A reference that suits your instrument.
Play five notes at your own pace. The app suggests a setting to go with your horn.
Every horn has its own bearings.
How your horn was made and how warm it is both shape the pitch of the sound. Your breath plays its part too. A few minutes of playing help you find your feel again.
Matching the reference of the app lets you work with bearings close to your own instrument. As an example, the current page reports a horn measured at around A 446, which is about 24 cents above A 440.
Five notes, four seconds each
Get ready
Your harmonics 4 to 8 appear on the screen. The one to play lights up to guide you.
Let the sound settle
A two-second countdown announces each note. Then hold it for four seconds, with a breath as steady as you can.
Choose your setting
The app uses the middle value of the five differences to suggest a reference A. This keeps a single stray reading from weighing too much. You can accept the suggestion or keep your own setting.
In a group, share the same reference.
When you practise on your own, you can match the app to your horn. To play together, choose a shared reference and tune your instruments to it.
Play for a few minutes to bring your horn up to temperature. Then set the pitch tuner to the reference your group has chosen. If your instrument has a tuning slide, adjust it gradually, following the advice of its maker. Making the tube longer lowers the pitch.
- On your own: a reference that suits your horn
- In a group: one shared reference
- Fewer than three notes recognised? Play the five notes again, calmly.
Five notes to find your bearings.
In the settings, choose “Tune the app to your horn”. Let it guide you, one note after another.
Open AlphornTuner