Blog: Unlocking The "Secrets" of Intonation
- Thread starter Evan Skopp
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Little Pigbacon
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Re: Blog: Unlocking The "Secrets" of Intonation
All this does is make the most of an instrument that still has a deeply flawed intonation system. You might set your guitars up the way you want them, tune them "properly", and all that, and play for years and years without ever noticing anything wrong. But there will still be chords on that guitar that are never in tune. If you don't use them, it won't matter.
Some players, though, find that certain intervals on their guitars, played in certain places, sound really sour to them. Even when the normal things are "right", this can still happen. The reason is because of the compromises inherent in the way guitars are conventionally built, intonated, and tuned. It's impossible to have every note on every string perfectly in tune with every note on every other string at the same time.
Some of the intervals, on the normal system, are right on. The open strings, the twelfth frets, the usually calibration points, those are likely to be on. Others are a little off but close enough that they usually work okay. Still others are pretty dissonant, if you intonate and tune the "normal" way. Again, if you don't use them, why would you care? If you do use them, you likely adjust for it in the last phase of tuning so that you "sweeten" those intervals a little compared to the usual way.
These newer systems -- everything from Earvana and Buzz Feiten to Fretwave and fanned frets -- try to improve on the conventional system by breaking out of the mold of treating every string the same at the fretting end. Some of these are more radical than others, but they all try to get more of the guitar's notes more in tune at the same time.
Do we need it? I don't think anyone needs it, but how do you define a need in a hobby/industry where we generally do things because we want to do them? Are some people going to try it and say, "Pffftt... who cares?" Sure. Are some people going to try it and feel it adds something worthwhile for them? Sure.
All this does is make the most of an instrument that still has a deeply flawed intonation system. You might set your guitars up the way you want them, tune them "properly", and all that, and play for years and years without ever noticing anything wrong. But there will still be chords on that guitar that are never in tune. If you don't use them, it won't matter.
Some players, though, find that certain intervals on their guitars, played in certain places, sound really sour to them. Even when the normal things are "right", this can still happen. The reason is because of the compromises inherent in the way guitars are conventionally built, intonated, and tuned. It's impossible to have every note on every string perfectly in tune with every note on every other string at the same time.
Some of the intervals, on the normal system, are right on. The open strings, the twelfth frets, the usually calibration points, those are likely to be on. Others are a little off but close enough that they usually work okay. Still others are pretty dissonant, if you intonate and tune the "normal" way. Again, if you don't use them, why would you care? If you do use them, you likely adjust for it in the last phase of tuning so that you "sweeten" those intervals a little compared to the usual way.
These newer systems -- everything from Earvana and Buzz Feiten to Fretwave and fanned frets -- try to improve on the conventional system by breaking out of the mold of treating every string the same at the fretting end. Some of these are more radical than others, but they all try to get more of the guitar's notes more in tune at the same time.
Do we need it? I don't think anyone needs it, but how do you define a need in a hobby/industry where we generally do things because we want to do them? Are some people going to try it and say, "Pffftt... who cares?" Sure. Are some people going to try it and feel it adds something worthwhile for them? Sure.
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Re: Blog: Unlocking The "Secrets" of Intonation
^ Very well said.
The lack of perfect tuning in a flawed system (guitar) has always bugged me. I have tried the Earvana nut and find that it does a pretty good job at correcting some of the problems with guitar tuning. For the past several years I have been making my own compensated nuts which fit my playing style a little better.
But, as little pigbacon said, we all have different playing styles, use different chords, and play in different positions on the neck. I think that most players do fine with just straight nuts and frets. Some swear by fanned frets. Some like compensated nuts. To each his own.
^ Very well said.
The lack of perfect tuning in a flawed system (guitar) has always bugged me. I have tried the Earvana nut and find that it does a pretty good job at correcting some of the problems with guitar tuning. For the past several years I have been making my own compensated nuts which fit my playing style a little better.
But, as little pigbacon said, we all have different playing styles, use different chords, and play in different positions on the neck. I think that most players do fine with just straight nuts and frets. Some swear by fanned frets. Some like compensated nuts. To each his own.
