Choosing Android apps for tuning your guitar

Every guitar owner should monitor the quality of its tuning. The tuner app on your smartphone will help you save money on the corresponding device. The opinion of professionals on this matter is ambiguous, both the advantages and disadvantages of programs for tuning musical instruments, including a guitar, are noted. However, such an application will definitely not be superfluous, since it is quite simple and convenient to use it.

A guitar tuner is essential for every guitarist. A separate device for tuning the instrument may not always be at hand, but in such cases a suitable application for a mobile phone based on "Android" will help. In this case, the setting is made without any additional accessories.

The main advantages of such programs are the following features.

• They are free. This is important for beginners who are not yet ready to spend some extra money on a guitar. They have another concern - to learn how to play, but a small error in the accuracy of the sounds emanating from the guitar strings worries least of all (or rather, they understand little about this at the initial stage of training).
• Ordinary tuner can be forgotten at home or simply not taken. An application on your phone allows you to match the strings to any of the common guitar tunings, whether for a 6-string guitar or an instrument with any number of strings (for example, a 7-string or ukulele and 4-string bass). There is no such option in standard tuners. The benefits are especially noticeable in situations where the company suddenly finds itself out of tune with the guitar. The tuner will help you quickly tune it and demonstrate your skills to the guitarist.
• The application is quite simple to use, you don't need to have any special skills. The main thing for a beginner is to know the numbers of the strings or what notes they are tuned to. But such information is available in any simple tutorial for playing the guitar, a bunch of which in 2 clicks can be found on the Internet.

Let's list now the main disadvantages of the tuner on Android.

• Tuning a guitar (especially an electric one) at a concert using such a tuner will not work. Here you need to have a hardware (physical) model, albeit a simple one.
• In a noisy place, it will be extremely difficult to tune, since the microphone of the mobile phone will pick up not only the sounds of the strings, but also all audible extraneous sounds around.
• It is important to always monitor the condition of the guitar. If the string rattles or produces a ringing sound, the microphone of the gadget will not be able to correctly perceive the sound.
• A smartphone is not capable of picking up sound from a guitar. The microphone can distort it significantly. As a result, the work of the tuner will be less efficient.
• The smartphone should be placed on a level surface while tuning the guitar. Usually you have to use a flat surface for this, which is not always convenient.

It is extremely difficult to speak for a tuner on Android or against it. The application is very relevant for individual situations. However, at serious concerts, the program will be useless. Most often, the tuner on Android is used by beginners when learning to play the guitar.

The passionate musician should have a program on his Android smartphone to tune his guitar correctly. It is convenient and practical, and in many situations it is simply necessary. Tuning with such a tuner is easier and faster than by ear.

Let's list a number of popular applications with a tuner function on Android.

• Guitar Tuna. The most popular software used by many aspiring guitarists. With this tuner, you can tune both an acoustic and an electric instrument. The program allows you to tune bass, ukulele, 12-string guitar. The application is quite interesting, inside there is a tuner, a metronome, an archive of chords and games for learning these chords. In addition, you can change the tuning, lower or raise any string by a semitone or tone. Interestingly, this tuner can be used to tune other musical instruments as needed, including when playing in a band.
• DaTuner. The main and only option of the program is a tuner. The big advantage is that you can customize a fairly large number of tools. Guitarists, pianists, saxophonists and violinists can use this electronic tuner model. The interface looks ornate, but it's actually very simple. Select a note in the program and activate the microphone. The tuner itself recognizes the sound of the strings and signals the correct tuning with green colors.
• gStrings. The most simple and user-friendly tuner. The interface is intuitive, designed in the form of a dial. The program has the properties of a chromatic tuner. As a result, it becomes possible to tune almost any musical instrument. The peculiarity is that you can record sound using a microphone or connect a guitar through the headphone jack. This is true when tuning an electric instrument.
• ProGuitar. An advanced program with clear and simple controls. Several modes of operation have been implemented for interacting with various musical instruments. However, only strings can be tuned. There is a library with tunings in different variations. You can use the built-in microphone, headset, external catcher, and even a digital tuner.
• HardWire HT-6 FastTune. The program was created by Harman, which is quite famous in the music world.Interestingly, the tuner allows you to tune 6 strings at once. This simultaneous development significantly speeds up the setup process. It is enough to place the smartphone on a plane next to the guitar and slide it along all the strings. The program will show the tuning status.
• sStrings Free. You can implement not only the classic settings, but also make your own. The program will be just a godsend for people who are eager to experiment. Can be used for any stringed instrument.
• Guitar tuner. Simple and straightforward program. From the very name alone, it becomes clear that it performs only one function. You can set up a simple classical tuning or lower variations. It is possible to use the tuner for more exotic elaborations. There is a tuning fork for the most fine tuning by ear.

Using the tuner on Android, you can easily and quickly tune a classic instrument to 6 strings or to any other number of them. The peculiarities of working with the program may differ, but the general algorithm is practically the same. In some cases, the electric guitar can be connected directly to the phone. To tune the instrument using a smartphone, do the following:

• activate automatic mode in the application (or start it according to the instructions from the developer);
• install the smartphone on a flat surface;
• start plucking the strings one at a time, while starting from the bottom - the thinnest - string;
• loosen or increase the string tension based on the indicators on the Android screen. The tuning of the strings should be repeated until the sound is correct.

When working with tuners that have many tunings in memory, you can preselect the appropriate tuner. It is convenient to use programs that support connecting an additional microphone to a smartphone. In this case, the sound will be perceived more clearly, which makes it easier to set up.

In the next video you will find a quick tuning of the guitar by the tuner on Android.