Tuner by Piascore

This app has all the basics I’d want in a tuner: can play the tone you’re tuning to, can change the calibration, even shows the frequency spectrum of the audio coming in. But swiping to change wallpaper is LAME. I originally tried to swipe, thinking it’d change the note I wanted to sound from e.g. A (at 440 Hz) to Bb, etc, but instead a garish new wallpaper appeared. After wandering around (this took 10m), I figured out that the b and # above the calibration buttons when set to sound allowed me to change the audio tone played back. This app would be much better if: #1 it accommodated iPads (looking at it in iPhone view gives one a neck ache; you’d think the $5 I paid would be worth that upgrade) #2 help provided a bit more instruction. And beyond those fairly large criticisms, utilizing the touch screen aspect more would be welcome. Fix these things and I’ll change my rating to a 5.

In my trumpet case there sits two expensive high end hand held tuners. But this app on my phone is the tuner that gets used instead. No batteries to worry about. It has s large display and is easy to use. Even a trombone player could figure it out! One more thing. When you have this tuner out it also reminds you to silence your phone ringer for everything from a rehearsal, a concert or a gig. But those sliding brass pitch approximator trombone players have a hard time remembering to silence their phones let alone tune! We love you bones!

As a professional conductor I have tried a great many tuners. This is the one I have settled on and use the most consistently. It can even be used to tune groups of instruments, like violins or voices, by projecting the app face onto a big screen and allowing all to see the composite pitch. The players/singers quickly learn group tuning by biofeedback experience. It is also the easiest tuner to accurately arrive at just intonation thirds in triadic harmonies ( Major= flat by 14 cents; Minor= sharp by 16 cents). The musicians quickly train themselves to tune accurately by ear, referring to the tuner less and less frequently. A GREAT app!