As guitarists and bassists develop better technique, we often discover there seem to be tuning inconsistencies with our instruments that can’t be addressed by plugging into a tuner. Over the years that I’ve played, I have discovered that there is an inherent problem with all of my instruments in a certain portion of the fretboard range. In the process of trying to understand the problem space, I had to do a little math and physics. See? Beneath its firebreathing veneer of rebellion and self-expressive freedom, rock and roll is actually science! And all this time we thought we were being so anti-establishment. Well, at least we can say we’re putting our science to work.

Let’s start at the beginning of the problem with “this thing isn’t in tune”… these issues need to be fully addressed before we can derive any benefit from discussion on microtuning.

Tuning Issues
If you find your guitar or bass won’t play in tune, there are several things worth examining.

1. First of all, make sure your strings are relatively new (less than one month old). Old strings, especially if they’re really dull looking and cruddy, will not properly stay in tune. If in doubt replace them and allow the new ones to stretch a bit before proceeding.
2. How is the neck relief? Sight down the guitar fretboard, looking from the bridge to the nut. If you see an obvious bow / curve / twist in the fretboard, you need to adjust the neck relief. You should also be able detect any serious fret problems this way (see #4 below). Adjusting the neck relief isn’t terribly difficult, but if you aren’t experienced in making this adjustment I’d suggest you have a luthier show you how it’s done. The key here is to make SMALL adjustments; no more than 1/4 turn of the adjustment nut at a time. Warning: overtightening can break the truss rod, and this is the very definition of the word “bummer”.
3. Your tuning issues might be due to improper string action. Check the height of the string above the fretboard. If there is too much distance from the string to the top of the fret, there will be too much deflection when you fret (you’ll always be pulling the string sharp when fretting). This needs to be adjusted at both the bridge and at the nut. Adjusting the bridge is simple. Adjusting the nut slots is not. I recommend you have a luthier handle any nut adjustments.
4. It could also be your frets. If the frets are improperly crowned you’ll find tuning isn’t consistent on fretted notes. Sight down the fretboard and take notice of any unusual frets. If you see deep ruts in the frets or they seem really tall, flat, or radically different from each other, it might be time to ask a good luthier for an assessment.

So if you’ve checked all these things and carefully tuned the open strings with a good tuner, only to find your guitar or bass still doesn’t seem in tune when you’re playing, it might be time to check your intonation.

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The Preons played at the Bite of Seattle this weekend, which was a treat. We performed on the Fisher Pavilion Stage, managed by my longtime friend “Buddha”, who regularly worked as stage manager for Jumbalassy at various festivals. Working with a totally pro crew is a blast! We had more audio power than we could possibly need, which meant my low notes spoke with huge authority. Very fun!

The band played a good show. It’s great to see everyone becoming so comfortable on large stages. My very good friend David came along and took some great pictures. I’m still going through them looking for ideal images to use on the new Preons web site. I’ll have to get that finished soon.

Many thanks to everyone who came out to see the band. It’s always great to see you, and we’ll look forward to the next one!

If you’re headed to the Bite of Seattle this weekend, take an early break and catch the Preons on the Fisher Pavilion stage, Friday at 1:00 PM. We’ll be rocking the Seattle Center, and the weather is expected to be nice too. Come on down!

Our gig at the West Seattle Street Fair was a lot of fun. I did successfully stake out the shady side of the stage (sorry Brad!) and got my gear set up without issue. I decided to play direct without using any effects since the PA was pretty powerful, it would be the first time I could hear the sound of my rig when reinforced by legitimate concert subs. Based on the overall experience, I’m pleased with the sound of the amp, definitely want a better bass, and think a little compression is pretty useful.

Right as we ended “The Conflict of Cobra Kai”, a Chinese dragon brigade (composed of students from a Tae Kwan Do studio) started up directly behind our stage and began marching down the street. This particular song is about the anti-hero in the movie “The Karate Kid”, and is struck me as curiously ironic that a martial arts studio would choose that particular moment to appear in our world. They were accompanied by Taiko drums, which became part of the song’s outtro; we usually spend a good thirty to sixty seconds going off into exploratory space at the end of the song, and I changed both the key center and texture to match the dragon’s beat. Hey, why fight a dragon if you can jam instead?

It was a great gig, and the first time my mother has heard this band in a live performance. She claims to have enjoyed it, although her impartiality is suspect.

If you happen to be our and about tomorrow, come on out to the West Seattle Street Fair and hear the Preons play. We’ll be appearing on the North stage at 12:30 PM. The weather should be nice this weekend, and this is a very nice street fair. I used to live in West Seattle and always enjoyed attending this event. Come on out and say hello!