Tuning in a Noisy Room? Get a mic

WHY: If you tune using an electronic tuner, you may find that you have to wait until your neighbour has finished tuning before you start on yours. Otherwise your tuner hears their viol as well as (or instead of) yours.

You can solve this problem using a small microphone that picks up vibrations directly from contact with the viol body rather than through the air. The mic only detects your viol. If your neighbour has one too, you can both tune at the same time. In fact, a whole roomful of players can tune simultaneously.

It’s really effective. And it’s cheap.

WHAT and HOW: This is what it looks like:

(Illustration taken from Maplin’s online catalog - link to the catalog entry here)

Look on the tuner for a socket marked INPUT and insert the jack plug. Drop the little button-sized mic down the F-hole of your viol or else tuck it in between the tailpiece and the body; or even rest the mic on the bridge somehow. That’s all you need to do.

(A few tuners have no input socket, in which case you’re stuck. And I’ve seen one with a small socket; you’d need an adaptor from large to small, readily available at any music shop dealoing with audio gear.)

The mic that I use is called an Acoustic Guitar Transducer.

WHERE: I’m sure you can get such things in lots of places, but mine came from Maplin’s, a UK chain store dealing in electronic hardware bits and pieces. They do mail order, I believe, but I bought mine in the shop. (Incidentally, if you can’t find it, their counter staff seem to be extremely helpful).

Maplins catalogue number BM97F. Price (Aug 2001): £5.99Êinc VAT

Telephone Orders: 0870 264 6000
Fax Orders: 0870 264 6001

To find your nearest branch go to http://www.maplin.co.uk/ and click on ‘Retail Stores’ (in a the red column on the left). You can also order online.

(BTW I have no connection with Maplins - I’m just a satisfied customer)

ADDED VALUE: If you need to amplify your viol, you can maybe use your contact mic. But we found that it had to be properly attached. The black button has a sticky surface, normally covered by a sheet of thin plastic; the idea is to peel off the plastic and stick the mic directly on the body of a guitar.

In an emergency, we once tried that. It worked fine and it came off OK without marking the varnish. I have no idea whether it will work for you; it might or might not damage your viol. I am not recommending this procedure, I’m just telling you what we did. If you try it and it damages your viol, I accept no responsibility.

Thomas Green Aug 2001