Korg CA30 Chromatic Tuner
The Korg CA30 Chromatic Tuner is a standard chromatic tuner widely used throughout the music industry. It is a very easy to use tuner and is suitable for bagpipe tuning.
The Korg CA30 Chromatic Tuner features a Digital Display, Microphone Input Socket and LED Display Lights for easy reading.
The tuner can easily be calibrated to assist with tuning of chanter and drones.
Recommended Use Instructions
Tuning Drones
When tuning drones, it is very important to firstly obtain a reading from either another set of drones or a chanter.
There are two ways that the reading can be taken to ascertain the pitch at which the drones should be tuned.
1. In a band situation it is likely that there will be a master bagpipe from which all the pipes in the band are set up. This may be the Pipe Major or a designated piper with a good ear. That person will tune their drones to their own chanter and then the rest of the drones in the band will be set at that pitch. Press the ON button to light up the display. Then simply take a reading from the master bagpipes drones by holding the tuning meter or microphone about 2-3 inches above the sound hole. Be careful never to hold the tuning meter too close as this will affect the sound coming from the drone. It is advisable for a more accurate reading to calibrate the tuner using the CALIB buttons ,either up or down, so that the needle on the display reads to zero at the pitch. A readng from 1 drone is normally enough but if unsure a reading from 2 can be taken to check the accuracy. Once the pitch is ascertained then the rest of the drones can be tuned to zero. The LED lights above the display can be used as a easy guide. The Green LED lights up when the drone is in tune. The Red LED's either side light up when the drone is either flatter or sharper.
2. In a solo situation the benefit of a master bagpipe is not possible so an accurate reading from the bagpipe chanter will be neccessary. Press the ON button to light up the display. Place the tuner nearby (within 1/2 a metre) so that the chanter reading can be taken accurately. Then simply play Low 'A' to take the reading. It is advisable for a more accurate reading to calibrate the tuner using the CALIB buttons ,either up or down, so that the needle on the display reads to zero at the pitch. Then tune the drones to the pitch taken from the chanter.
Tuning the Chanter
When tuning the chanter using a tuning meter it is important to firstly establish a pitch. This pitch may be determined by the band that the pipes are played in or it may simply be the prefered pitch of the player. Press the ON button to light up the display and then simply check the pitch of each note at a time starting with Low 'A' and rising up through the scale to High 'A'. Don't forget to also check the Low 'G'. The SOUND button can be pressed to ascend through each note of the scale as the chanter is tuned.
Tuning a bagpipe chanter using a tuning meter is not always an ideal method of tuning and is not as easy as it seems, but it can be done. Considering that bagpipes have a continual sound in the drones, it is easier to use a drone as a reference pitch to balance the rest of the scale. Setting the pitch of the chanter by taking a reading off the Low 'A' and then tuning a drone to that pitch is an easier method. Then it is a simple matter of tuning each note to the drone. Make sure to periodically check the drone against the Low 'A' especially if you are setting up the whole scale or trying out a new reed.
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