User manual SABINE PIK-700

[. . . ] Automatic Sleep Mode Battery Saver The PIK tuner turns itself off after 10 minutes of quiet. This prevents the battery from discharging unnecessarily if you accidentally forget to turn it off. Low Battery Indicator Your PIK tuner continuously monitors its battery whenever the power is on. If the voltage falls below an acceptable level, the three tuning indicator lights blink simultaneously once per second. INSTRUCTIONS FOR TUNING: 1. [. . . ] However, you can recalibrate your PIK-700 Tuner to match the pitch of any reference instrument by simply touching the RECAL selector. Example: If you wish to tune a guitar so that it will be in tune with a certain piano, simply play an "A" on the piano, and wait a moment for the note to register on the tuner's display. Then touch the RECAL selector on the tuner. Instantly, the IN-TUNE light will turn on, indicating that the tuner now considers the piano to be in perfect tune. Now, if you tune your instrument to the tuner, your instrument will be in tune with the piano. To return the PIK700 to standard A=440 Hz, simply turn the power off and then back on. HOW TO TRANSPOSE Unlike most other six-note tuners available, you can transpose your PIK tuner one half-slop sharp or fiat. For example, to transpose your tuner one half-step flat, simply follow the Automatic Recalibration procedure above, but play an `A-flat" on your reference instrument. To transpose one half-tone sharp, play an "A-sharp. " SOME STRINGED INSTRUMENT TUNING TIPS Most musical instruments have peculiarities that cause annoying tuning problems. Fortunately, most of these peculiarities are over-come by following these simple procedures: Pluck one string at a time. Pluck the instrument once per second to keep the note "fresh" while you are tuning. Notes go noticeably flat a second or two after being plucked. If tuning a higher-pitched instrument (such as a mandolin), pluck a little faster; for a lower-pitched instrument (such as a bass), pluck slower. Generally light to medium volumes provide purer tones that are easier for tuners to analyze. Pluck the strings with the flesh of the thumb. Fingernails and flat picks add overtones and slow the tuning process. Tune from a pitch that is flat up to the pitch you desire. This procedure removes any slack in the gears of the instrument's tuning heads. If you tune from sharp to in tune, the gears will slip as you play, and the instrument will go flat after a few minutes of playing. If you have difficulty getting a note to register on the tuner, touch the other strings lightly to stop their sympathetic vibrations. Old strings lose their uniformity and do not vibrate evenly. [. . . ] The "Even-Tempered Scale" places equal tonal spacing between all notes in the scale so that the musician will not have to retune to change keys. A disadvantage, however, is that the third note of the scale sounds a little flat (14 cents, to be exact). For example, when playing in the key of G, the B will sound flat. If you tune the B string so that it sounds correct in an open G chord, other chords using the B string will sound out of tune. [. . . ]