Posted by ck on July 29, 2002 at 18:42:37:
In Reply to: My ears deceive me!! posted by Nick on July 29, 2002 at 18:29:27:
one of the hard things about tuning a tuba with a tuner is that often the octave displacement throws a lot of people off. We tend to hear the pitch as lower than it actually is. The KORG DTM-12 tuner has a great function that plays the pitch for five seconds then shuts off the sound and reads the played pitch. I often think that I'm right on when I'm actually flat.
Instead of trying to match the core of the pitch, try to listen to the overtones and see if they're lining up. Also, mess around with the pitch, lipping it up and down. See what blends the best. Most horns have enough flexibility in their tuning that they'll compensate for people's playing differences. If you're still sharp when your tuning slide is all the way out, you're probably hearing things wrong and overadjusting.
my two cents!