 3" 3' 3" 2, 2 3" 3' 4 3' 3" 2
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easyreeder
63 posts
Dec 23, 2011
8:20 PM
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@Winslow: I understand what you're getting at, but could you make that argument about a piano player? It was suggested (with gusto) that one shouldn't use a tuner to learn accurate bends and that a keyboard was a better choice. You are (sort of) arguing that a tuner is deficient because it will teach the bad habit of accurate bends. ;^) I think some novices heads' must be spinning as they read this. Using a keyboard will teach me to compare pitches (and I could use that, for sure), but the visual cues offered by Bendometer were a great help in showing me that my ears were lying to me. It also showed me that I needed to work on bending control so that I could slide in and out of them, just as you describe. The result was a big improvement in my bending.
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danbower
5 posts
Dec 23, 2011
10:16 PM
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you know everyone I started on gussows and riccis' videos and dont have very much money to buy anything.even beening abeginner I learned from ear without much reference.I like to think that I got some kind of my own touch to how I play.It's my sound different to a degree that stands out.if my bends are wrong and i find that out i just practice with the new knowledge over and over tell my stlye changes again. dan
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