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The Self-Tuning Guitar
CowboyRobot writes "With the TransPerformance Performer you push a button to activate a mechanical re-tensioning of the strings to any of a few hundred tunings, 'accurate to within 2 cents over the entire tuning range', in a couple of seconds. They can even refit your existing guitar. There's a long audio interview with Jimmy Page on the site. It's funny to hear him speak."
This is really cool. However, maybe I'm showing my age here in that I'm not sure I really like the idea. I've been playing for 25 years (since I was 12) and IMHO a huge part of learning to play is developing a good ear and being able to tune your instrument by hand. I never cared for electronic tuners for the same reason.
;-)
That being said, since I *can* tune by ear, I probably wouldn't mind the convenience of being able to 'dial in' whatever tuning I want.
Let's just make sure that newbs learn things right before you let them have one of these
well my first reaction was "Great! More tone deaf 'musicians' who can't even tune thier own guitars ... at least they'll just suck instead of also being out of tune."
... guess that's why I USED to play with him.
But then I remembered I fellow I used to play with who was enamoured with oddball tunings. I would have loved to get him one of these, because he had to change tunings so often that the audience would get bored in between songs. Wouldn't have been so bad if the guy had had a pesonality to keep them entertained with
The FAQ says it costs about $4000 to retrofit it onto your guitar. This is not for your average guy who plucks a bit on the weekends.
The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them. - Mark Twain
and i meet students all the time that don't want to learn to tune because of digital tuners. i would imagine how "bad" music would sound when they can figure out they can just press a button to retune their guitar. people listen. you ear tune to train your ear.
Tuning is a science, not an art. Either the guitar is in tune, or it's not. If it's not, it sounds wrong. An out of tune guitar sounds bad, period. The only issue I can see, is if the tuning mechanism affects the tone, but this is unlikely, if they've designed it properly.
Can a computer really tune to the level that they can hear it needs to be tuned to for them?
I'll wager a computer can tune a lot better than most guitarists.
If I seem short sighted, it is because I stand on the shoulders of midgets
Don't seem to understand what this product is for. It's not for tonedeaf idiots who can't tune a guitar.
It's for professionals, who want to expand their sound by being able to change tuning midsong and at a rate of a tone a second, so that you can get effects and changes in sound that are impossible on a normal guitar tuning headstock (believe me, I just tried to emulate this video with my guitar: http://www.selftuning.com/video/video.html )
I think the price tag of 3300$-3899$ says it all really.
Gamers Europe - Gaming News. Reviews.
Interesting read. I liked this quote:
"From a pragmatic point of view I think it's an absolutely appalling idea. It would put me out of a job," says Martin Surrey, who tunes pianos for the English National Opera company.
No shit, Sherlock.
Welcome to the world of automation. The other 99.9999% of the population has had their work been influenced by it for a couple of decades now.
I agree...some people listen to some of his solo lines and think "that sounds sloppy." True. But they kept it because it had feeling. If there's any doubt about his ability to play FLAWLESSLY, just listen to Bron-Yr-Aur, which is played in an ALTERNATE TUNING!!! I tried to learn it once.... I gave up. Too hard. (...and I use to be able to play most Van Halen stuff.)
Jimmy Page is an amazing guitar player.
-Steve
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This Sig best viewed in a drunken stupor.
$7.95/mo, 200 GB disk, 2TBxfer, MySQL, PHP, RoR.
I think his complaint is that F is the hardest chord to barre since it is so close to the nut. Depending on the guitar action and your hand strength, it is sometimes impossible to strum a clean crisp F. ... try a different guitar, you may be pleasantly surprised.
To the original poster
Maybe you should consider PRACTICING a little bit instead of looking to technology to make you a rock star.
If automation is really the way you want to go, there are even better guitars out there with your name on them. They don't stop at a mere F chord, they'll play the whole damn song for you! Rock star in a box!
But really, is an F honestly that hard to play? ;-)
"It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance." - Thomas Sowell